Gig Review: James TW, Bush Hall

On Wednesday 12th April, I attended James TW’s gig in London at Bush Hall.

Listen to any of his lyrics, and you will expect to see someone far older than James TW, who at nineteen years old has created a platform for himself based on his incredible, relatable and mature songwriting skills. His lyrics about divorce and getting over exes transcend far beyond his years, yet also demonstrate a young vulnerability. He grew up in a small English village, and having recently been signed to the famous label Island Records, alongside fellow friend Shawn Mendes, he is set for stardom that you can only imagine.

Jame’s story starts at the age of 10 when he was asked to step in for the drummer of his dad’s wedding band. Talking to us about that moment, James said: “it was either let the ten-year-old play or cancel the gig”- it was a pivotal moment in his life with him citing it as the experience that saw him fall in love with performing. His musical talents did not stop there, in fact, they were only just beginning. Soon after that, he quickly taught himself how to play the Piano and Guitar, showing his natural flair for music even further.

At Bush Hall, just before James came on we were luckily enough to see his opening act, Sonny. Sonny is a remarkable seventeen-year-old, who is set to become one of the UK’s newest talents in Soul and RNB, we were incredibly lucky to see him perform his hit ‘Princess’ as well as covers of classics such as Sam Sparro’s Black and Gold.

Sonny was amazing, and we are very excited to see what is next for him.

After about an hour, James came out through the side doors; the mood turned ambient as the lights dimmed and he began singing songs off his EP ‘First Impressions’. The crowd warmed up instantly and started swaying to his smooth tone and holding up signs as he sang their favourite songs. They were singing along for most of the concert, that at times James was faded out. However, we were asked to not sing along to James’s debut single ‘When You Love Someone’ until the bridge, as he wanted to convey the emotions of the song.

This was met with much enthusiasm and proved to be hugely successful, as it gave the song a very powerful performance and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room by the end of it.

The whole night was fantastic, but most importantly it was powerful. James demonstrated the importance of connecting with the audience and performing without an extensive set or theatrics. I have been to many gigs, but I must say, James is in my top five purely for his evident enthusiasm for his music and remarkable ability to capture the attention of the audience, just through his lyrics and voice.

In terms of the venue, it was a bit small so felt crampy at times.

Overall, I thought the concert was beautiful, and the acts did an amazing job. I believe that it is important to note that both acts are under 21, because who says millennials aren’t talented!

I would encourage all of you to go and see James when you next get the chance!

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