photo by Dan Harris
You know how it goes. You’re super early for a show, the venue is only half full, and you have time to kill. Often, the opening act doesn’t make much of an impression. To be fair, a lot of times it’s not their fault. The sound and lighting situation for openers is hit or miss; we once saw a band play in complete darkness. When Jack Garratt opened for MSMR, we had to do several double takes. We found ourselves wishing he was headlining. We just didn’t want him to get off stage. After winning the BRITs Critics’ Choice Award for 2016, following the likes of James Bay, Sam Smith and Adele, plus touring with Mumford & Sons, it’s clear Garratt is indeed on the rise.
Pt 1. Mum, I won a BRIT Awards.
Posted by Jack Garratt on Friday, November 27, 2015
Jack Garratt’s career is no accident. He didn’t stumble into it and get randomly discovered. He started writing when he was 12, learned to play the trombone, mandolin, and guitar, and traveled to open mics in London from his Buckinghamshire hometown. It’s clear Garratt wanted to be seen and heard. “I wanted to be an actor but that was just because I wanted to stand up in front of people so that they had to look at me,” he told The Evening Standard. “I was in every play that I could get into, reveled in getting lead roles, and obviously I had to show off about it forever.” He had the ego prodigies often pick up. Coming in dead last in 2005’s Junior Eurovision competition seemed to set him straight, though. On stage, the now 24-year old doesn’t come off as cocky or self-obsessed like many other acts that make soulful electronic music. On the contrary, he makes fun of himself and chats up the crowd a bit before chugging his beer and moving on.
I been tryin’ to give you my love but you won’t let me, won’t let me / I been tryin’ to give you some space, but you won’t let me, won’t let me / I been tryin’ to save you the trouble, but you won’t let me, won’t let me
Hearing him banter between songs, there doesn’t seem to be much planning behind his live show, but of course there must be. There is so much going on, we were worried he was going to slip up. There are a few jokes to be made here about electronic producers, but thankfully, none of them seem to apply to Garratt. It’s just him on guitar, piano, and synth. He also dances like a fiend! All this and we’ve only heard a handful of songs from him. He’s only put out two EPs, this year’s Synesthesiac and 2014’s Remnants. He announced he’s playing the 5,000-capacity Brixton Academy this Spring on the strength of those two releases. In deviating from an earlier folk sound and diving into more complex electronic production, he’s making music he’s proud of. His debut album Phase drops on February 19th via Island Records and features some of our favorite tracks “The Love You’re Given” and “Breathe Life.”
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What to listen to first: “The Love You’re Given,” “Chemical,” “Breathe Life”
Sounds like: James Blake, Chet Faker
On The Rise is our spotlight series on new and emerging artists. We last featured Lucy Rose. Stay tuned for next week’s On The Rise artist!