The Armada @ Indie Bar07/06/09

Tue 9th Jun, 2009 in Gig Reviews

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It was extremely cosy in the confines of the indie Bar, a decent turnout and the perfect setting for an acoustic set from Jeff Martin’s newest musical incarnation, The Armada.

With some movement evident onstage, the crowd hustled and bustled into the small main room. “Good evening friends, this thing The Armada is getting bigger and bigger and I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight” said an instantly recognisable, deep smooth Canadian voice. Without further notice Jeff Martin slid into the extended intro of The Grand Bazaar.

Joining him onstage was Wayne Sheehy, with a vast array of percussive instruments. As Martin approached the familiar melody
line, Sheehy stepped it up a notch and sent punters into a dance frenzy. Due to the acoustic nature, any change of volume percussively meant a huge contrast to the quiet passages and had a vibe like that of any electric gig. “It’s like fuckin’ Wembley Stadium in here!” Mused Martin.

Tea Party hits The Messenger and Requiem were melded together with a dash of Moby’s Why does my heart feel so bad?
Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart popped up during the new Armada track Line in the Sand. The epic blues track Black
Snake Moan was personalised lyrically to suit the surroundings and again included Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love.

Martin and co were like an acoustic DJ team, never once letting up and keeping the crowd on their toes. A perfectly weighted set saw bassist Gareth Forsyth joining them halfway through.

A hand popped out of the backstage curtain after the lads had retreated, encouraging fans to cheer them back to the stage. It was successful and they finished the night out with a blistering rendition of Sister Awake. A simply amazing intimate acoustic show, displaying all of The Armada’s skills as a musicians as well as Jeff Martin’s stunning back catalogue.

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