A Glittering Night of Jazz and Pop Magic: Jamie Cullum at Beacon Hall written by Rhiannon Ellen
The air was electric as the anticipation filled The Bristol Beacon Hall on Friday night. The stage, bathed in soft, blue light, set the scene for a musical journey led by the incomparable Jamie Cullum. With his signature blend of jazz, pop, and soul, Cullum delivered an exhilarating and intimate performance.
The setlist was a masterful curation of classic covers and original compositions. From the swinging elegance of “I Get a Kick Out of You” to the soulful intensity of “Sinnerman,” Cullum’s voice soared, captivating the audience with its sheer power and versatility.
One of the night’s highlights was a breathtaking rendition of “What a Difference a Day Makes.” Cullum’s soulful interpretation transformed the classic into a modern masterpiece. The audience was spellbound, hanging onto every note.
Opening the show, Billy Lockett, a rising star in the UK music scene, set the tone with his soulful and melodic performances. His raw talent and genuine stage presence were evident as he captivated the crowd with his original songs. Lockett’s set was a perfect prelude to the main event, leaving the audience eager for more.
As latecomers were ushered into their seats, Billy greeted the audience by introducing himself before performing his emotion-led and heartfelt ‘Circles’. Billy then moved onto the strings and reintroduced himself, before admitting to the audience that this next song is about his ex. “This one’s called bit*h,” he joked with the crowd, before delving into the belter officially called “Our Funeral.”
He asks for ” more reverb, ” then subsequently requests less, as he “sounds like god”. Once again Billy Locket introduces himself (a running joke now it seems, which the audience loves) before relaying his experience on the TV show “The Voice” where he insisted on playing his own Song. Billy impressed the judging panel, who all turned around in recognition of his talent.
For the last time, Billy plugs his name, and then his Instagram handle. He’s trying to get to 50,000 followers, so “Follow, like, subscribe”. He requests less reverb. Then more. An audience member asks for some more reverb, to raucous applause. His final song “Fading Into Grey” requires audience participation, which he later goes on to describe as “similar to bop it”.
Jamie Cullum creates the kind of buzz you’d expect at a cocktail bar in New York, and the eclectic city and audience in Bristol certainly welcome that sound. The cheeky star dances gleefully across the stage from his beloved piano to the main microphone stand, “Like the great poet Robbie Williams said “for the next two hours your ass is mine” Cullum gleefully exclaims.
The crowd clicks, claps and sways in time with Cullums charismatic, soulful sound as Jamie uses a combination of extended technique or string work and acoustics on the base of the piano to perform a rendition of many of his classic songs and covers including “Everlasting Love.”
While attempting to fix his “too sloppy, then too firm” mic stand, Jamie reminisces on his love of Bristol. The audience was happy to indulge. He shared fond memories of his first gigs at Roni Size, as well as his first shows performing in the Ashton Court Festival. He then asks the admiring crowd to choose between an older cover, Peter Gabriel, or something newer, Sabriaba Carpenter. A close call but Bristols chose Sabrina. Jamie runs through “Please Please Please” and then “Espresso” to the delight of the audience.
After the medley of everyone’s favourite new pop princess, his backing vocalists gather around the piano to join Cullum in the soulful rendition of “Save Your Soul”.The sound of the bold, Americana-inspired anthem “Taller” fills the room as drums and soulful bass complement each other, showcasing the artist’s multi-genre range.
You can tell that Jamie is at home with the piano like it’s an old friend as well as an ongoing companion. His love for the jazz genre is showcased by his spotlighting of a fellow onstage musician, the double bass player. Cullums two lead backing vocalists provided an angelic harmony to what was already an ethereal performance by Cullum.
After getting everyone up on their feet to dance for his rendition of “When I Get Famous”, Jamie then took to the bongos momentarily to introduce “Sinnerman”, with the vocal crescendo of his monumental backing singers. As the lights turned red, Jamie turned his hand to a more sultry and domineering number, “You and Me Are Gone”. With the audience standing and the electricity in the air it’s not long before the crowd are clapping in joyful appreciation.
To the delight of the bristol crowd Jamie launches into a performance that resonates through the Bristolian locals, with covers from Rage Against The Machine, which transitioned into “Hang Your Lights” After clambering upon his trusty piano, Jamie and the rest of his talented ensemble of singers and musicians take a bow.
Cullum resumes an immediate encore by inviting the crowd once again to take to their feet with his penultimate song and he takes this opportunity to enter the crowd and shake hands with the audience, climb upon empty seats to sing and dance with everyone. The party atmosphere was electric.
With his last performance of the evening, Cullum, basked in smokey blue lighting, embarks on the final rendition of his cover of “What a difference a day makes”, after which the Bristol Beacon erupt into applause.
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Photography: Emma Painter
