To the lackadaisical passerby Patrick James would appear to be your typical young man, but given the opportunity an extraordinary talent unfurls. Whether it be a stage or a humble piece of pavement on the sidewalk of a suburban street Patrick James has the ability to enchant, with the combination of his ardent folk sensibility, gleaming vocal and genuine down to earth persona making for an enrapturing live experience. No exception was the launch of his brand spankin’ new single to a damn near capacity Oxford Art Factory, on a balmy Saturday evening.
James was supported by local indie-pop darling Maples, who cast an instant appeasing ambiance across the room; bound by the tinkering of tempered keys and her exquisite vocals, making for a perfectly fitting opening performance.
Up next were North Queensland based The Starry Field, lead by Mark Myers (The Middle East). The Starry Field puts a patently Australian, earthy spin on alt-country. Injecting the audience with a raw energy full of country twang, stomping rhythm and metaphorically drenched lyric; as Myers' earthy verbal pronunciation conjures a Paul Kelly kind of vibe. A set proving well received by the engaged audience right through till the closing draw of the curtains swept across the stage in preparation for the headline act.
Before long the curtains drew open, revealing shadowy silhouettes of Patrick James and his band of merry men taking to the stage. Soon illuminated by the dangling pendant lights above James confessed "we don’t like to swear too much but, but you guys look fucking amazing". The crowd’s felicitous response made it quite clear the feeling was mutual. James then proceeded to enrich the absorbing crowd with ‘So Grande’, followed by the harmonious delights of ‘Brighter Lights’ with a mild outbreak of crowd participation.
Remaining humble and gracious throughout the night, James thanked the audience for coming along, speaking of times spent busking by the Harbour in comparison to now playing a full house at Oxford Art Factory; making each and every presence feel wholeheartedly appreciated.
‘Bugs’ was evidently a crowd favorite, followed by a new song titled ‘Message’, forthwith bringing another story to entail; this time reminiscing on touring with Josh Pyke back in August, when Pyke had a string on his 6-string snap during his encore and James generously allowed Pyke to borrow his; placing it in a foreign tuning in which James unintentionally kept and ended up writing the song in. "I called Josh and told him about it, and he claimed that he’s now entitled to a cut of the royalties… but he doesn’t know I’m playing it tonight." The sound of Pyke’s tuning is evident, channeling just a smidgen of ‘Bug Eyed Beauty’ but in James’ harmonious, fumbling folk style. I couldn’t help but feel as if I had just lucked into a truly special moment here.
Saving the best for last, James and his band launched into the aptly titled new single ‘Wait’ with its beauteous, tingly, dream-folk build-up constructing perfect momentum; dispatching shivers down each and every spine in the room, giving everyone an appetizing taste of the propitious future that lay ahead for Patrick James.
