This was the second in a series of six lunchtime gigs that will be performing at universities up and down the country whilst he tours with nu-jazz songstress Amy Winehouse. The setting for this performance was nothing short of obscure; Newcastle's Bassment is used as a club/gig venue in the evenings but doubles up as a dining room at lunchtime. Accordingly, when Tyler walked on stage and looked around, he'd surely have been a little upset to see several students facing away from him and indeed many more facing but simply ignoring him in favour of a bacon sarnie or daily newspaper. Noticeably, he looked a little disconcerted, but in true showbiz style, he soldiered on with a four record acoustic-style set which begun with his debut single, "Why Do I Do?" which charted at a rather impressive number twenty-five this week.
A small hardcore of girls to my left sang along and released flirty, faux giggles every time Tyler jigged or smiled whilst all that could be heard from the men sitting to my right were jealous taunts, "What a pretty boy, I'll bet he's gay..." I suspect the latter was down to Tyler's slightly over-styled suit-with-trainers combo. And whilst he does have the biggest quiff in pop music, he's certainly not your ordinary boy-band wannabe. No, has a distinctive and soulful quality to his voice, and, in spite of only being twenty-two, it's clear that his attitude to music is mature through and through. As the mini-gig progressed, students put down their sandwiches to watch intently as Tyler demonstrated the superb range of his voice as well as his charismatic on-stage personality. He even dedicated his final song to "anyone who has ever loved someone, but then had that person treat you like a MUG!" which generated a ripple of "Aaaaw" which Tyler acknowledged with a boyish shrug of the shoulders. Something tells me he's going to break a lot of hearts himself...
The media have been keen to label Tyler as "the new (British) Justin" and whilst I agree he is set for pop stardom, I disagree that it is an accurate comparison, and in fact it might be damaging to his career. , though he looks like a poster boy for all that's trendy, is more than that. He's a bundle of talent, charm and all-round loveliness and I hope that this unlikely lad succeeds in his venture into popdom.
Rating: 3/5
Words By: Sarah Chapman
Website: [url]www.tylerjamesonline.com[/url]
- Mini-gig at Newcastle University - 8th November 2004
