A Sunday night in Birmingham, that was pretty inclement thanks to the remnants of Storm Bert. The Institute (part of O2 Academy Group) is a fine venue, but it’s worth getting there early for a good spot in the balcony. Naturally getting there early with my two Gen Z sons was a hard sell, especially as they were on the floor, and less worried about positions.
The crowd outside was surprising young, with a few oldies like me, probably parents who appreciate Jamie Webster’s Billy Bragg collaboration. That is just the first of several links between these two singer songwriters. I’ve been fortunate to see Billy Bragg nearly thirty times (including twice at this very venue) and I was keen to see his ‘young protégé’.
As we queued to enter, I did really feel for the rain drenched young lad who was denied entry at the door for wearing a ‘football shirt’. The said attire just had ‘Liverpool’ on it (no logo/branding) and ‘England’ crossed out! Presumably some anti-establishment statement, but surely not a football shirt. Ironically when inside, I saw a few people wearing football style shirts with ‘Webster’ on the back. Venue has no football shirt policy, but this was clearly not actually a football shirt!
With prime central balcony seats, we sat down and waited for fellow Merseysiders, The Ks from St Helens. I knew little about this young band who released their debut LP I Wonder If The World Knows out this year. Many of the young people in the room did know them and were up for the vibrant indie sound of their opener Icarus. Second song Chancer slowed things down a touch and engaged the enthusiastic hand clapping audience. Third song Glass Towns reminded me, intro wise, of Alternative Ulster by Stiff Little Fingers. Cyndy Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun then forms the intro to the catchy Circles where singer Jamie Boules’ voice came over really strongly.
Bassist Dexter Baker then announced their upcoming second album, downloadable for free if you bought a poster! This is a sign of the current state of the industry that does not seem to recognise the value of music. Sad. Sarajevo was their strongest song in my opinion and was a nice finale to a snappy set. It was great to see this young band so well received, and I look forward to catching them again at some point.
The playlist in between included The Smiths and Gerry Cinnamon, both enthusiastically appreciated by the audience. This boded well for when Jamie Webster stormed on stage to Voice of the Voiceless. It is difficult not to admire his sincere, politically charged, yet positive song writing. The title track of debut LP, We Get By then gets a welcome airing. The word ‘giro cheque’ just sounds better in a scouse accent, although I suspect many of the digitised younger audience members have no idea what it actually means. This is followed by new LP track Lovers In The Supermarket. This immediately reminded me of Billy Bragg’s Brickbat, “I stole a kiss from you, in the supermarket, I walk you down the aisle, you feel my basket”.
Next song Fickle Fran of course has Billy Bragg’s dulcet tones on the backing track - sadly he doesn’t make a surprise appearance. I’m reminded of his surprise appearance at a Jamie Webster gig in Liverpool where they both sing Don’t Buy The Sun, a song which is always going to go down in that city where the said boycott is thought to have cost News International £30m since the Hillsborough tragedy. Jamie Webster has played some sizeable gigs in Liverpool, two nights at Sefton Park, Pierhead and even the M&S Arena. It is good to see him in bigger venues outside the Northwest as he widens his fan base.
Unsurprisingly we get several ‘fuck the Tories’ chants, only for Jamie to remind the audience that they are gone, for now at least. He then dedicates Somethings Gotta Give to all those who chanted it. It’s my favourite song that he has written, raw emotional, soul searching and politically charged. I find it endearing that young people, so often accused as being apathetic, seemed as equally moved as a more cynical 50 something.
Going Out offers tinges of Richard Hawley, but is a bit heavier. North End Kid sounds unbelievably upbeat but recounts the story of those who ‘struggle to make ends meet’. That is what I feel Jamie Webster does best, offering a social commentary of modern Britain in a very positive way. Jamie then tells his audience that they can be whatever they want to be if they can only believe in their dreams. He tells of his own rise to fame being gradual and incremental, and seems genuinely appreciative of what his fans have given him, even praising the Birmingham and London (he groups them together!) audiences.
There is no leaving and coming back on again for an encore, as he says that can’t really be bothered to do that! Unsurprisingly Weekend in Paradise ends the evening with mayhem down below us, with my two sons no doubt enjoying the proceedings. There were some similarities to a Gerry Cinnamon crowd, but it was perhaps a little more civilised (but not much), with thankfully very minimal beer throwing.
Best of all was just seeing young people enjoying live music and showing their appreciation towards a talented young artist. I say young - Jamie Webster is 30, but I guess it’s a whole lot harder these days to get noticed (and make a living) in this industry these days.
Meanwhile from the floor…Alex Meynell shares a different view, in the thick of it…
From a standing perspective , it was much the same as from above. This was the first time my dad had seen Jamie Webster live, however my brother and I caught him last year in Manchester’s cavernous Victoria Warehouse. This venue was more compact, which lent itself well for closeness to stage and the bars.
Jamie Webster is somewhat unique; he’s able to display and send clear messages to his audience through his songwriting and engage them in a most endearing manner. Even though we have two generations between us, my dad and I both enjoyed the experience. My standout favourite was Weekend in Paradise which was his closing song. I am really looking forward to catching him again in Cannock next summer supporting another of my favourite bands, James.
Editor: I have never heard a Jamie Webster track, until I started editing this, I will give him a proper go, a Billy Bragg protégé can only be a good thing. Whereas I am less sure of The Ks, put off by a bunch of their fans on social media slagging off The Last Dinner Party for cancelling five shows. Slating them as privileged slackers, rather than noting that they had played 105 gigs this year, compared to The Ks 60 odd. One can’t help but feel this was more misogyny than class keyboard warfare. The Ks said nothing, so I’ll give them a wide berth.
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