Jamie T is genuinely a very talented lyricist. His songs are catchy and are arranged masterfully and he has a method of delivering the words of his songs as if it's some kind of unofficial anthem. There doesn't appear to be a message behind his lyrics, no protest, no subliminal headline. He seems to write what he knows, and that is that.
From the moment the crowd knew that the man of the moment would be arriving on the stage, there was an uproar, almost mob-like atmosphere within the Liquid Room. Not aggressive, not out of control, more like a large band of comrades who could not control their anticipation. He certainly has a firm fan base for a musician who is laying the foundations of his career. Indeed even if you were not part of this "gang", it was still impossible to stop yourself from chanting;
Jamie, Jamie, Jamie f****** T, Jamie, Jamie, Jamie f****** T! and so on and so fourth.
He has clearly built up a healthy stage presence; reaching out towards the audience at every moment he had the flexibility to do so and the crowd was ever eager to embrace his outpour to them. Jamie T is a charismatic and energetic performer and the passion in his lyrics comes through in his live performances.
He performed the majority of his album with crowd-pleasers such as Pacemaker and A New England, however, it did feel like it passed by fairly quickly. When we arrived at the finale of his set and he announced that his last song of the evening was "one for all of youse" his hit song Sheila, it felt like we had spent more time waiting for Jamie than watching him.
Despite this, the period of time that he was performing was exhilarating to watch and certainly his ability to demonstrate true musical talent. The interesting thing about Jamie T's ability as a public speaker and musician is the fact his performance would have had similar impact on his audience standing alone on stage with a guitar and a tambourine attached to his leg with a piece of string.
In any case if you admire the Arctic Monkeys for their talent of conjuring up lyrics that are both inspiring and rhythmically uplifting then Jamie T is the artist to follow.
© Lauren Quinn, 22 August 2007. First published at www.Edinburghguide.com. See Jamie T image