GRIZZLY JIM LAWRIE @ The Toff – July 25th 2013

There have been several acts, local and abroad, whose members have decided to chase their own projects. Dallas Greene and Davey Lane are a couple who come to mind. Jim Lawrie played drums for Eagle and the Worm for some time, which included touring all over the joint, supporting some huge acts, some big festivals and inspiring some on-set crowd dancing for Adam Hills’ popular show In Gordon Street Tonight . It’s rare that a drummer will try their hand at some singer-songwriting. Jim Lawrie, as Grizzly Jim Lawrie , does it very well. I became familiar with Grizzly Jim’s solo stuff several years ago, seeing him perform at the old Birmingham Hotel and providing some guidance and influence for James Keogh ( Vance Joy ) at open mic nights at The Great Britain. Lawrie, since leaving Eagle and the Worm, has brought a full band together of highly talented young musicians. Having released his debut album, Paying My Debts From The Grave , late last year, Grizzly Jim has written some new tracks. The show at The Toff was celebrating the launch of his brand new single, ‘ Midnight Run ‘.

Perth artist James Teague began proceedings. Teague’s androgynous voice is the first thing that hits you as he begins. That coupled with some emotive strings and songs like ‘ Turn You Back ‘, filled with inevitable tragedy and existential predictions of love, create an eeriness that is hard to imitate. His finishing track, ‘ Celestial Waltz ‘, carries some warmth and offers hope about love while sharing “struggles and desires” with another.

Competing with several large Splendour sideshows, the room took a while to fill up. As the crowd drifted in, Melbourne’s energetic Playwrite upped the tempo, delivering a sea of drums, vocals and smiles. Lead singer Jordan White ’s voice soared. With the help of other band members, songs like the maraca-filled ‘ Cactus ‘ turned the Toff into a tropical haven, far removed from the blistering cold outside on Swanston Street.

The crowd pushed closer as curtains were raised for Grizzly Jim Lawrie and his band. Jim’s warmth and generosity is captured on stage as he sings and speaks to his audience. He told the crowd “you’re all legends” and thanked us for “coming down on a school night”. Lawrie played older tracks like ‘ What Did We Do?’  and ‘ Wish I Was There’ , which are by far the strongest from his debut album. Jim’s voice is worth hearing on its own, but it’s with the full band where his songs really reach their full warmth and energy. Although playing with skill and pose, Lawrie’s keys player has an ability to look lifeless and uninterested throughout the set. While this can be distracting, anything lost with him is brought back to life by New Gods ‘ and The Bluebottles ‘ drummer Sam Raines , who I would gladly watch for hours on end as he stirs the bowl and beats the skins. Lawrie’s older tracks, about struggles and finding your way through life, are strong with their life and character, but his newer tracks really capture you. ‘ Storm ‘, ‘ Falling Stars ‘ and the highly praised single ‘ Midnight Run ‘ offer a fuller, rockier and more passionate vibe. They make you want to get out of bed do something with your life.

Jim is going through that phase of recreating himself as an artist since departing from a rising outfit like Eagle and the Worm. Whilst Grizzly Jim’s brand is far less known than those of his mates and previous bands, he is a quality artist you need to see. They performed an unplanned encore, featuring a cover of Aussie punk act God’s ‘ My Pal ‘, which features as a B-side on the Midnight Run single. Building up slowly and hitting you hard at the end, it was a delightful finish to a wonderful set.

Get yourself a copy of Midnight Run and check the great man out when you can.