Jamie T, Manchester Academy

Jamie T is an artist who truly defies both genre and era, with fans from all walks of life. Part punk poet, part indie pop troubadour and a little bit of everything else in between, he created two of the most exciting and genuinely original records in British music for a long while….then disappeared for 5 years. 

Yet throughout this hiatus the songs still seem as relevant to modern Britain as they did then, avoiding the fate of many of his peers by becoming dated, lost in the murky period we term the mid-noughties. Panic Prevention especially is near-perfect from start to finish, a triumph of clever, witty and meaningful lyrics, backed by the most inventive yet catchy melodies. His often-referenced anxiety issues meant he waged constant personal battles, but swerved the whirlwind of self-destruction which befell Doherty, Winehouse et al. Instead, he disappeared quietly into the mid-distance, not quite long enough to be forgotten, but enough to make us wonder, “so what happened?”

What happened, it seems, is that Jamie spent his time writing his phenomenal third album Carry on the Grudge. Perhaps darker and gloomier than his first records, with fewer off the wall samples, yet still with that blend of genres which deems him almost in a league of his own.  Tonight, he returns to Manchester for the first time since 2010, and the crowd in The Academy is already at a riotous volume before Jamie and his band have taken to the stage. Opening with Limits Lie, the audience sing along like it’s a classic, not a track which has only been out a few months. This is swiftly followed by Don't You Find, a brooding dub-based lament and one of the stand out tracks from the new LP. Jamie knows how to keep the boisterous crowd happy, interspersing new tracks Peter and Turn on the Light with fan classics Operation, So Lonely Was the Ballad and Ike & Tina.  The energy both on stage and in the audience is exhilarating, and it feels like everyone in the room is here to simply revel in the music with no pretension or agenda. Jamie T has always shied away from both these things, refusing to be drawn into redundant interviews looking for a cheap soundbite, and this has allowed him to maintain his integrity where others have become caricature.

Whizzing through a ‘greatest hits’ set (playing 22 songs in total), all bases are covered, from the sweet  and tender Love Is Only a Heartbeat Away to sing-a-long pop songs like Rabbit Hole. The lightning pace is maintained throughout, and for a man with such a way with words Jamie doesn’t say much, leaving more room for the music. As the set appears to close with If You Got the Money, the emphatic crowd brays for more, knowing there are a few classics left to be heard. Jamie’s encore begins with an emotive solo rendition of Calm Down Dearest, followed by Sheila, his ode to misspent youth which is shouted back at him as if it were a terrace anthem. The incessantly catchy Zombie comes next, and any last scrap of energy the audience has left is spent with the final song Sticks 'N' Stones, a firm staple of many indie dance floors.

There is a feeling in the air of triumph, almost like relief, that Jamie T returned and just as good as ever. Carry on the Grudge has proven this is more than a ‘comeback tour’, and his sheer talent for songwriting is undeniable. Who knows if he will go off the radar again, but for now he is well and truly back.

Friday 7th November, Manchester Academy