Jamie T hails Finsbury Park gig as ‘biggest moment of my life’

Jamie T has hailed his electrifying outdoor performance at London’s Finsbury Park as the “biggest moment of my life”.

The singer-songwriter, 37, powered through the rain in north London on Friday night to perform what was billed as his “biggest ever headline show” to date.

However, the weather did not dampen the mood of the crowd who warmly received the musician’s setlist of new material alongside hit tracks from his back catalogue.

Donning a casual look of a shirt, cap and shorts, the singer opened his show with his newly released single Hippodrome.

Addressing the crowd, the south London-born singer said: “Hello Finsbury Park, thank you for coming down. You guys look good in the neighbourhood right now.

“Are you with us? Because this is the biggest moment of my life right now.”

He rattled through high-octane songs including Operation, Rabbit Hole and Salvador which was met by the masses of fans chanting back the lyrics.

As the singer, real name Jamie Alexander Treays, and his band moved through their set, various backdrops were projected behind them including a number of London staples like the underground sign.

He later changed up the tempo with a rendition of his song St George Wharf Tower, which saw him hold for a moment to appreciate the crowd singing the song for him.

The singer later thanked the fans for their support, telling the crowd: “Thank you so much. You really don’t know how much this means to us.

“We’ve been doing this for near enough 20 years and this is the first time we’ve ever played our set in the dark.

“This means the world to us, thank you so much.”

They then launched into Dragon Bones and amplified the energy further with If You Got The Money.

After an encore which saw the crowd chant his name, he returned with a new jersey T-shirt on to perform an acoustic rendition of Back In The Game.

He closed the show with a selection of his best known songs including Shelia and Zombie.

Ahead of playing his hit Sticks ‘n’ Stones, he dedicated the song to his long-term friend Joe Bispham, describing the night as a “family affair”.

He also thanked his band who have been with him for “many years” and led the crowd in singing Happy Birthday to his drummer Alex.

The singer closed the show in a flurry of excitement as he assisted with a marriage proposal and fireworks erupted as they performed their last track.

Jamie T broke his five-year performance hiatus last May when he played an intimate show at London’s Subterania, ahead of a headline performance on the John Peel stage at Glastonbury, which was his second bill-topping appearance in the tent.

The musician released his debut studio album, Panic Prevention, in 2007 and followed it up 2009’s Kings and Queens, 2014’s Carry on the Grudge, 2016’s Trick and 2022’s The Theory of Whatever, which topped the charts.

He was supported by a host of acts during Friday’s outdoor gig including Kojey Radical, who described the show as a “dream”.

Rock band Idles warmed up the crowd further in the penultimate slot by smashing through a string of their hits such as Car Crash, Mr Motivator, I’m Scum and Never Fight A Man With A Perm.

In true rock star fashion, their guitarists also crowd surfed the rapturous audience on multiple occasions.