Max Jury at The Slaughtered Lamb

Pausing only to retune an acoustic Gibson and banter with the crowd between numbers, Max Jury captured his audience on this midwinter night, interpreting original songs old and new in collaboration with a talented duo on percussion and lead guitar – and, of course, the occasional harmonic interjection from an enthused fan. Touring his upcoming record, Avenues (out on 31^st March), Jury set the stage for a triumphant return to the live circuits.

With songlike speech, Jury is ever-gentle: peacefully unconvinced, but convincing, if you’re willing to play along – a timely reminder that simple, sometimes, is exactly what we need. A particular highlight was duet Is This Love?, performed in effortless cohesion with the remarkable Delilah Montagu. A talent more than equal to a headline spot all to herself, the songstress’s opening set captured the room as the night drew in and transformed after-work drinks into a softly lit soirée.

Following her, the charming, luxurious Little Jean Jacket and an oh-so-still performance of Great American Novel – solo, empty stage, just Jury and his keys and not a murmur from the crowd – made perfect use of the intimate, shadowy venue. On his recent single, Feel Free, the unassuming suggestion, “I gave up on feeling lonely / I’m just trying to feel free”, resonates beyond the casual tone of its delivery, and on-stage, accompanied, it fits perfectly around melodies that could meander up and down for hours, as long as the sun doesn’t come up. And Jury, he’s comfortable there: early morning, blue sunshine, when the earth is still cool, but not for long, weaving Tom Petty-esque sagas of nameless women we know only by their particular beauty, or by the accessories they choose to wear.

Returning to the moment, to the concert hall, the artist reminded the audience more than once that he hadn’t played a full show in a while (although, it bears noting no one but a time-embittered competitor would have thought to comment on the difference of a few months’ lost practice). What’s more, the basement of the Slaughtered Lamb is just the place for Jury’s return to the stage: like the artist, the space is captivating and warm – warm, above all else – without any pyrotechnics, just the burnt ochre shadow of a focused sound engineer and, here and there and always at the right time, one experienced, lone barman.

Sylvia Unerman
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit Max Jury’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Is This Love here: