Hypno-Jets
I’ve been a fan of Jamie West’s songwriting and singing since our days back in the open mic clubs of London, Bunjies Folk Cellar, the Troubadour Cafe, and the Unlaced Plimsoll Club. I’ve sung backing vocals and played bass at accidental gatherings over the years. But, after giving him Austin Kleon’s seminal book Show Your Work, it’s been a huge pleasure to stumble into his band, the Jets, alongside Rosie Holmes on vocals and percussion and Sarah Prosser with vocals and oboe (aka Harrier Jet, Jumbo Jet & Sufferer Jet).
Over the last year, we’ve performed at Dark Songs, Valentine’s Day Massacre, Free up Fridays at Aurora Southsea, and ARTSlab at the Betsey Trotwood in Clerkenwell (with Diego Brown and the Good Fairy). Here’s a taste of that gig, thanks to media whizzes Romane in Light.
Therapist, therapist, am I quite normal,
Or should I join that commune that we talked about in Cornwall?
He’s also accompanied me brilliantly at my book launch for Lawless and the Flowers of Sin; and I hope to inveigle him along to this year’s launch of Lawless and the House of Electricity.
I recommend Jamie’s melodic harmonic acoustic euphemistic narcissistic blues schtick evocative provocative rhythmic seismic cataclysmic songwriting. In preparing for the shows, I had the joyous task of listening back to his albums, all the way to the early days of his indie-rock reprobate band Lewd. You can find many of the songs here on his website, thanks to designer/photographer Mick O’Farrell of Revolver Creative.
Sleeve notes for Hypnagogic
Biggest Jamie & the Jets gigs this year were Hypnagogic album launches at the Townhouse in February, alongside Radio KWG and Lynette Morgan and the Blackwater Valley Boys, and a second launch at Open Ealing, with Noel Le Bon and Dave Hurley.
Here are a few more recent songs, video for Therapist, God is 7, Spit Out All the Dirt, Pop Song and the whole ARTSLab gig, with more videos appearing here:
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