Live Review: Patrick James w/ Hein Cooper @ The Foundry

Snowballing his way through 2015, Patrick James gained a plethora of fans that keep wanting more. From supporting The Paper Kites on their Australian tour, to afterwards dropping his debut album, Aussies have been steadily noticing the singer-songwriter’s raw talent. Keeping up the pace, James’ 2016 blasts off with the Outliers tour, and if his first night in Brisbane is anything to go by this snowball isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

“Back to Brisbane for the first time in six months and first headline show in over a year, well fans were itching to hear these gentlemen belt their brand of delicate folk soundings once again.”

The floating falsetto of Hein Cooper started the night off gorgeously. The cyclical finger style that drove most of Cooper’s track shows off the talent in his guitar-work. Working his fret board from start to finish, the complex rhythms accompanying soaring vocals certainly left the audience in awe. However, in a bid for experimentation, Cooper attempted a live acapella of his track Lunar Silhouette that fell a bit flat. But he certainly left the night on a high in the live version of his folktronica track, The Art of Escape, proving climatic and deliciously addictive. A talented, talented man with a bright future ahead.

One quickly became four, as Patrick James and his band of merry men stole the stage amidst sea of squawking fans. Back to Brisbane for the first time in six months and first headline show in over a year, well fans were itching to hear these gentlemen belt their brand of delicate folk soundings once again.

The band came together like a Maggie Bear cheese cake; mixed together beautifully and layered on each other one by one. Deconstruct the cake and you’ve got some tasty bits, but if you take a mouthful of the whole cake then you’re in for a flavour explosion. The articulate drumming, the delicate rhythm guitar, the complex bass lines, and the raw Patrick James vocals are a delicious mix of gifted musicians who shine on stage. There’s a synchronicity that blends the band together so well, and their brotherhood of musicians truly shows in the polished, faultless performance that leaves you hungry for more.

“The band came together like a Maggie Bear cheese cake; mixed together beautifully and layered on each other one by one.”

The powerful James vocals soars in the live arena and just like any true singer songwriter, his talent is truly experienced in person. The emotion captured in his face escapes through his vocals and lands in our hearts. With songs of love and loss the vulnerability of this man truly makes you weak at the knees. There is no facade when it comes to Patrick James, what you see is what you get, and what you get is some brutally honest lyricism. James turns wearing your heart on your sleeve into a fashion statement.

This being his first tour since the release of his debut album ‘Outliers’, James showered fans with tracks lifted off the record which had some fan girls literally screaming. There wasn’t just a crowd of people that packed The Foundry, there was a flood of fans. The verbatim karaoke going on left James in disbelief as he performed to a packed room from a town far from home, all dancing and singing along to songs penned from his bedroom.

From dance numbers like his California Song, which he admits “was written after a trip to Hawaii actually,” to his heart tingling Kings and Queens ballad, James has learnt how to engage an audience . He kept them on the edge of their seat and brought it home with a swelling Covered in Rain that built and built in a swirling crescendo, blending the band together into a wall of sound that drops off into nothing. “Leave them wanting more” couldn’t be more perfectly executed.

A highlight of the set was certainly the cover of John Farnham’s Two Strong Hearts that featured one hell of a solo from the bassist turned saxophonist. With harmonies that dominated the set, to that powerful saxophone, this show stopper is certainly one to watch out for.

There is something so heartwarming about James’ demeanour. From a wayward smile, a stumbling over his jokes, to a genuine love for his fans, the humbleness this man has towards his music is where his charm lies. The ‘Outliers’ tour takes the band right around Australia, and is definitely one to take a punt on. If you like swirling powerful ballads and sing-alongs,  exquisite musicianship, beautifully written lyrics, and powerful vocals, then this is a show for you. There really is only one way to truly appreciate all of James’ talent, and that is to see it in person.