Was it a pointless three day bender? Absolutely not, it was a weekday in paradise my friend! O2 Academy hosted Liverpools finest, Jamie Webster for back again for yet a second sell out gig a year after his first. Webster tells us of how he’s only got a few wishes for the rest of his life, and one is continue to write and play his music for as long as people want to hear it.
A magnitude of applause erupted as Webster and his band members took to the stage after Fat Boy Slims Praise You floods the venue and chants of ‘Here we, here we, here we f*Viking go’ erupts, Webster instantly promises to make this set even better than the last time, kickstarting with an absolute monstrous song ‘Voice of the Voiceless’, followed by ‘We Get By’ and ‘Days Unknown’. Some absolute crowd pleasures before undoubtedly Webster voiced his politically charged and socially conscious views to the crowd, telling tales of how he got to writing his inspired song ‘Lovers In The Supermarket’ and dedicating it to a couple dancing in front of us, like the romantic he is.
Webster continues to work up the crowd, passionately crying out for a better justice system, especially for the youth of today, as he explains his fifteen year old self is nothing but a shell of what he is today. He also hypes up the NHS staff, teachers, British industry and trade, and from a single listen to his lyrics to ‘Something’s Got To Give’ and ‘How Do You Sleep At Night?’, it’s quite easy to predict he’s all for the working class and very anti right-wing. If you’ve experienced a Webster gig live before, you’ll be aware of the chants!
The support from The K’s was a fantastic choice, an instant atmospheric booster for the night. Frontman Jamie Boyle’s vocals were powerhouse and Ryan Breslin’s guitar riffs filled the City Hall. Ryan already having a lot of experience being a session guitarist for the likes of The Who and Aerosmith, he formed The K’s with Jamie and two other friends. The crowd both seated and standing were hyped up after tracks such as ‘Sarajevo’, ‘Glass Towns’ and a stunning acoustic cover of ‘Hoping Maybe’ after a little nod towards Cyndi Laupers ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’.
Back to Webster, it was great to hear his tracks old and new, especially of his most recent album ‘10 For The People’, released in early February this year. We were also treated to a first ever live play as a band of ‘Sing Your Tears’ and my personal favourite which he dedicated to his wife and all the ladies who ventured out to the gig tonight, ‘Something in The Air’. His stage presence was fantastic throughout, gripping each and every person in the crowd by his passionate vocals and hard hitting stories.
He decided against an encore, as in his words, he spends that five minutes hiding down a little corridor waiting for the rest of his band mates to go for a piss, so instead, decided to play until the end and not leave the stage. Demanding us all to blow a hole in the roof for the remaining two songs, the opening chords of ‘This Place’ commenced and the entire City Hall rose to their feet, singing word for word with Webster and continuing throughout the iconic ‘Weekend In Paradise’, a complete ten minute party at the end from start to finish.
An absolute must see of an artist if you haven’t yet already had the chance, Webster’s tour continues around the U.K. until 29th November.