After a five-year hiatus Indie-punk singer songwriter Jamie Treays made a victorious return to the stage last night in Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse as part of his 5th album sell out tour.
The artist referred to the re-issue of his debut hit album Panic Prevention in July this year to mark its 15th year anniversary and addressed his screaming fans “We went platinum in a couple of days Manchester. Thank you for that day.”
Treays’s first appearance on stage was greeted by his army of ecstatic fans, each one with their fist in the air chanting in unison “Jamie, Jamie, Jamie ******* T.” This mantra was repeated between every track.
Dressed in a black baseball cap, navy jacket and black t-shirt tucked into blue jeans and carrying just an acoustic bass fans exploded into euphoria as he opened with New Bass Guitar from his 2007 mercury nominated debut album.
He was then accompanied on stage by his band who alongside him performed with a formidable stamina.
There was not one slump in performance, or loss of connection with their audience, throughout the evening.
Every track was an anthemic crowd pleaser, bursting with hooks for fans to grab onto and lyrics to lesser-known album tracks were yelled word perfect by the audience along with his top twenty hits.
The generous encore included hit record Shelia, a timeless track brimming with charm and Treays delivered it with the same passion as when it was released in the early noughties.
The singer songwriter arrived back on stage in a relaxed state for his encore having slipped off his shoes and socks and taken off his hat.
As he pushed his hair back from his face he beamed, and in what appeared like an impromptu moment he moved to the front of the stage and held both his hands out to his fans basking in the cheers and the screams.
Tracks like St George Wharf Tower which provide a moment of pure magic on his most recent album The Theory Of Whatever were disappointedly omitted from the setlist.
The song is a spinetingling ballad recorded in the artist’s home studio with just electric guitar and lead vocal and the lyrics have a reflective quality and feel like a letter to someone he has lost.
With just one instrument and his voice, the raw essence of Treays as a songwriter can be heard on this track.
It provides fans with a rare depth and honesty into where the artist who has always spoken publicly about his battle with anxiety is at now with lyrics like “Mama, am I strong enough to deal with these blues?”
As the show reached its climax, he shouted to the audience to “Bounce the **** out of this place now,” and they did just that.
During the final track Zombie frenzied fans drenched in sweat in the mosh pit could be seen hurling each other in the air with a handful of them beckoned by security and hoisted over the front barrier. They were escorted off to the side of the stage grinning like Cheshire cats.
The night held an electric atmosphere where the crowd were as much the performers in the show as the band.
