It’s been a long time since we welcomed Jamie T to a Big Weekend. In fact he last graced the main stage at Preston’s Moor Park back in 2007, playing alongside Kasabian, Natasha Bedingfield and the Fratellis in support of his debut album Panic Prevention.
This was an early highpoint in an unlikely pop career. Jamie Treays started recording songs at home, partly to address his tendency to have panic attacks (hence the album title), and found he had a knack for emotionally accurate thumbnail sketches of unchecked youth amid the crowded streets of London. Zane Lowe was quick to praise him, making Salvador his single of the week and naming Back in the Game the Hottest Record in the World. Then there was the heartbreaking Sheila—Jo Whiley’s Record of the Week—with a video showing the late great Bob Hoskins lip-synching along as he prowled London’s South Bank. Jamie’s second album Kings and Queens (a No.2 hit) only increased the acclaim, leading to a headliner spot at Glastonbury’s John Peel Stage in 2010.
And then there was a long pause. For various reasons Jamie spent the next four years working in silence, creating 180 songs, from which 12 were chosen for his next album, 2014’s Carry on the Grudge. His absence only made ardent fans miss him all the more, and his return to active service felt like a cause for celebration. Which it is.
It’s been a long time since we welcomed Jamie T to a Big Weekend. In fact he last graced the main stage at Preston’s Moor Park back in 2007, playing alongside Kasabian, Natasha Bedingfield and the Fratellis in support of his debut album Panic Prevention.
This was an early highpoint in an unlikely pop career. Jamie Treays started recording songs at home, partly to address his tendency to have panic attacks (hence the album title), and found he had a knack for emotionally accurate thumbnail sketches of unchecked youth amid the crowded streets of London. Zane Lowe was quick to praise him, making Salvador his single of the week and naming Back in the Game the Hottest Record in the World. Then there was the heartbreaking Sheila—Jo Whiley’s Record of the Week—with a video showing the late great Bob Hoskins lip-synching along as he prowled London’s South Bank. Jamie’s second album Kings and Queens (a No.2 hit) only increased the acclaim, leading to a headliner spot at Glastonbury’s John Peel Stage in 2010.
And then there was a long pause. For various reasons Jamie spent the next four years working in silence, creating 180 songs, from which 12 were chosen for his next album, 2014’s Carry on the Grudge. His absence only made ardent fans miss him all the more, and his return to active service felt like a cause for celebration. Which it is.
