Josh Pyke is back out there, stomping the boards on his Fans First tour, promoting his new album Rome. I managed to catch his last show from a run of four nights at The Factory Theatre in Marrickville.

You can see the full photo gallery, shot for AMNplify, here.

As we wander in, the scene is pretty much set on stage with a spotlight shining down on a mike stand surrounded by a couple of foldback speakers (old school), a couple of guitars and a small table with a refreshing beverage. The cabaret seating in front of the stage echoed the atmos with rows of cosy tables for two. You just know that this is going to be an intimate performance.

Playing solo and with no support act, we are in for a night of JP, his vocals and a guitar. And what he delivered was a consummate performance, honed from endless live shows. His set seemed to just flow, with the right amount of banter between songs; a few tales from the past about each song, little links to his family, a dedication of You’re My Colour to his couple of naughty young sons; and just the right amount of intimacy to let the audience in to a personal experience. Even a couple of lyric stuff ups were expertly delivered and recovered with a bit of humour, without skipping a beat – “its all about the recovery!”.

We got two sets from JP tonight, with a little 10 minute break in between for a bit of COVID cleansing. The sets gave us his new release, Rome, as well as a pleasant pick and mix from his back catalogue. All the songs were delivered in his typical unassuming, quiet soulful way, enhanced by looping guitar riffs, backing vocals and guitar slapping to fill out the space. Before we knew it, it was all over and with a quick wave he was off.

If you are quick, you can see the recorded live stream of the early Factory show from his facebook page, here.