There
are two types of people in this world, those that have heard Jamie Lenman and
those that haven’t. And either way you’re a winner. For those of you that know
Jamie’s catalogue you can sit contently in the bliss that you’ve been
privileged enough to hear his songs, and on the other side you’re able to hear
his music for the first time and experience a musician that is inspiring,
original and most importantly sincere. Here’s why, if you sit in that latter
camp, you should take to YouTube, Xtra Mile Recordings’ website or Jamie’s
house to hear his sweet, sweet music.
Earlier
this year Jamie returned with his first record since Reuben’s post-breakup
compilation ‘We Should Have Gone to
University’ and in celebration of this momentous moment decided a December
tour across 7 days would suffice. In those 7 days Jamie hit up 6 locations,
including London twice on the last 2 nights. If this was to be considered Jamie
dipping his toes in the water he pretty much threw himself in full force, with
the heart of a lion and the energy of a gorilla. Waves were made.
The
last night
From
off stage comes the sweet sound of someone strumming a ukulele. As we wait in
anticipation the shadows begin to move and someone separates from the darkness.
It is our man, our saviour, and our reason for being at The Garage on a cold
Tuesday eve. As he breaks in to his singing stride the crowd grab hold and sing
along, something that happened the majority of songs. A refreshing experience,
both new and old Lenman songs were met with the crowd joining him in a melting
pot of lyrics and soul. For an hour 300+ people were in sync.
After
the ukulele fuelled ‘Shotgun House’
the band tear into some of their heavier songs from the first CD. ‘The Six Fingered Hand’ and ‘Fizzy Blood’ have the crowd breaking
their necks to head bang at high velocity speeds. Once neck braces are securely
fastened they’re being thrown off again as Jamie has a surprise in store, a
Reuben song. For those of you not in the know, Reuben equals Jamies’s old band:
awesome, humble, fun and loud. The opening track ‘No-one Wins the War’ from their debut ‘Racecar is Racecar Backwards’ lurches into gear with Jamie’s distinct
guitar screech weaving between the drums. In only 15 minutes it is serenely
clear that this gig will be filled with heavy moments, tender songs, interlude
laughs and the occasional throwback to the Reuben years.
Next
up was one of those tender songs, ‘I
Ain’t Your Boy’, a charming and nostalgic acoustic about Jamie’s
progression through the last 10 years. This song is one of the prime examples
of Jamie’s writing talent, with an ability to capture a basic human experience,
strip it bare and build it up again. If you know Jamie’s life, even just a
little, it’ll hit you hard.
During
the tour Nottingham’s Kill Chaos, a brutal hit of alternative rock, joined the
band and clearly they’d become close over the 7 days. For ‘A Day in the Life’ Kill Chaos donned the staple shirt/waistcoat
combo and joined in the pub sing-along between Jamie and the crowd.
It
was soon back to the acoustic guitar and this time Jamie was performing another
Reuben oldie, ‘Good Luck’. Then
followed 3 songs from the second CD ‘Pretty
Please’, ‘It’s Hard to be a Gent’
and ‘If You Have to Ask’.
The set
was finished with a mix of Jamie’s heavier stuff from the first CD and some
more Reuben classics. Final song ‘Shambles
(long vers.)’ effectively brought the house down and it was clear from the
noise that Jamie and co had done a memorable job of finishing the tour in
style.
The
Support
As
already mentioned Jamie was joined on tour with Kill Chaos and although the
crowd didn’t pile in as much as they deserved they still rocked their slot and
left an impressive mark. Notable mention goes to the powerhouse drummer with a
slender frame, who holds some ridiculously tight skill. The second support act
was Leeds based Castrovalva. This was a tangle of bass and drums with lead
singer Leemun Smith having fun with voice loops and ‘autobot’ accents. Although
their first song seemed disjointed they soon snapped in to place and bassist
Anthony Wright’s heavy grooves were a considerable highlight.
The
conclusion
Unfortunately
it is hard not to mention Jamie Lenman without thinking of Reuben. However,
what has become clear from this performance is that he doesn’t shy away from
his past; he embraces it when necessary and shows us that with time comes
positive progression. Jamie, along with his support acts, is an incredibly
humble guy just happy to be playing again and if you’re open minded about heavy
rock, acoustic guitar, banjos and jazz then Jamie’s the guy for you.
'A Day in the Life' from the night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYPaOa_Pwro
