Jamie T - The People's champion

Is Jamie T really that good?

Short answer, yes. Absolutely. He’s a fucking hero. But here’s why:

He’s probably the most relatable artist of the 2000’s for a start. People talk about Arctic Monkeys as being the voice of the internet generation with Alex Turners Sheffield poetry accompanied by his quick wit which saw their rise to stardom in 2006, 1 year before Treays, with tales of prostitutes and scraps in taxi queues but it was always kind of glamorised, and it’s this glamorisation which sets the two artists apart. Jamie’s realism of how tragically funny yet shit everything is when you’re young just causes every teenager to click and relate. When you’re 16/17 you don’t want to be told how great it is being young while you’re stuck in on a Friday night. You want to hear how fucked up it is to be coming of age.

His debut album ‘panic prevention’ does this perfectly and none more so than ‘calm down dearest’ a tale of  not knowing what the night ahead holds but how its more than likely going to be calamitous but really, who cares anyway. It captures the rowdiness of teenagers perfectly as Treays talks about missing the whole club queue before asking ‘who the fuck are you?’  This idea of doing something by accident but then deciding to take credit for it sums up the beautiful arrogance of youth.

On his second album ‘Kings and Queen’s the minor troubles that seem like the end of the world are portrayed in such an engaging way, the girl you fancy kissing someone else at a party and still forgiving them because of the naivety than comes with youth is something that could have happened in any time period. ‘Sticks n stones’ is the anthem to end all anthems with its face paced progression and self-proclamations of being a ten a day little shit; but what appeals to me is the attitude of ‘yeah it’s all gone tits up but who cares lets go out and be juvenile delinquents because at the end of the day that’s all we are.’ Because being a little shit is part of growing up and everyone needs to know that.

Looking at all the people his music has inspired from Palma Violets Chilli Jesson saying that Jamie T was the reason he started making music to Isaac Homlan from slaves stating that Panic Prevention was a record you have to hear before you die.

It’s clear he has a profound effect of fans and inspiring artists alike and for good reason; he offers an alternative to mainstream indie artists. The way Jamie T can go from aggressively spitting out the lyrics of pacemaker at 100 miles per hour to showing his raw musical ability present throughout 2014’s comeback album ‘carry on the grudge’ and this really does set him aside from the rest in my eyes. His diverse alternative shows why so many people hold him in such high regard and making him the true artist of the people. 

By Joe Daniel