By Stephanie Riley
Jamie T made a long-awaited a return to the stage, after 5 years playing an amazing show at the Manchester Academy. A packed out venue of loyal fans saw the singer play a variety of old and new songs, ending with the anthem that is Sticks and Stones. The singer/song writer has a real honesty and story behind his seemingly arrogant, yet fragile demeanor. Connecting with his audience, and thriving in a smaller arena like the Academy, enhancing the experience and his showmanship. Jamie’s songs echo that of his personal trials, for example, his crippling problems with an anxiety disorder, as well as exploring the teenage misbehavior of his youth. The set was two hours long, which shows the stamina of this performer, as it was a high energy perforce from the start. The whole crowd got involved with the performance throughout the entire show, which will surely silence the critics who say he’s somewhat lost his touch.
With a comeback gig like this, it was clear to see that Jamie’s 5 year absence was indeed felt by his fans and the music industry as a whole. His fiercely original music, which is hard to place in a rigid genre, manages to appeal to a wide age range, as the crowd was packed with those from 14 to 44. Mixing ballads with elements of reggae, electronic and rap is a task not to be taken lightly, however the young artist manages to do it beautifully. Due to his long absence, there was some tension as to whether Jamie had lost his showmanship and his ability to engage with the crowd. I can safely say that his performance has been absolutely unaffected by his absence, as the whole crowd did not shy away from singing along to classics such as ‘f You Got the Money and Emily’s Heart, as well as the chart climber Zombie. With a thrown in acoustic version of Salvador, this was certainly a gig not to be missed.
Stephanie is a third year English Literature student at Manchester Metropolitan University. Follow her on Twitter: @stephriley_ or read her personal blog via stephriley.wordpress.com
Featured image: Aaron Shaw ‘Is This Thing On?’ is a unique debut show, a product of the creative collaboration between Ellie Campbell, Megan Keaveney (MissMatch), and the So La Flair theatre company. Following its debut appearance at Contact Theatre, the show promises to be a memorable experience for those attending the tour across Wigan, Leeds,…
Featured image: aAh! In each print issue, aAh! Magazine explores one word which runs as its theme. Next up is The FRESHERS Issue 24/25. aAh! Magazine invites all Manchester Met students interested in journalism, writing, photography and design to pitch ideas to be considered for print publication for the upcoming issue: The FRESHERS Issue 24/25….
Featured image: Seagoth “This album is dedicated to all of the people who can’t take a day off from themselves, to the people who have to face their greatest fears every single day – and to all the pain we feel, may we heal”. – Seagoth on How to Stay Wide Awake. While studying music…
Featured image: So La Flair Theatre Ellie Campbell and Megan Keaveney graduated last year from Manchester Theatre School. The pair met at a house party in their first year, where Ellie was standing on a table singing her heart out to Florence and the Machine. Megan locked eyes with her and knew they would be…
Leave a reply