If you don’t know Jack – then you’d best read on…
Talented singer and songwriter Jack Watkins premiered the live performance of his debut album “Wonderland” tonight, and while I fully expected an evening of good music, I wasn’t expecting such an all-round package of great entertainment.
A born performer, Jack’s sold-out gig at The Grand in Clitheroe felt to me like a cross between a concert and your best friend’s wedding, where everyone is having a great time in a hall full of laughter and bonhomie.
One of his friends said, it’s like watching the love-child of Alan Carr and Elton John, and indeed; the show featured Jack’s nifty piano work interspersed with acerbic wit and plenty of engagement and heckling.
When I arrived at the venue, which also hosts chart acts such as Ruby Turner and Toploader, I found myself half a block down the street in a queue waiting patiently for the doors to open. Once inside, the promise of ‘Wonderland’ beckoned us in via the huge cloud of balloons, (reminiscent of the album cover image), suspended above the audience.
Bang on time and to the buzz of some 200 people whooping and cheering, Jack strode onto the stage, with more balloons and looking dazzling in a pink zebra suit. No visible nerves and no swagger, just the certainty of someone who wants to entertain and knows he has the songs and talent to do just that.
The concert was a full run-through of the album, with a generous 16 songs to enjoy. I’ve played the album several times since its release on 6th September, shooting to number eight on the Amazon album chart – reviewed here in Music Republic Magazine within our featured interview [Link to that feature is at the bottom of the page] – but the songs took on a new texture played live.
The addition of live drums (played by Elliot Chapman) and guitars (played by Will Rogers) really amplified the foot-tapping energy, especially on tracks like “A Change of Heart” and “Gold” which had me up and dancing.
My inability to stay in my seat was shared by many, though of course someone has to be the first to start that kind of energy, in this case a glamorously white-suited Camilla Ainsworth who is a keen Jack Watkins fan, and the youngest-ever finalist on BBC’s ”The Apprentice”. More dancing, to “Last Goodbye”, which Jack says is his favourite to sing, and which he licensed to the hit TV show “Love Island”.
In a slightly surreal interlude, Jack invited the audience to shout out and name a run of TV theme tunes tinkled on the piano. It certainly created a different kind of platform for Jack to show us his piano mastery. No production, no vocals, no layers of instruments; just Jack and a piano he made purr. He told us that as a teenager playing in a big band, he was known as Mr Google, because whatever tune someone named, he could play it back to them.
A couple of other surprises too, in the form of crowd-pleasing covers. The first was “Video Killed The Radio Star”. (“Like how I did both male and female parts? It’s called having range, darling!”). This was a chance for Jack to talk about his love for and background in music production, and the impact of those unsung gurus who wield the power to make a song live or die – including the face of The Buggles himself, legendary producer Trevor Horn.
He then challenged us to go home and check how many records we love that are the work of his favourite producer, Max Martin, without us having even heard of him. One of Max Martin’s best-known hits is “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears; Jack’s version of this tonight was superb.
Showcasing a debut album is such a defining moment for an artist, and Jack was generous with his emotion and his gratitude. From a slightly diffident start (“I don’t feel like I can talk too much without crying; fucking hell!”) to a heartfelt set of acknowledgements, we were invited to get close and authentic.
During Jack’s acknowledgements and thank yous, and after I had watched an older lady being greeted and escorted to a VIP seat on the front row, we find out this was Mrs Bowler, the piano teacher who took Jack from newbie six-year-old to grade eight classically trained pianist. Twenty-six years after those first lessons, Mrs Bowler’s role in Jack’s journey is as clear as her place in his heart.
Also under the spotlight was Jack’s writing partner for half the album, the effervescent Clare Yarwood-White. Billed as the Bernie to his Elton, I’m quite fascinated by this unlikely pairing: a Millennial northern lad and a ‘Surrey Mummy’ twenty years his senior. Mind you, Clare is the younger daughter of legendary impressionist Mike Yarwood, one of the biggest names in the history of television entertainment, so I’m guessing it’s in her DNA to recognise talent when she sees it.
Some of the later tracks on the album are a little dark; still musically beautiful, but dealing with tougher subjects such as loss and reinvention. This was a chance to slow down the tempo a little having won the crowd over with some bangers; the audience held in the palm of Jack’s hand during the lyrical struggles and hopefulness in “Lost and Found”, featuring haunting vocals from guest artist Lilian, and with loneliness of the song “Solo”.
But Jack was very attuned to the need for a storming finale to such a fun evening. A quick tutorial for everyone on the refrain from title track “Wonderland”, and back we went to this absolute earworm, this time singing at the tops of our voices and stamping our feet. It certainly felt wonderful to be in Wonderland…. Now we do know Jack!
Words by Lucy Boulter
Images by “Ianthe Photo”
