Welcome Back, Jamie.

This might have been the gig of my life!

I'm not sure how many people will care all that much but around 4 years ago, Jamie T was kind of a big deal. He was one of my favourite artists before his first album even dropped but then after a winning awards and critical acclaim for his second album and selling out shows everywhere, he just disappeared.

Hey, things like that happen, you move on, you find someone else to listen to, but Jamie T was always a regular among my playlists.

I think someone broke his heart terribly and it's something you can really feel in some of the raw lyrics across his new album, Carry On the Grudge. I'd love to know where he's been but mostly, I'm really happy that he's back and I hope he doesn't do a disappearing act like that, at least without an explanation, for a long while.

So that's why Moon and I were in Norwich over the weekend, not just because we fancied visiting Norwich (more on that part later though because it's a swell city), but because when the guy who wrote 'your song' makes a comeback after being quiet for practically half a decade and is sold out anywhere nearby, you've got to make the effort.




When in a student union, man must snakebite, and then regret it.
This is around the fourth time I've seen Jamie T and I must admit, as great a performer as he is and as much as I've enjoyed each show, he had a 1 in 3 track-record in my eyes of poor support - I did see Slow Club support him at the iTunes Festival though (before it became impossible to get tickets) - so when Moon said he recognised Saturday night's support as Slaves, a shouty, aggressive band that 'I'm gonna hate', I wasn't looking forward to waiting around for 2 hours to get to the good bit.

I think what I learnt from the above is that Moon, even after all this time, might not know me as well as he thinks he does. SLAVES WERE AWESOME!
When he said I'd hate it, I figured it might be metally - metal, I can do without - but they weren't. Much like Jamie T, this duo from Royal Tunbridge Wells were a brilliant blend of rap with old-school punk vibes and they had the perfect amount of swagger with almost (Arctic)Monkey-esque banter. I'm a fan.



Their lyrics are clever and funny, and yes, they are loud and not necessarily what I would usually listen to but as live performances go, I'd definitely recommend that you check them out. Especially for their on-stage stories, Girl Fight's back story was my favourite.




As for Jamie T himself, as you may gather from my opening statement, he was just as on-point as I remember. Performing with a new band, it was fairly obvious that he was a bit nervous as the crowd were crazy-buzzed but as soon as he was out from behind the guitar, he came into his own and it really felt like he'd never even been away.






He played a mixture of old and new songs and we sang along to every word and (even as far back as we were) got pushed about a bit. First time in a long while that I've lost my voice at a gig, but that just about did the trick.





The stand-out songs for me (Pacemaker, Operation and If You Got the Money) were oldies but the whole set was perfection. If you're lucky enough to be catching him at all this month during this sell-out tour run then you're in for a proper treat, he's doing a few less whiskey chasers on stage than before and the slow songs are a bit more poignant but there's no doubt about it that he's still got it!

Jamie T @ Southampton Guildhall: 02 February 2010.

Overall I'd probably give this around a 7/10, which isn't to say that the gig wasn't good, just that my experience was not as good as it could have been. Jamie T was on top form as always though, it's a pity that the audience didn't follow suit. Although considering who the support was, I'm not surprised they were slightly riled up, because this guy was a tosser.
He went by the stage name, Chester P and made almost no sense, what link to Jamie T that he had was quite weak and his act was definitely not enough to get us going. And that's leaving out the random mega quiet acoustic parts - performed by his cousins. I can't believe this guy was for real, and he gave up 'rapping' - for which he was accompanied by one of the aforementioned cousins - to preach to us about how corrupt everything is, well, obviously, but I'm here to enjoy music not be indoctrinated into Anarchy. So he was bad, if I hadn't wanted to be at the front for Jamie T, I wouldn't have bothered being early.


As I mentioned before, Jamie T himself was as good as when I'd seen him previous times, but as he kept saying it's 50-50 and if the crowd are a bunch of lairy morons, it's not going to make for the most wonderful experience ever. I nearly got strangled when a guy shoved me into Moon with his elbow. I have awoken this morning covered in bruises, were it for an appreciative crowd, I probably wouldn't have minded so much but any quiet song was met with talking over the top except by a select few, and the response was the same whenever there was a break between songs and Jamie T addressed us - the banter is one of the best things about his gigs and I hardly got to hear any of it, especially over a particularly inconsiderate idiot who threw a football shirt onto the stage and expected Jamie T to wear it ("Put the shirt on! SHIRT! SHIRT! SHIRT!") - why would he? This guy was persistent though, which is what was so annoying, he's also the guy that nearly strangled me.

My favourite part of the gig was when all the bottled got hurled at the stage, only because it reflected well onto Jamie T's personality. I'd be pissed off it stuff had been chucked at me an entire gig as well, so I'm glad that he let everyone completely loose and then put them down, just because of how horrible everyone was, they deserved it.



But I survived it, and I enjoyed the music, so even though my shoes and handbag were covered in chewing gum at the end of the night and I had beer all over me and I'm covered in bruises now AND I still don't know the name of the bassist in The Pacemakers, I had a good time.

I just hope that next time I see him it's more controlled (like The Roundhouse) or smaller (like The Wedgewood Rooms), I don't think I'd stand in the same place either, dead center is where all the idiots flock to.



One great thing about the lairiness though, a girl was singing really loud (and badly) in my ear for about two songs, then she disappeared.

Check out my 31st 365.

Happy February.

I have a week left until Semester Two begins, I have just received a hefty amount of emails regarding my timetable, needless to say, it's looking much more filled, which I'm kind of happy about but not so happy about considering the tutors we've got.

I haven't been getting up much earlier than 12 for around 5 days, I'm really disappointed in myself, I know I should be fine with it because after this full week it will be back to 8AM wake ups, plus it's not even that late, but that's probably the point anyway. Anyway, Tom is coming down on Wednesday and I'd like to spend as much time as possible with him while he is here, rather than spending half or the majority of the time sleeping.

Forget talking about sleeping for this paragraph, I'm going to Southampton tomorrow to see Jamie T, so finally something to break my dull routine - which is probably why I've been so lazy and tired anyway. I can't wait and I've been waiting so long already, this gig should have happened in October, I'm literally humming with excitement.

At Babylon on Saturday we played 'La Barbichette',

You hold each other by the chin, and the first one to laugh gets slapped - much harder than it sounds, particularly given the circumstances, it's a French schoolyard game and Moon and I saw it in this short film earlier that day:

Dir: Kim Chapiron, 2002

I can't believe it's February already, I think that this year is definitely going to be a good one, I can feel it, even if I did spend a bit of January being bored.

Bad Luck.

Gig has been postponed anyway, feel like such a tit. Should have just taken the job, on the plus side, I have the opportunity to send in my work to 'the student guide', I'll get on this afternoon. Thanks for the email/opportunity so far, Natalie.

Pretty annoyed about the gig in general, with or without the ridiculous thing I did.
Was really looking forward to it, and with him going to straight to Europe, it probably won't happen until November anyway. Eugh..

Photos from Love Albert Road up soon, I got some quite good shots but it was pretty much rubbish, think that it's too big for it's boots, it wasn't even that good last year, don't know why it's won all these awards.

Fresher's Fayre junk.

Money ah ah oh.

Cannot WAIT!
Editing photographs from London most likely for the rest of the day.
Unedited versions and the rest of the day are on Facebook here

That was so good!

I'm not sure whether I'm in pain because of how much I danced last night or whether there's actually something wrong with me, my back kind of hurts.
It was so unbelievably awesome, I can't wait to see him again, he even dived into the crowd, I don't know whether these photographs illustrate it but it was a pretty long jump and he's a pretty tiny guy, so it was quite a feet.

It was a bit annoying that once again being on the right hand side of the stage meant we got less actual attention from Jamie, but then we probably got a better view and weren't kicked in the face by crowd-surfers.

The only annoying thing was the waiting, we had to wait for an hour outside before they opened the doors of The Roundhouse, then another hour until the doors to the stage opened, and then a further hour for the first band, Slow Club- who sound better live than they do on their Myspace, to come on. If they'd organised that aspect better than it would have been perfect. Oh, maybe if they hadn't taken our water away from us when we got in only for us to have been allowed to buy more water after that, that was pretty lousy.
I haven't danced so crazy in ages, there were loads of girls shouting about how sexy Jamie is, which he just isn't. And a load that had come clearly get a look at him, the girl behind me was standing still holding on for dear life to the bar at the front, she didn't even sing along and kept giving me astonishingly dirty looks, what a whore.
EEEEEE! It was so so so awesome! What a great way to kick-off summer.

Links of the day.

https://crowdsurge.com/jamiet/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/glastonbury/2009/artists/maccabees/

I just purchased pre-sale tickets for the Kings & Queens tour. ♥
By the end of this year I will have seen Jamie T live at least 3 times, that's ridiculous, I love The Maccabees far more, but it's all good.
I'm going to try and get some photos developed at the weekend. And will take a load tonight.
I am so excited!

FYI, I have no desire to ever go to Glastonbury, ever.

3 days to go.

I've just downloaded the E.P because I couldn't wait for it to come in the post. It's quite nice, but I thought there'd be more songs on it and I'm suprised that "368" - a song that was so brilliantly performed when I went to seem him earlier this year - wasn't on it, I guess he's saving those ones for the album, which is meant to be out in September.

In the meantime, he seems to be on a rise, making the homepage of The Guardian with this delightful article.

Jamie T Talks Punk and Hip-hop
I can't wait to see him, it's wonderful when you know someone from nothing. The iTunes Festival can only mean good things for him.
I disagree with this though:
"Revelations that he comes from a middle-class family in suburban Wimbledon, and for a period went to the same Surrey public school as Tim Henman, might have invited scrutiny of his authenticity."
Hardly.

I will get cracking with some work to put up here at some point, it's been very hot and I've been a bit pre-occupied.
I got going to the gym, but turns out I have to do some safety regulations rather than just being able to go along with my sister, and I'm not paying £120 for 3 months when I'm not even here for that long. I'm going to start trampolining, by Lord the gym was painful though. I am joining one properly in the next uni year, and going to a pay as you go one when I next get to Dorking. I will be fit as a fiddle.

I kind of want to start looking for jobs within the Photography field, I feel a bit useless at the moment. Even shadowing a wedding photographer for no money would be good right now.

CORRECTION: New album out in August, Kings & Queens ♥

Damn you, Chinese gene!

I wish to have curly hair always but I cannot. It's probably the only thing left that annoys me about being half Chinese. I don't care how shallow this is.
I now have dream hair ♥

I am also looking forward to Jamie T more than ever, did I mention I won free iTunes Fest tickets in the end? Harrrh, I did, and so did my sister, so we have four, we are taking Moon and his brother and it will be a blast, the support is rubbish but will be worth it to dance to Sticks and Stones and others.. and be on TV. Can't believe we both won, it's so awesome. I've known for days, but I forgot I had no internets when I found out.
So now you're in the know.
He has a nice new track - EP out Monday yo.