The infamous singer-songwriter held the audience at the O2 Academy Sheffield in the palm of his hands with his life-affirming indie rock.
After Jamie Treays, AKA Jamie T, made his triumphant return to live music at Glastonbury in June after a five-year hiatus, fans across the country were waiting with bated breath for a UK tour to be announced.
Closing his legendary set to a packed John Peel tent he thanked his audience by saying that "he couldn’t give a f*ck” if anyone comes to see him any more. “I’d play to an empty room,” he said. “I don’t care.”
This won't be happening anytime soon though, as the 36-year-old's UK tour showcasing his new album The Theory of Whatever sold out in mere minutes.
We were lucky enough to attend his gig at the O2 Academy in Sheffield which saw the snaggle-toothed guitarist transport his audience back to the noughties with a night of mayhem and bedlam.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Entrance to the O2 Academy in Sheffield was stress-free and efficient, we had our tickets checked in no time, drinks served within minutes and we felt in safe hands throughout.
Taking to the stage dressed in a navy oversized denim jacket, matching jeans and a black baseball cap, Jamie T had the crowd roaring from the moment a single chord was heard from his acoustic guitar.
Openers '90s Cars' and 'Old Style Raiders' are both tracks from his new album and were met with elated cheers, the crowd trying their best to keep up with his fast paced, rap-style singing which is undeniably recognised as his trademark sound.
'So Lonely Was the Ballad' takes us promptly back to the mid-noughties and reminds us of the time when T's speak-singing, half-rap, idiosyncratic beat had us all glued to our portable CD players.
A two-song acoustic interlude is punctuated with a dimming of the lights and a band member perching on a stool with a ukulele, the crowd were given a time to breathe and take in the pure brilliance of Jamie and his talented band.
Image: Jamie T
"This is our last song," T tells the crowd before launching into an electric version of 'If You Got The Money', and from here on out it's a sea of air-punching, flailing limbs across the floor.
Jamie and his band walk off stage, the crowd is pulsating with anticipation to finally rock out to arguably his three biggest tracks.
The intro to 'Sheila' draws the biggest roar of the night, with the opening lyrics 'Sheila goes out with her mate Stella' sung unanimously in perfect synchronisation across the 2,300 capacity of the O2.
Next up the moment we've all been waiting for, 'Sticks n Stones' causes an eruption of excitement with the floor pounding thanks to a rhythmic thundering of feet.
Image: Chuff Media
To finish an incredible night, the melodic opening of 'Zombie' had us eagerly anticipating the artist's most iconic chorus. Jamie teased us with a "wait for it..." and then after allowing a monumental mosh pit to form in the centre of the floor, shocked us with an electric closing performance of the iconic track.
Two thousand people left sweaty, smiling and singing along to Jamie T's iconic repertoire of anthems. The way he commanded his audience after a notable time out of the spotlight was truly impressive and marks his position as a legend of British indie music.
The singer-songwriter is continuing his tour across the UK which ends in Portsmouth on 22 November 2022. If you didn't manage to grab tickets to this tour, next summer the Londoner will play his biggest headline show to date at the 45,000 capacity Finsbury Park.
Thank you to Chuff Media for inviting us to this event.
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Clementine Hall -
16th November 2022 
