THE TEA PARTY - Sydney Opera House
Taking Fans Further Down the Rabbit Hole
Than Ever Before
Wednesday 11th February 2026
Photographer RA >> See Photos <<
Written by: Jimmy Wah
THE TEA PARTY’s music could almost be described as cinematic, but even that feels like an understatement. They don’t just tell a story or even create a world; they transport you to places you’ve never been and tap into feelings you didn’t know you had. With that being said, as a fan witnessing THE TEA PARTY backed by THE METROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA in one of Australia’s most iconic concert venues the Sydney Opera House, I can only attempt to describe what we experienced on Wednesday night. It’s difficult to describe style of THE TEA PARTY to anyone who hasn’t heard of them, so I’ll preface this review with a little caveat; the words mean nothing without experiencing the sound.
As wispy clouds turned golden over the harbour, meandering concert goers filtered to their seats in the concert hall and were left to imagine their idols making order from the chaos on stage. The audience cheered when the lights went down and the orchestra filed in to mark a fashionably late start, growing even louder when Canadian powerhouses THE TEA PARTY took the stage. Multi-instrumentalist and vocal powerhouse Jeff Martin opened with the desolate acoustic sound of the Middle-Eastern Oud haunting the iconic space.
Image: Jeff Martin playing the Oud
Changing guitars and kicking into the powerful fan favourite ‘Temptation’ from the 1997 album Transmission, I was struck by the sense that the music was being carried on a cloud. Jeff Burrows’ drums punched through the symphonic backdrop like lightning as Jeff Martin’s voice offered rays of sunlight through the turbulent atmosphere. All the while Stuart Chatwood lay a foundation of tone that I soon realised was responsible for the sensation I could feel through my feet and chair.
Image: Jeff Burrows on drums
Image: Stuart Chatwood on keys
Image: The Tea Party and The Metropolitan Orchestra on stage with the seated audience in the Sydney Opera House
Whether to give context, instruction or simply to express his gratitude to THE METROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA conducted by Sarah-Grace Williams, Jeff Martin addressed the audience between each song. Before the second song was played, Jeff spoke of the light and shade that paints the picture of THE TEA PARTY’s music and that one of Gods who guides its subjects through the darkness in Greek mythology was the name of the next song ‘Psychopomp’. The orchestra gave the song immense body and truly opened up the theatre of the mind, making it clear that it had always been written for them. This was confirmed when Jeff introduced his next song by saying, “You know, I’m supposed to be this big Canadian rock ‘n’ roll guy but in truth, between the hours of 8.30 and 11.30am I listen to nothing but ABC Classic FM”. This subtle hint that Jeff now lives in Australia was the perfect segue into ‘Gone’ from the double platinum 1999 album TRIPtych, a song originally written with a symphonic backdrop taking on a whole new identity in the Sydney Opera House.
Image: THE METROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA
Image: Jeff Martin
Jeff highlighted the exceptional talent of THE METROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA saying, “Our music takes influences from lots of different places like North Africa, the Middle East and Northern India but it is notoriously difficult to translate into Western music because the notes they use involve a lot of quarter tones.” This was followed by ‘White Water Siren’, a song that had a particularly North Indian feel from the 1999 record The Interzone Mantras. The feeling of experiencing songs that we all know and love played in this space and format is inexplicable. With deep cuts across their entire catalogue, the history and the memory enhanced by the richness of the music was overwhelming at times. Whether it was the dedication of the song ‘Oceans’ to THE TEA PARTY’s manager Steve Hoffman who passed in 2003, the immense sound of bass during ‘The Ocean at the End’ sending shivers through my legs, or the dichotomy of Jeff Martins iconic baritone with opera soprano Elspeth Bawden during ‘Walking Wounded’; the knot in my throat and misty eyes were a hallmark of the set, and we were only half way through!
Image: THE TEA PARTY + METROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA
The intermission gave everyone a chance to get a drink, some nibblies, buy some merch and take a necessary break without interrupting the show. It must be said that the Sydney Opera House staff on Wednesday night were amazing. We were well taken care of with fast service and obliging staff who were extremely professional and friendly. We were made to feel at home with clear directions that didn’t inhibit our ability to enjoy the show as we see fit.
Image: Sydney Opera House bar staff
Image: Staff at the merch desk
When we returned, THE TEA PARTY continued with more deep cuts from Transmission, The Interzone Mantras and TRIPtych. When ‘Requiem’ was dedicated to the recently deceased father of THE TEA PARTY’s manager, we were treated to an amazing orchestral bridge and Elspeth Bawden’s vocals that once again featured on the stage. Whether shredding on his Gibson Les Paul, double necked Epiphone electric, Maton 12 string or acoustic 6 string; Jeff Martin is a master of his craft. As promised he even played a little game, commanding the audience to stand up at key moments throughout the set and “Sit down” when he told us to, which I think he enjoy a little too much ;) One of the songs that had everyone on their feet was the 1999 number 1 single 'Heaven Coming Down’ which Martin quipped was a surprise to the band because he wasn’t known for writing number 1’s. Jeff claimed that “Bow envy” was the reason that he took out a cello bow to play the intro on his electric guitar but I don’t think he needs an excuse, it sounds f*cking awesome! The euphoria of that moment was followed by a version of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ with 1993’s ‘Save Me’ bookending the start and finish, showcasing the mastery of both the band and the orchestra.
Image: THE TEA PARTY + METROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA
At an establishment such as the Sydney Opera House, where a seated audience is the usual expectation, we were delighted to be called on by Jeff himself, to ‘‘stand up, sing and dance’’ throughout the performance which allowed the audience to express their love and joy for the music.
Image: THE TEA PARTY audience
Image: THE TEA PARTY
THE TEA PARTY left the stage threatening to end the set but the audience remained firmly on their feet chanting applause as the orchestra remained on the stage. The band returned to play ‘Winter Solstice’ without the orchestra before closing out the set with ‘Sister Awake‘ which everyone on their feet. If you’ve made it to the end of this review I don’t need to tell you how extraordinary this landmark moment was in the history of THE TEA PARTY. All you have to do is listen to the music and let your imagination take over.
Image: THE TEA PARTY
Photographer RA
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