Words: Anna Hofman
Electric Ballroom Camden was certainly high energy that September night. Even before JAY1 stepped out on stage, the first stop on his first official tour, the chant pierced the air: “JAY1, JAY, JAY1”. Being Swedish, and only at the beginning of my Odyssey into the British hip-hop scene I was unsure of what to expect of the gig and JAY1. Old school hip-hop, as well as old school grime, was for a long time seemingly more of a testament to the collective experience and less of an attempt to flex. For better or worse something has certainly changed, and one has to give it to JAY1 - he has already carved out his place in the genre.
From the first songs, the likes of Good Vibes, to the last, and long-awaited, You Mrs, replaying the well-loved Becky three times in between as well as fan-favourite Mocking It, this audience could not be described as anything less than in a zone together with JAY1. No matter what pace, no matter what turns and twists every single audience member knew each and every word. Simultaneously, this audience, for the first time in my life, made me feel old? Talking to someone on my way into the JAY1 gig a girl told me that she was very excited, but that the crowd was younger than she had expected. “How old are you?” “17”. Well then. It is certainly something standing behind two couples of 16-year-olds grinding, the guys intermittently fist-bumping and filming themselves, yet somehow, they also became my guides into how hyped the audience was. To say I have mixed feelings about the whole thing is an understatement, yet I revelled in the gig’s great energy and the positive feeling of no longer being 16 myself.
“Absolutely mental, best night in Camden, period” was the reaction I received when asking about an avid fan’s thoughts on the gig afterwards, and she was definitely not alone in her opinion – quite the opposite, she clearly reflected the entire crowd’s reactions as they danced themselves sweaty and started the occasional mosh pit – what more can you expect from a successful gig?
There is no question, JAY1 is an artist that should be on stage. This is his natural habitat; murky, comfortable, colourful. Live, the mellow beats of the studio recordings were exchanged for energy, and pace, satisfying the crowd’s wants. JAY1 certainly noticed the hype as well as he stopped several times in-between songs to say thank you and talk to the exhilarated crowd, “every one of you in here is amazing – you changed my life”. Simultaneously he clearly relished in the fans’ excitement and shrilling as he jumped down to the crowd whilst singing Sweet One. Bringing up artists like Russ Millions, Young Bae, and HAKKZ was a welcome touch – each guest was welcomed with a roar. Loudest perhaps as Russ joined JAY1 for the hit Keisha & Becky, a clear banger.
Although each song bears a lot of similarities to the next, there is no doubt that JAY1 is a born live artist – this is where he comes alive and in turn jump-starts the heart rate of his tunes. Even less impressed but dedicated fans could not escape it “we liked it, but every song was the same… you know what you’re going to get” Louis and Vinay from Durham concluded. However, this was not negative feedback, “he’s better live” they said eagerly in unison. Producing more but shorter songs, as well as songs that are similar to each other seems to become all the more common looking to the hip-hop scene beyond the UK, an effect of the industry-changing in the age of streaming. Nevertheless, I agree with Vinay and Louis – the sameness does not restrict my appreciation of JAY1 nor my enjoyment of his great live performance. The UK hip-hop and grime scenes hold their charm not because each song or beat strongly varies from the other, but because each skilled artist takes it to a new place. This is why I and many others keep returning to the genre and so, the Odyssey continues.
JAY1's mixtape One Wave is available now on all music streaming services.
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