Jamie T October 16, 2006

In-store gig and autograph signing.

Don't be fooled by his MC like moniker. Jamie T is a tall, skinny lad from the south-west London suburb of Wimbledon, obsessed by The Clash, Tom Waits, Rancid and The Specials as much as he's influenced by the garage and drum'n'bass raves he grew up attending. Armed with an acoustic bass guitar, 20-year-old Jamie has rocked the backrooms of pubs in Soho, Hounslow and Twickenham, playing his solo show of tales of suburbia and what it is to be a young English gentleman growing up under Tony Blair.

The release of his ‘Betty And The Selfish Sons EP’ in March on his own Pacemaker Records, plus the series of Panic Prevention mixtapes he gave out at gigs, saw an explosion of interest in Jamie. Radio One in particular became massive supporters, with Zane Lowe making ‘Salvador’ his single of the week and ‘Back In The Game’ his Hottest Record In The World. His last single ‘Sheila’ was Jo Whiley’s Pet Sound, B-listed at Radio One and reached no.22 in the charts.

His new single ‘If You Got The Money’ is a quintessential Jamie T banger, fusing screechy punk rock guitars, flowing vocals and a touch of the Beastie Boys schoolyard humour into a tight three minute pop song. It has already been added to the Radio One Upfront list six weeks upfront, and has been Jo Whiley’s Pet Sound and Zane Lowe’s Single Of The Week. It will be available on CD and two 7”s. One of the 7”s includes a cover version of Billy Bragg’s ‘A New England’, a massive live favourite in Jamie’s set.

Jamie has also been running his Panic Prevention Disco night in Soho’s 12 Bar, where he’s been playing live and putting on bands such as Vincent Vincent and the Villains and Baxter Dury. The night has been sold out each month with several hundred unlucky punters locked out each time. The Panic Prevention Disco went out on the road in June on a 16 date nationwide tour, which saw Jamie T accompanied by a band for the first time. The tour was a huge success, with Jamie playing to packed out venues and animated audience members who sang along with songs that have mostly yet to be released, and regularly invaded the stage at the end. See for yourself when Jamie takes his Panic Prevention Disco on the road again in October.

Jamie T is currently recording his debut album which is due for release in January.

Official Website: http://www.fopp.co.uk/news_instore.php/ievent/53