Dressed head to toe in what you could only call ‘chav dad chic’, Jamie has aged somewhat since the last time I saw him 15 years ago. But as soon as those words ‘FUCKING CROSSAINT’ came flying out of his mouth, a whole heap of nostalgia washed over me and I was a teenager again dreaming of losing my shoes in the mosh pit.
Sheffield’s O2 Academy greeted Treays like he’s never been gone. Oozing with charisma, Jamie captivated the crowd and created an electric energy that was hard to turn away from. After his triumphant comeback at Glasto this year, it’s all too clear that when he echoed the words “I couldn’t give a fuck if no one came to see me, I’d play to an empty room if I had to’, he really would. Give him a bass guitar and an amp and this snaggle-toothed geezer will make music, loud music.
Opener 'Brand New Bass Guitar' – a shortened, acoustic rendition – threw the crowd straight into a fist-pumping raft of chaos, which could only get progressively more rebellious as the show goes on. And it did. Next came a three-pronged attack in the form of 'Operation', 'So Lonely Was the Ballad' and '90s Cars', it’s immediately clear that indie is not dead, but more alive than ever before. Jamie jumps expertly between his hay day 2007 bangers and songs from his 2022 release The Theory Of Whatever to keep the crowd warm on this cold November night.
Bringing their 19-song set to an almost deafening crescendo with Jamie’s four biggest tracks, the entire venue is left bouncing, and Sheffield is singing their lungs out reciting every lyric like it’s the last time. 'If You Got the Money' aims to finish off the set, but not before the roar of encouragement from the crowd eager for more. With tension already built, Jamie rev’s up the masses with his cheeky charm - "here’s a B-side for you". Of course, his sarcasm doesn’t go a miss as soon as we hear "Sheila goes out with her mate Stella", which causes a wave of fists punching, voices screaming and pints swirling and spilling everywhere.
Undoubtedly so, it doesn’t stop there. Shadowed by 'Sticks 'n' Stones' and 'Zombie', this is Jamie T at his best, orchestrating his most self-assured show in years without being afraid of allowing old sparks to fly. And not that there were any doubters left among the crowd, but if there were any sceptics of Jamie T’s indie revival tour left in the room, he proved time and time again why he’s every inch worthy of being… back in the game!
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