Jamie Webster
O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
tenth November 2022
Jamie Webster, the semi-official musician of Liverpool FC brings perspective and anthems to his largest ever London headline present. Simon Reed joins 2000 supporters at Shepherds Bush Empire for a sing-along on the terraces.
Lengthy earlier than Jamie Webster comes out, there’s fairly an environment ringing round Shepherds Bush Empire tonight. Usually the tunes performed on the PA while the roadies do their stuff are a essential chore to traverse while ready for the principle occasion. Not so right here. The Empire appears to have discovered a ‘Finest 70s/80s Wedding ceremony Celebration Ever!’ CD they usually’re smashing the shit out of it.
And Jamie’s followers are in extraordinarily good voice. Don’t Cease Me Now and Come On Eileen amongst others are belted out while they dance on the balconies. Every time there’s a pause within the music, a permachant of “Fuck the Tories!” rings across the venue. We’ll be listening to extra of that later. Much more.
It’s a bit of after 9 when Webster does take the stage and by now the gang are febrile. His walk-on music is Fatboy Slim’s Reward You and the massed ranks within the auditorium belt that out as nicely. He whoops up the gang left and proper after which launches into the opening quantity Residing For Yesterday. A number of dozen half-finished pints of lager get concurrently discharged into the environment. We’ll be listening to extra about that later too.
Webster, whose first two lengthy gamers, We Get By and Moments peaked at 6 and three respectively on the UK album chart, has come a good distance in a brief time frame. A former electrician on Liverpool constructing websites, Jamie conforms to a Scouse trope of having fun with two passions in life; music and soccer. Certainly, his success in a single wouldn’t have been doable with out the opposite.
His singing skills on the Kop have been seen first by followers after which by the soccer membership itself. His performances at occasions run by the BOSS LFC Fanzine are a factor of legend and the eagerness he exudes and receives make the hairs in your neck rise up whether or not or not you’re a Liverpool fan or perhaps a fan of the sport itself. That zeal has crossed over into his common dwell music performances.
And the eagerness which emanates from Webster isn’t simply expressed within the music. It’s truthful to say he’s resisted the temptation to have his head turned by his current promotion to the Premier League. His roots and ethos are etched in each gesture, in each lyric, in each music; and his language is much more vibrant than the sunshine present. If he’s on piece charges for dropping F-Bombs, he have to be making a fucking mint. I’m sorry, it’s catching.
He introduces Change, certainly one of his songs from the debut, as a message for “filthy mendacity scum politicians in all places”. It’s exhausting to not be moved by the sentiment within the lyrics:
“The company greed is so unjust however went about so quietly.
We sympathize as a result of we should however that’s not what’s inside me.
So make it identified simply how you are feeling and don’t converse so politely.
Then sooner or later we will break away from this shithole of society.”
On the shut, Jamie leads the gang within the first of two organised chants to the tune of Papa’s Acquired A Model New Pigbag which can be devoted to fucking the Tories. It’s a chant which has crossed immediately from the stands at Anfield and given the present local weather, I can’t deny it’s form of thrilling listening to 2000 like-minded individuals expressing the emotion. Jeremy Corbyn’s right-hand man John McDonnell MP is within the viewers tonight. I doubt he’s saying the phrases out loud for concern of being snapped by a cellphone, however I’ll guess it’s additionally in his inner monologue.
Unbelievable Jamie Webster live performance at O2 Shepherd’s Bush, London tonight. Place completely rocking. Jamie is a proficient musician whose songs splendidly chronicle working class life. A scouse minstrel however with a big rising following throughout the nation. @JamieWebster94 pic.twitter.com/TdtAFra4Cd
— John McDonnell MP (@johnmcdonnellMP) November 10, 2022
Webster’s need for a fairer, extra equal society at giant additionally extends to actions within the venue. Issues in listed here are rowdy; at occasions a bit of too rowdy and when he witnesses stuff that he doesn’t like, he’s not gradual to name it out – “There’s ladies down the entrance right here; any person’s daughter, any person’s granddaughter, present some fucking respect”. It additionally turns into clear that he’s not a fan of all of the beer being thrown round both. I’m with him on that. I don’t a lot take care of going dwelling stinking of lager and being showered in second-hand gob myself.
Jamie calls out a serial offender within the stalls three-quarters of the way in which again. Emboldened by the beer he’s not managed to chuck over another person, he provides nearly as good as he will get; which, it seems, signifies a severe lack of judgement. A ‘come over right here in case you suppose you’re exhausting sufficient’ stand-off ensues and the offender will get dragged to the entrance by the gang. To be trustworthy, it’s uncomfortable viewing. The bloke is clearly a little bit of a twat however I’m unsure he deserves to be battered by a braying mob. Fortunately, the safety dudes from Showsec intervene and expertly management the scenario by getting him out of the gang. Everybody’s favorite chant begins up once more, solely this time it’s geared toward one particular person; a singular Tory. Whether or not or not he’s truly a Tory doesn’t appear to matter.
Just a few numbers in and it turns into obvious {that a} evening in a theatre with Jamie Webster is a component dwell music occasion and half motivational talking engagement. He provides frequent uplifting monologues between songs primarily based on his personal expertise. “You are able to do no matter you consider in. Place confidence in your self” and many others. It’s simple to miss with all of the extra-curricular actions happening that this at coronary heart stays an evening of wonderful music, glorious songs and glorious songwriting.
“Who’s received We Get By?”, he asks. The roar he will get again implies it’s nearly everybody. “Who’s received Moments?”. It’s all the identical individuals. “Wait till you hear the subsequent one. It’s fucking superb”, he says of his subsequent album. And it’s true to say there was an actual development between his two present data. While the primary is firmly rooted within the acoustic folks territory, the second has a much more rounded electrical sound with anthemic choruses designed to echo round arenas. I’m in little question that in brief order that’s the place they’re going to be heard.
Songs comparable to Days Unknown, Knock At My Door and Going Out have these big choruses and the Shepherds Bush crowd depart little within the tank once they sing them again. But it surely’s a pair from We Get By reserved for the encore that generates the most important response. In This Place, the vocal takedown and chant of “My metropolis, my individuals, my coronary heart” is sung again with much more ardour than the one in regards to the Tories.
Trying down into the stalls from the first-floor balcony in the course of the last music Weekend In Paradise I see a maelstrom which might go for a Seventies recreation of Battling Tops. The balcony itself has an overhang that defies the legal guidelines of physics and it’s shifting up and down greater than it moderately ought. As per the remainder of the efficiency, the phrases are being blasted again. I’ll be amazed if individuals will be capable of converse once they get out of right here.
Weekend In Paradise is a music questioning the mundanity of an limitless cycle of 5 days at work and three nights on the lash: “Was it a pointless three-day bender or a weekend in Paradise, my good friend?” Based mostly on what I’ve seen, after tonight’s Thursday night efficiency, in case you’re leaving the Empire and nonetheless severely considering the three-day bender, you would possibly need to take into account having tomorrow evening off.
Yow will discover Jamie Webster on his web site and on Fb, Instagram and Twitter.
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All phrases and pictures by Simon Reed. His web site Musical Footage is right here and you may go to his creator profile for Louder Than Warfare right here. He tweets as @musicalpix and is on Instagram at musicalpictures.co.uk
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