Jamie T and The Pacemakers,Ernest Ellis @ the Hi-Fi Bar,Melbourne (20/09/09)

Tue 22nd Sep, 2009 in Gig Reviews

What can best be described as a very Friday night crowd turned out in some volume to Jamie T and The Pacemakers sold-out Sunday night show. Perhaps the start of the University holidays can go some way to explaining the boisterous, alcohol-fuelled audience at the Hi-Fi Bar. Yet it is clear that, in light of his recent radio play and successive sold-out gigs, Jamie T has clearly garnered an extremely passionate local following. Singing about youth, love and suburban drunkenness through an English gaze; he has a model which is both relatable and appealing to an Australian audience. Now it is was time to prove his chops to us in the live setting

Ernest Ellis and his backing band were a somewhat surprising choice of support but ultimately, one that was very well received. Genre-wise, Ellis holds scarce few similarities with the evening’s main act; his 45-minute set consisting of husky melodies, swirling guitar riffs and driving bass lines. Had he and his band not been quite so in unison, there was the strong possibility that a hot and largely inebriated audience may have become restless. Yet, their enthusiasm, ability and small degree of confidence certainly appeared to win over most within the Hi-Fi; the Bon Iver-esque Heading for The Cold succeeding to elicit a steady audience clap. Warmly applauded as they left the stage, I would suggest that Ernest Ellis has good things ahead.

Looking every bit the lager-lout he describes himself as throughout his music, Jamie T came out amused and sweaty in a hoodie and denim jacket. Backing band The Pacemakers, visible in the film clip for Sticks and Stones, looked equally set for a good time; smoking and swigging down VB’s as they took to the stage. Immediately the young Brit’s rock sensibilities were on display as he and The Pacemakers powered through The Man’s Machine. By the second song, a significantly amped up rendition of 368, it was clear just how much Kings & Queens has penetrated the local market in the few weeks since its release, with much of the crowd participating in a raucous sing-a-long.

Backed by the Pacemakers, there was a rock-driven earnestness about his delivery, quite in contrast to the deliberated bass-beat rhymes often found on T’s first two LP’s. So Lonely Was the Ballad and Ike & Tina carried this theme; the lyrics growled out over heavier than usual guitar lines. Nonetheless, he continued to prowl the stage back-to-front, side-to-side with a rapper’s swagger; demanding more from his highly vocal audience.

“Lay lady lay. Lay across your… aargh f*ck it that’s someone else’s song” began Jamie T, before picking out a “dance policeman” from the crowd; starting, then stopping, then starting again the opening notes to his breakthrough song from Panic Prevention, If You Got The Money. Surprisingly, this was one of the few songs to receive almost no re-working and, as his adoring crowd belted every word, it was extremely refreshing to see an artist maintain such enthusiasm for their very first single. More recent single Chaka Demus followed and, despite its fluctuating tempo, managed to maintain the gig’s momentum with most of the Hi-Fi assisting The Pacemakers’ backing vocals.

After chatting to a couple of members of the audience and generally fucking around, something he passed off as a “dramatic interlude”, Jamie T began the indie-megahit of the past few weeks, Sticks and Stones. Clearly the song has quickly developed an anthem-like status and was met with frenetic jumping and dancing as well as the removal and projection of several bras towards the stage; gratefully accepted by Pacemakers’ guitarist * Luis Felber*. Amidst fairly lax security, one man was even able to crowd surf his way onto stage and plant a firm kiss on the cheek of a bemused Jamie T. Salavador, a song that is hardly slow in its original state, was transformed into a fast-paced menace by The Pacemakers and spat out at a rapid rate. A wave to the crowd from Jamie T and a request for cigarettes from drummer Ben Bones signalled a brief intermission, with more evidently to come.

Although Jamie T and The Pacemakers’ return to the stage was met with a strong applause, the slower acoustic sounds of Emily’s Heart initially failed to captivate the majority of the Hi-Fi. Only when the song picked up pace towards its end thanks to The Pacemakers involvement did much of the audience chatter cease. “This is our last song so the fucking dance police better do its job and make sure everyone’s dancing,” demanded Jamie T, before bouncing to a more reggae influenced version of Sheila. As a big fan of the song, it was, in truth, a pretty underwhelming reimagining that only realigned itself with the original in the latter parts of the song. While this may have almost provided a sour note to an other wise stellar gig, the site of Jamie T stage diving not once but twice into the audience diminished all concerns. After being dragged back to his feet, he gave a wave and a drunken boyish grin before exiting the Hi-Fi stage for good.

Much of Jamie T’s true talent lies in his razor-sharp turns of phrase and his genre-bending selection of guitar and bass lines, beats and samples. Yet, in a live setting, he showed he was willing to put aside many of his carefully crafted sounds in favour of straighter, faster adaptations that fed off his audience’s enthusiasm and the Pacemakers ability as a backing band. Above all though, he brings an incredible energy to his live show; one that will be warmly welcomed back in several months time on his return for the Falls Festival.