Jamie T Live at the Astoria

Please forgive the lateness of my post.

The other night, Wednesday 24th January 2007 to be precise, I saw Jamie T play to a sell out crowd at the charing cross Astoria. The gig was extra special as my good mate Neil's and his band - Them Nudes, were supporting. Most bands may have crumbled with the nerves and pressure but the guys relished the oppourtunity to play such a renowned venue and it was probably the best level I personally have ever seen them play to. Also supporting were the brilliant Maccabees, fronted by Orlando Weeks who never fails to dress for the occasion, he was wearing a sequin waistcoat as I recall.

Onto the main attraction - Jamie T, he played a set with lasted over an hour and saw him showcase most of his debut 'Panic Prevention', This was my first time experiencing Jamie with his full backing band(The Pacemakers), so it was great to hear some of the tracks played across 5 musicians rather than just on an acoustic bass(which he still encorporated into his set). His encore was to be blunt - mad: including solo renditions 'Living with Betty' and his cover of Billy Bragg's 'A New England', before closing with a special sped up version of his latest lift 'Calm Down Dearest'.

As if an excellent bill wasn't enough I also met up with a few ex-Northolt mates, the wintermans, Ben off course, a handfull of people from my halls of residence, two guys I met at a Bloc Party gig over a year ago, and a few of my flatmates ...in Sainsbury's of all places.

Anant