Gig Review: Jamie T

Last week I went to see Jamie T put Birmingham at a stand still and I was excited to say the least. However, finding out just hours before that Slaves had to cancel their support because of illness was horrible because I was really looking forward to seeing them. After hearing so much about them and listening to their single "Hey" I had my heart set on seeing them live to satisfy the curiousity. Either way, I just assumed that since it was quite last minute there wouldn't be a replacement, plus in my mind, who on earth would replace Slaves...?

When Superfood stepped out on stage I was ecstatic. Even though I'd already seen them headline before here, I couldn't have thought of a better band to stand in for Slaves. They absolutely smashed it!! It was such a good set that when they finished the crowd was even chanting "WE WANT MORE!" as they left the stage. The support act! Their set went from 0 to 100 in about 15 minutes. The few of us that knew who they were from the beginning could be heard singing their songs and seen bobbing their heads but by the last song, everyone was dancing, there was even a pretty big pit. To come on as the support act and not even the main one, the replacement support act and make that much of an impression. Now that's what I call making an entrance. BIG! Superfood are smashing it right now and this gig certainly added a few to their fan base.

After that fantastic start, Jamie T was going to have to do something pretty big to show us why he was the headliner! As soon as he stepped on, I remembered why. The crowd went bonkers at the mere presence of him! When he opened up with "Limits Lie" as the first note rang out, shouts could be heard in recognition and excitement and before I knew it I was being thrown about like a rag doll as fans leapt around to the song. One guy was so excited (and probably drunk) that he even puked and was escorted out of the crowd before the first song. Jamie knocked out hit after hit after hit. Songs across all three albums and die hard fans knew every lyric! However, the response to his more well known songs was frenetic. He probably didn't have to sing any of the words, heck, he didn't even have to be there! The audience was just so caught up in the moment and emotion that they were screaming the lyrics on autopilot, crowd surfers were emerging and wild pits were opening up left, right and centre. Nothing like mob mentality to get the adrenaline pumping. Ending the main set with "If You Got The Money" then coming back on to play four more songs and end it with "Sticks 'N' Stones" - the crowd didn't even know what to do with themselves! I can't remember the last time I was that sweaty leaving a show. I don't know what hold he had on the crowd but each of them would've done whatever he wanted that night. Jamie T is a song wizard.

Overall Rating - 8.5/10


Here are some pictures from the night...