Jamie Cullum @ Symphony Hall Birmingham, 13th November 2024
‘Polished’ and ‘flawless’ are the two words I’d use to describe Jamie Cullum and his band’s
performance at the Symphony Hall this evening. The sort of performance that makes you wish you’d
spent more time perfecting the art of whatever it is you do, and less time binge watching Netflix.
Jamie Cullum is the UK’s highest selling jazz artist in history, as well as holding the record for the
fastest selling jazz album with his debut ‘Twentysomething’. These days he’s also a radio DJ, and
certainly knows how to work a crowd.
The support act came in the form of singer/songwriter Billy Lockett, who was recently on ITV’s The
Voice UK. He went down well with an acoustic set, and had an extremely long line at the merch
stand during the interval (even longer than the women’s toilet queue!). He saved his best songs for
last – ‘Fading Into Grey’ and ‘Hard Act To Follow’, accompanying himself on the piano. Both can be
found on streaming platforms.
Cullum opened with a cover of ‘I Get A Kick Out Of You’, one of a range of re-worked jazz covers to
be played tonight. Others included ‘Everybody Wants To Be A Cat’, ‘Sinnerman’ and ‘Killing In The
Name’ (yes, the one by Rage Against The Machine!). They all went down well, but the standout for
me was ‘Sledgehammer’ – originally a Peter Gabriel song. Jamie explained he and some of the band
have a YouTube channel where they learn covers in just one hour, and this was one of them. A super
funky version with a fantastic bass line.
The seven other musicians forming Cullum’s band were equally as talented and exciting to watch. At
one point they all huddled round the piano to sing a version of ‘Save Your Soul’ that showed off each
person’s stunning vocal. Equally impressive was their performance of ‘Taller’ with a strong acapella
finish. As always, Jamie’s voice was distinctive enough to stand out and his lower range striking.
Of Jamie Cullum’s original songs, ‘Twentysomething’ and ‘All At Sea’, which Jamie wrote at just 19 he
said, were still fan favourites. Both are from best-selling 2003 album ‘Twentysomething’, as is ‘Next
Year Baby’ which was another original song on tonight’s setlist.
The whole evening was high energy, with Jamie fliting between the piano, the front of the stage and
even out in the crowd. The band vibed off each other and the backing vocalists had good chemistry.
The final three songs and the encore got the audience on their feet, with each of the musicians
showcasing an instrumental solo.
At this moment the tour has another 11 dates to go across the UK and limited tickets are still
available.
Setlist
- I Get a Kick Out of You
- It’s Your Thing
- Get Your Way
- What’d I Say
- Work of Art
- These Are the Days
- Everybody wants to be a cat
- Next Year Baby
- In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
- Sledgehammer
- Save Your Soul
- Taller
- Twentysomething
- Mankind
- The Age of Anxiety
- When I Get Famous
- Sinnerman
- You and Me Are Gone
- Killing In The Name
- Hang Your Lights
…………………………. - Mixtape
- All at Sea
- What a Difference a Day Makes
Review- Chrissie Duxson
Press photo credit: Charles Gall
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