Saturday 28/04/07 Jamie T, New York Howl @ The Octagon, Sheffield

The stage comes screeching to life with the entrance of manic jazz-blues merchants New York Howl. Stomping through the Von Bondies style gravely number ‘Time Machine’ as the Saxophone screams like a damsel in distress. Slowing things down to Nick Cave meets The Doors’ ‘When We Were Strange’, he adopts a sinister storytelling approach for ‘Critters’. They really hit things off with the crowd with the straightforward, rootsy blues of ‘Thumbelina’, singer Brer Brian drawling, obscured by a mop of hair. As the band start to enjoy themselves Brer slides round the stage Peter Kay style on the Johnny Cash sing along ‘Quit That Shit’, declaring “I’m sorry I never told you I was insane.”

Things become a bit raucous on ‘If We Cant Get It Right’ and the catchy foot-stomping ‘The Dope’ - a teddy boy bebop that builds to a frenzied conclusion. With raw intensity, Black Stallion draws things to a close, twisted and spitting out words. Standing triumphant on the speakers … throws his guitar and sending cymbals flying. Describing themselves as “Otis Redding meets Iggy Pop in a fist-fight”, this is one boy from New York who definitely can howl.

Fresh from an appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross and single ‘Sheila’ getting some serious airplay, Jamie T is understandably in a buoyant mood.  Set to a background of pictures of party people, including a cat-suited Liz Jagger, he tells tales of ‘lost boys and lost girls’ like no other. Bouncing straight through ‘Brand New Bass Guitar’ into an old school punk romping version of ‘Operation’. Rattling off a speedy ‘If You Got The Money’ it gets really sweaty in the pit, as random arms and legs of stage divers, followed by beer cups fly overhead.

Surrounded by the mad atmosphere, the lyrics of ‘Ike and Tina’ spill out of Jamie’s mouth almost to fast be heard as he stalks slowly across the stage. It’s smiles all round as his previously austere Pace Makers break into beaming grins for ‘So Lonely Was The Ballad’ and the drunken girls at the back cut through silences with shouts for ‘Sheila’. In his element Jamie leans into the crowd, singing ‘Calm Down Dearest’ right at their faces, people sing back and throw him a hat, which he dons at a rakish angle, followed by a bra that’s gingerly tossed back. He takes a solo for ‘Back In The Game’, showing he can be just as captivating without backup, the hecklers take a break, realising they are witnessing something truly special.

Finally obliging with single ‘Sheila’, everyone to a man sings along, as the moshpit casualties emerge looking bedraggled. The guitars of ‘Salvador’ add a harder, rock edge as the drummer thrashes along. Returning for encores of ‘New England’, a new song ‘Back To Mine’ with looping keyboards and talk of drunken mothers. An edgy ‘Dry Of Your Cheeks’ gives way to a medley of ‘Calm Down Dearest’ with ‘Sheffield on my mind’ linked in instead of the usual line. This London charmer has worked his magic again, and no-one seems more happy about that than his good self.

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