Live: Jamie T

7th November

Manchester Academy

7/10

Demand was so high for Jamie T’s sold out Manchester show; he’s going to be coming back on the 17th November for round two. This may come as a surprise to some, seeing as four years ago Jamie T vanished off the face of the earth after touring second album Kings & Queens, and his silence during this absence was so intense it prompted many fans to speculate whether he was even still alive. His comeback album, Carry on the Grudge, dropped at the end of September, and subsequent anticipation for his return to the live circuit has been running high ever since.

Thankfully Jamie T’s return did not disappoint, and consisted of a lengthy 22 song career spanning set. The set was spattered with highlights from his first two albums, such as ‘Salvador’, ‘Sheila’ and ‘The Man’s Machine’. The crowd sang these songs word for word back at him, and welcomed him back like he’d never been away. Surprisingly nearly half of the set was made up of songs from his new album. These new songs sounded noticeably more mature than his earlier output, and it’s clear the long absence has seen Jamie T develop as a songwriter. His strong encore consisting of a stripped back solo version of ‘Calm Down Dearest’, recent single ‘Zombie’, and the ever rowdy ‘Sticks ’n’ Stones’, is clear evidence that both his old and new material can sit alongside each other.

You can’t help but feel pleased for Jamie T. The crowd rapturously received the whole set, and it was refreshing to see the singer challenging himself, not just resting on the laurels of his previous two albums. Let’s just hope that the forward looking nature of his set means that he won’t disappear again for another four years.