cosmicmouse's article
Friday, the day of arrival was long and exhausting. By train to Hamburg, then a long wait at the airport, the delayed flight to London, and again subways and train to Deptford, where we (my good friend Stephan and me) have rented a nice apartment through Air'n'b. Travel time 11 hours. When I finally arrived, I had a little chat with Stephan, who was already waiting for me there. And then off to bed. Tomorrow would demand a lot of energy from us.
Saturday - Jamiroquai-Day!
My mate Stephan, who has no experience with Jamily habits so far, inevitably had to join the drill and had to go to the festival grounds with me right after breakfast. In fact, we were the first when we arrived at 10.30 am. It was not long before Janluka joined us. The head of the security team made jokes about Janluka, while she prepared her team for the pocket control. She explained them: "Watch out for crazy fans who are impatient and want to get going quickly, just like „Orangeman“ and pointed to Janluka (in orange Adidas jacket.) He will be like this: "I want to be the first, I want to be the first“, she predicted with a wink... sooo funny! In the end, of course, she was completely right. Janluka and I were the first to reach the frontrow of the main stage. More Jamily members followed. It was never easier to reach the first row. Totally easy. However, it was only 12 o'clock and it was still almost 9 hours to defend this place.
Luckily Jamily meetings and some nice bands have sweetened the long waiting time.
I made the decision to keep my excellent place and not to move to the second stage. That was not an easy decision, because that way I missed MF Robots, Incognito and Soul II Soul. Too bad, but in the end it was for me the right decision, because I would have lost my frontrow place for Jamiroquai for sure. In the beginning of the day I was not so sure, if I would do it that way, but as soon as I was standing there, I knew, there was no other option. Everything else would have been unacceptable. You have to make sacrifices.
Stephan, on the other hand, chose stage two and was able to see all that funk and fun that I have missed. The lucky guy. Later he had to enjoy Jamiroquai from further back. So everyone sets their priorities differently. In the end we were both happy.
The trouble was that I did not eat anything except breakfast. The queues for food and drinks were way too long. I just dared to leave my seat for a short while to go to the toilet. Better not take any risks.
Thus, the following bands remained for the main stage:
SG Lewis
To be honest, I can’t really remember… it was ok, but didn’t knock my socks of.
Jacob Collier
I noticed that some of you don’t like him. Also at the risk that you might lose respect for me, I admit that I think he was really entertaining. Very active, a bit hectic, but funny, thrilled and in fact he seems to be really musically talented. I don’t know… during the first two songs he played at least 5 different instruments, and each of them really good… and the songs had crazy rhythm changes and weird harmonies, weird in a positive way. He played with the audience and the people around me liked it. I think he was really interesting and I feel like checking out his music a bit more in the future. So, there you have it!
James Morrison
Compared to Jacob Collier James was more mainstream and… well…. more ordinary and therefore a bit boring. Just my opinion. He has nice songs but for me too straight and simple. Not my cup of tea, but still nice to watch.
The Roots
Cool band, groovy, funky and that guy with the big tuba… wow. But they had sound problems. At least in front of the stage we could not hear the singer's voice. I assume the speakers on the front were not working. You could rarely hear his voice from the monitors on stage, but that was not very loud compared to the other instruments. Too bad. A lot of us made signs and tried to communicate that they should turn up his volume and that we couldn’t hear him properly. But they just didn’t get it. Just at the end of the gig they fixed it.
Finally, the time of waiting was over and the well-known faces came on stage. This time with a squad of 14 musicians. Is this a record? It was packed on the relatively small stage. In front of the three backing girls the three brass player. Right next to Howard. I was full of expectation. Jamiroquai with horns is just another experience and very rare. I wondered what songs they would play.
Here is the setlist:
Shake it on
Little L
Use The Force
Space Cowboy
Main Vein
You Are My Love
Don't Give Hate A Chance
Runaway
Cosmic Girl
Canned Heat / Scam / Lovefoolosophy
Virtual Insanity
Travelling Without Moving
No huge surprises, but many songs spiced up with the wind instruments. The best happening this evening was "You are me Love". I had a guess this might happen, when Jay said: "We're playing a song that we have not played live for over 20 years. (And considering there were some hints on social media). It was terrific. I knew you would love it, so I recorded the performance completely for the Jamily. The horns were also excellent in the other songs. They bring so much more depth into the songs and I no longer had to sing the brass parts myself, as I usually do.
I really hope that Jay will get the horns back for the next tour. It really enriches the show so much. And I know that I am not the only one who thinks that.
I was so excited about the three brass players that I filmed them a lot, and only these. Jay must have thought: „What the hell is she doing? She is always filming the right stage side although I am on the left!!"
Anyway ... so you have the pleasure to listen to some brass pieces. I hope you enjoy!
The concert was great, Jay in a good mood, the band always smiling and having fun and they also seemed to be happy about the musical enrichment. The sunset put the right ambience for the climax at the end, the Canned Heat / Scam / Lovefool sequence. Virtual Insanity seemed to be the encore (YES, no Deeper Underground, thank you!) The audience very grateful, I expected everything to be over because of the time schedule... the band put the instruments aside waving and ready to leave the stage, but then Jay ordered the musicians back and spontaneously decided to play yet another song: Traveling Without Moving. What a great ending. I waited for the horns and they seemed to be waiting for the mission,always looking to Jay and waiting for a sign... but it did not happen .. I'm not sure why ... maybe Jay forgot it. Or he shortened the song, because the time was already over. So I had to sing that brass part myself again. Never mind.
All in all, a worthy end and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who made this day so great. It was very nice to see many familiar faces again, unfortunately I missed a few, due to the two stages situation. We will certainly make up for that next time.
Thanks Stephan, thank you Jamily (I won't list all names because I am sure I would forget some, but you know who you are!!), thanks Jamiroquai, thanks OnBlackHeath. That was a great day. When I fell into bed, everything hurt and I was exhausted, but my heart was still leaping with happiness.
Sunday. Second day, second luck.
Stephan and I fortified ourselves with a great vegan breakfast in Deptford in the "Dirty Apron". We had tofu crumble and very good cafe with oat milk. Delicious!
The day was chilling and relaxed. This time we did not have the frontrow stress and looked forward to lots of good music, good food and a great time.
The main attraction for us today were The Brand New Heavies. This was Stephen's day because he loved this band for over 25 years and would finally see them live for the first time ever.
But until then we saw good other bands, for example
Newton Faulkner, who impressed us with his amazing one-man show.
We also liked Yakul and Laville very much. Very talented musicians. Morcheeba and UB40 were ok but did not blow us away. We made some disrespectful jokes about UB40’s songs, always sounding the same and like „Red Red Wine“. Aswad, another reggae band on the second stage entertained us more. Although we are both not into reggae that much, we danced and had fun. It was a more rocky reggae and we liked it.
When they were finished, we rushed forward and secured the middle of the first row. Ready for The Brand New Heavies.
Stephan had the time of his life, but I also celebrated the great concert. Best performance of the day! They even brought a large group of children on stage and in the audience were fans from around the world, for example from Texas. That is dedication! And this felt familiar when I think of our community and the international fans meet ups for Jamiroquai in the past decades.
At the end, we joined the crowds in front of the main stage and looked at Grace Jones. Wow, what an appearance. That woman is over 70. And you do not notice it. She kept whirling the hulahoop around her hips for an entire song. Impressive. After each song there was a new outfit and overall the performance was very entertaining. A great ending, again with sunset in the background. Happy and our heads full of music and impressions we went back to our apartment.
Compliments to the organization of OnBlackHeath. They responded very quickly to the visitors' complaints and organized more staff for the next day. The second day went much better. You could buy drinks and food without queuing up. The mood was great. A neat family event with an outstanding line up. I am glad that I was able to experience this great weekend. Full of gratitude.
Credits for photographs:
Most of the pics made by Meike Melansek
Frontrow pictures, pics from James Morris, Grace Jones, taken from onblackheath.com
Crowd pictures from the stage: Nate Williams, Matt Johnson
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VIDEOS FROM SATURDAY:
JACOB COLLIER:
JAMES MORRISON:
THE ROOTS:
JAMIROQUAI:
Use The Force (full)
Space Cowboy (clip)
Main Vein (clip)
You Are My Love (full)
Scam (clip)
LoveFoolosophy (clip)
Virtual Insanity (clip)
Travelling Without Moving (clip)
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SUNDAY VIDEOS:
MORECHEEBA:
LAVILLE:
ASWAD:
THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES:
#v#8#v#
GRACE JONES:
THE JAMIROTALK INTERVIEW WITH HOWARD WHIDDETT - MADE BY FANS
Hi Howard! Great to have you here for another fan-made interview! We can’t wait to get to know you better.
We've been watching this band playing live for almost 25 years and we've never had someone in your position on stage. What kind of contribution and improvement do you bring to Jamiroquai's live sound?
To summarise, my role offers a few new things:
It gives us the chance to tackle performances of songs from the new album ‘Automaton’ which has strong electronic musical elements throughout a lot of the album. You can hear this clearly in ‘Automaton’ where there is a lot of processed 'robot' vocals and sound fx integral to the song's character.
We can also look back to some previous album tracks where we've lifted material from original multi-track recordings, which I've sampled or used as loops if they have a particular groove. It then also opens up the chance to explore further manipulations and processing during performance.
Thirdly there are some songs, sections and many segways we have reinvented or created from scratch for the Automaton Tour. These moments give me the chance to really get creative and contribute ideas to the show. A good example of this is the down tempo version of 'Emergency On Planet Earth’.
In terms of describing performance, it can vary from sampling, running loops, sound fx and fx manipulation, playing synths to running and manipulating tempo. It's sort of like using electronics to play the parts that conventional instruments can’t.
Can you show us (maybe even in a video clip) what you are doing during a gig? Please describe your tools and your set.
Which sounds do you use and what is the difference between sounds that are played with instruments (by Matt or Nate on keys or synthesizer) and those that you play on the Ableton live?
I’ve uploaded a few video clips to Instagram recently using some of the tools I use on stage, although I am yet to run through the Jamiroquai setup specifically.
The set up primarily consists of the computing software Ableton Live, with an array of midi controllers to play, control and manipulate the sound. Here’s an equipment list:
Hardware:
MacBook Pro
Ableton Push 2
Midi Fighter 3D - dj tech tools
Midi twister - dj tech tools
Alesis Q25 keyboard
Apogee Quartet audio interface
Senneheiser HD 25 headphones
UHE custom in ears
Software:
Ableton live
Arturia synths
Valhalla reverbs
Soundtoys plugins
There’s a pic up on my Instagram.
Generally, the keyboard and synth parts would be handled by Matt and Nate. Sometimes if there are additional lines I might pick up something but Matt is a pretty serious multitasker so it’s more sound FX or sequenced synths that I would handle (for example the sequencer synth you hear at the start of 'Shake It On’). These are either sampled from the original multitrack or recreated patches using the Arturia soft synths and played via the 'Push 2'. Generally speaking, my parts are more of a digital, processed or ‘electronic music' nature.
Can you be creative to a point? Or is every sound fixed?
Yeah, there’s always a degree of flexibility in my parts, some more than others. With Ableton Live, you can be creative on the fly while on stage. Even in moments where you haven’t been creative before, if you have the idea, you can usually achieve it with a little bit of quick programming.
Do you see yourself more as a musician or as a technician?
I see myself as a musician and a producer, and yeah there’s a lot of tech in my set up so I have to be a technician too.
Please tell us where you are coming from, musically.
Do you play any other instruments?
I definitely consider Ableton Live an instrument (so it’s good to see “other” in the question). I started playing guitar as a teenager and I like to play bass too, which I used to play in my previous band QTIER alongside Ableton. I use them all when producing and writing. (Checkout Qtier on SOUNDCLOUD!)
What musical influences do you have?
What is your musical taste?
I’m not too specifically focused on genres. I think I could go on for days listing artist that influence me! But to briefly put it in perspective I’ve listed a few things that popped into my head.
- Favorite undiscovered track recently is Bootsy Collins - ‘I’d Rather Be With You’, had this one on repeat a lot in the last few months!
- Best live shows I went to this year were GoGo Penguin and Mount Kimbie.
- Some favourite electronic producers: Nicholas Jaar, Clams Casino, Arca, Burial.
- Who’s in my phone's iTunes currently: Young Fathers, Mac Demarco, D’Angelo, Khruangbin, Equiknoxx.
What is your favorite song to perform with Jamiroquai?
'Emergency on Planet Earth’, (the down tempo version).
How did you join Jamiroquai?
I was recommended by engineer/producer Jon Kelly to Matt. As the new album was releasing soon, they were looking for someone to handle this sort of ‘electronic music’ stuff live on stage and so was invited down to the manor for an audition with Jay and the rest of the band. I did a prepared performance for the song 'Shake It On’ and an impromptu improvisation remix of ‘Carla’ which at time I had never heard before so the pressure was on!
Please, describe a typical day on tour with Jamiroquai. What kind of standard procedure normally happens. Do you have any personal rituals to prepare for the show?
Hotel breakfast to start, poached eggs and coffee ideally! I’m no expert but I do benefit from a bit of meditation if stressed or dealing with some nerves. Just hanging out with the band really, which is generally relentless banter and laughs, with some geeky discussions of music gear.
Do you have any funny tour stories to share?
There could be an entire book written on this one!
Please describe every bandmember with just one word.
(Matt, Nate, Rob, Paul, Derrick, Sola, Valerie, Elle, Hazel and Jay…. And yourself?)
Sorry I couldn’t do this one without being overly cliche ...they’re all uniquely inspiring and now also like family.
Last but not least, could you give us a hint if the band is already working on new stuff?
I think with these guys' minds and talents, and Jay in particular who continually has new ideas …fingers are crossed for another album!
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions!
Enjoy the upcoming tour dates in 2019!
You are welcome to join our community of course! Maybe see you there!
Much love and respect,
Meike (CosmicMouse)
P.S.: I heard that Howard is working on own new music, so follow him on INSTAGRAM and TWITTER in order to stay informed about releases, performances/djing and more.
Credits:
Thanks to Dye, Javis, MrMoon, JGrizz, Mojogonlopoto, Jazid46, Funkalero (and me) for submitting questions (and sorry if not every question made it to the final interview).
Thanks to Jo Geater for proofreading!
MY REVIEW
Jamiroquai @ JazzOpen Stuttgart, 18 July 2018Hi Jamily, I am on my way back home from the JazzOpen in Stuttgart. My journey takes 4 hours by train, so enough time to write down a little review. As the Jamiroquai concert has been live-streamed through arte.tv lots of you guys could watch the gig and you still can because recordings were made and shared already! That’s why I don’t really need to write too much about the concert itself, because you can watch it and get your own impression. But still, I want to write some details down, for myself to remember and for those who are interested in a more personal point of view.
Happy Jamily Reuinon
The whole craziness started during our journey already. My train was a bit late, so I missed the connecting train. I took the chance and got something to eat at the station in Mannheim, where I had to change, then searching for the next connection to Stuttgart. I was texting Nicki who was also on her way by train. While I wrote her that I would be delayed in time a bit and that I am in Mannheim now waiting for the next connection, a train was arriving at my platform. Nicki wrote back: „I am passing Mannheim RIGHT NOW!“ I quickly checked: YES! It was just the right train! So I jumped in and met Nicki a bit earlier than planned!! Big hello and hugs!
What she didn’t know: our cosmic sister Suzie was secretly getting updates from me, where we are, when we will arrive in Stuttgart, because she has been already there, waiting for us! She had planned this trip long ago, everyone in the Jamily knew it, but not Nicki! It was a long planned surprise and the plan proved to be successful. Nicki didn’t have any clue. We left the train, Suzie was prepared and was sneaking after us, giving Nicki a hug from behind! What a surprise! Countless hugs, tears of joy and laughter! Love you crazy girls! This was one of the best moments!! Haven’t seen Suzie for 11 years I think! So it was so overdue! Please let’s not wait so long again!
Frontrow challenge
You know this game. Nothing beats the frontrow. So same procedure as every time. Checking the entrance possibilities, checking how many people are already around, checking the way to the stage… you have to be prepared. I have to say, it was quite easy this time, but then again, you never know before. We started queuing at about 4pm. Nobody started earlier because it was a really hot and sunny day, no shadows at the entrances, so the longer you could stay in the shadow of the trees around the Schlossgarten, the better.
When the run started, we girls were running and had free choices when we arrived at the stage. So it was center this time. Perfect place, on my left Suzie, on my right Nicki! The moment of relief, everything settled, this was going to be a great evening!
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Support act Ibeyi
Twin sisters, just the two. Pretty girls, so powerful and cool! With amazing voices, groovy rhythm and so funny! They were a great warming-up. We all enjoyed them! They animated the audience for some songs to sing along some phrases. One song was like this: Ibeyi: „Come to your river, and...“ Audience answer: „….wash my soul“ We found it funny to change the lyrics a bit for our own amusement and I am still having this ear worm: „Come to your river and WASH MY SOCKS“
Jamiroquai on stage
You know the gig already, don’t you? So no need to tell you, this was an outstanding concert. It started as expected with Street Fighter as intro. As I have been listening this on loop for a while the day before, from the Montreux recording, I really enjoyed this one, singing along „aiaiaiaiay ... aiaiai yah, aiaiaiaiya ….. aiaiai yah … street fighter“
When Shake It On started I was flashed by the great and brilliant sound! No earplugs needed, very good balanced and just perfect for my ears! From the first moment til the last tune we girls were having a blast. Dancing, singing, jumping as if we were teenagers! Powergirls!! First time that I was not busy, writing down the setlist, as I knew about the stream. I just enjoyed every moment! Just took a few pics, and we were pushing the jamily balloons which I had spread in the audience before. They were circulating for a while in the audience but landed all in front of the barrier after a while …. I managed to get a few on stage, but was worried that Jay might slip on them, so I stopped after he kicked one of them off the stage! Still haven’t seen the stream, so don’t know if you saw that moment.
The gig
Street fighter Intro
01. Shake it On
02. Little L
03. Use the Force
04. Alright
05. Light Years
06. All Good in the Hood
07. Space Cowboy
08. Something About You
09: Runaway
10: Smile
11: Cosmic Girl
12: Travelling without Moving
13: Canned Heat
14: Love Foolosophy
15: Virtual Insanity
Jay had quite a lot papers on the ground with lots of text – lyrics, lyrics, lyrics…. but he takes it easy. He was even making fun of it, when he made a "mental check" of the lyrics of Something About You. So funny! Smile was beautiful live, very nice. But I am not so sure if a quite unknown song which is so relaxing is a good choice for a festival audience. But anyways… it gave us all a bit time to relax.
Best song of the gig for me personally was Traveling Without Moving. A killer version!! I was enjoying it so much, closing my eyes and was just in the flow for the whole song. Jay’s voice was better than in Montreux I think. He seemed to be more satisfied and had lots of energy to dance and jump. Although he kept moaning about some not working ventilators and monitors…. I like the fact that Jay is recently introducing the band at the concerts. That should be obligatory in my eyes. They got more possibilities for solos as well. That’s always great. The song versions were great, extended and it nice to always detect some new little details. What am I talking… go and listen to the live stream recording!! You will understand!
Meeting the band
After the show Suzie, Nicki, Kerstin, Stefan and me got into the backstage area. We had so much fun, taking pics of the stagetruck, the meanwhile famous buffalo man statue and the nice stagetruck driver! Yes, important man!! He deserves some attention as well!
Got the chance to speak to most of them, took some pics, spoke to Matt, Nate and Howard. From Howard we will soon hear some infos. It’s about time we got to know him better. The interview is on the way so stay tuned! When talking to Matt, I told him that everyone is excited about the little info about Street Fighter and reminded him, that we are all in fact still waiting for another unreleased track, as Jay had promised at the beginning of the year to give us a „couple of songs“. Hope this helps… although Matt doesn’t think that there is anything planned. Fingers crossed… and maybe keep reminding them when you got the chance to speak to one of them!
They are all in a good mood, but I felt that they are really looking forward to a break. Which they truly deserve after such a long tour!
This was my last gig of this tour. So I am so thankful that it was such a special one, also the whole experience was unforgettable, lovely people around me, nice place, brilliant sound, great setlist, band on fire, Jay dedicated, appreciative audience, lovely weather… and I can watch the gig again on the stream! Perfect!
Special thanks go to:- - my family who don’t moan about me doing this again and again, instead support me and are happy for me, when I have a good time!
- - Suzie and Nicki - love you girls, you are cosmic and it would have been just half as good without you!! „Go to the river and wash my socks!!“
- - Jamiroquai bandmembers and team… thanks for always giving your best, for being so welcoming and nice! We had a wonderful time!
- - Stefan, for taking all the pics with the band! (He is obviously on none of the pics.)
The next day - Joss Stone and Jamie Cullum
To have this review complete, I will add a few comments about the next day.
As I really do love Jamie Cullum concerts, it was a great opportunity to stay one more day and see another great gig at the JazzOpen. Supporting act was Sarah And The Gang and then Joss Stone! So lovely, amazing voice and great music. Enjoyed it a lot.
Jamie has been coming for the 5th time in a row, every year to the Jazzopen in Stuttgart. He has a special relationship with the Stuttgart people. I was speaking to a lot of them, they are all coming again and again. You could feel it. It was a magic atmosphere between audience and Jamie. He was on fire, giving his best! He was doing a song together with Joss Stone! And there was a Gospelchoir on stage. And the brass gave me all I was missing during the Jamiroquai tour. Brass deficiency is cured now!
Those days were really exhausting… hot weather, sun, no shadows, long standing, dancing like mad… I think I have lost 2-3kg, I am tired as hell, little headache… but my heart is full of lovely memories, my soul is fully charged with music and good vibes… I am so happy! What music can do… unbelievable! 
P.S.: This lovely artwork I got from my daughter Marja Leena (8years) as a welcome back gift when I arrived back home! 
When Jamiroquai started touring in 2017, attentive front-row fans noticed it immediately: New faces on stage! One of them a very talented guy on the left stage-side, modest and unflashy in the background. "Oh, an additional keyboardist who supports Matt“ was my first thought, but then I noticed that he was also playing guitar on some songs. And wasn’t there a microphone as well in front of his face? Was he singing too?
Who is this multi-talented guy who looks like the nice boy next-door?
I did some research and found out that Nathan Williams is a bass-tutor at ICMP in London. On the site he is described as an in demand multi-instrumentalist and artist.
He has worked with Gruff Rhys, Joss Stone, Huw Warren, Herbie Flowers, Eliza Doolittle, Katy B and Markus Feehily from Westlife, has experience in all contemporary genres and is playing bass, drums, keys, guitar and even sings.
Nate joined the touring band of Jamiroquai in early 2017.
Of course we all want to know how he got in contact with the band and got that job. In addition we are also curious about a few other things. So, I am very thankful that we got the chance to ask the man himself today in order to get to know the new jamiroquai-member a bit better!
When did you start getting into music and playing instruments?
I grew up in a very musical family, so I was around music from a very early age. I started piano lessons at 5 years old. Shortly afterwards, I was given a snare drum. I played drums in a local brass band and piano at home. I became hooked on music pretty quickly! The whole story would take waaay too long to tell! I picked up various instruments along the way, including bass and guitar.
Which instrument is your favorite one to play and why?
Piano. No question. It's beautifully laid out, and it provides harmony, melody and rhythm, in a way no other instrument can. I could never give up the piano!
I'm a huge Stevie Wonder fan. I love Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Jaco Pastorius, Michael Brecker and so many more!! Lately I've been loving PJ Morton's album 'Gumbo'. I saw him and his amazing band live in LA recently... AMAZING!
How did you join Jamiroquai? How did you get in contact, and how was the audition?
I did a random gig and Rob Harris was in the band. The gig went well, and we made each other laugh (which is always a good sign!). I sent him my first solo album 'Got To Let Go' and he seemed to like it. He called a few weeks later and mentioned the band were looking for a multi-instrumentalist for the Automaton tour. He asked if I'd be up for an audition... Obviously I said yes! The audition was great! Matt and the guys all made me feel very welcome. I had to learn a few tunes. Jay came in whilst I was doing a solo over one song and he seemed to like it... that definitely helped me relax! Haha!
Have you already been familiar with Jamiroquai’s songs or was it completely new to you to learn all the performances? How much time did it take?
I'd heard a lot of Jamiroquai songs over the years, so was familiar with some of the stuff. However... there are a LOT of songs, so I did have to spend time learning the ins and outs of everything. The process can belong because it's not just learning chords, parts etc... it's also programming sounds and trying to learn new equipment. I enjoyed the challenge though. I had a couple of weeks to prepare for the first rehearsal.
What is your favorite album and song of Jamiroquai?
I think my favourite album is Funk Odyssey. Favourite song... hmm... Maybe Deeper Underground? It just reminds me of a great time in my life!
How do you divide the work between you and Matt, and also Rob; who decides on who is doing which parts?
Well, Matt produced the Automaton album, so he knew exactly which parts I'd be playing. He had been playing some of the extra parts on the other material himself I think, so he was able to be a little more free on stage once I played some of those things. Same kind of thing with Rob really. We all worked together to try and both match the original recordings and bring a level of excitement and creativity for the live shows.
Which song is your favorite song to perform live?
I enjoy playing Little L. I'm on strings for that and it's a pretty important element of the song. I like knowing I'm adding such a big part!
Which song would you love to perform, that hasn’t made it on the setlist so far?
I think I've been quite lucky... We seem to have played pretty much everything I would have wanted! Can't complain about that!!
What was your favourite or most interesting moment during the tour so far?
I had a wonderful time in Batumi, Georgia. We watched Cory Henry and his band play live, then were taken for an incredible traditional meal whilst we watched Georgian dancing and heard some amazing folksingers. I learnt a lot about that beautiful part of the world!
What makes working with Jamiroquai special for you?
It's fantastic to be playing with such a great band, but for me, I think I get the most out of seeing how much it means to the fans. It means so much to people and I think I can speak for all of us when I say your support is very much appreciated!!
Can you imagine extending your job and maybe support the band on the next Jamiroquai album?
I'd love to be involved, of course!
You have a brand new solo album out! Tell us more about it!
I released a 5 track EP called 'Them + Us' in April. It's my second solo release. I'm very proud of it and it seems to have had a very positive response and even made it in to the UK charts! It's available on iTunes, Spotify etc etc. I hope you like it! My first album 'Got To Let Go' is also in the usual places online.
Is there anything else you want to share with the Jamily?
Just to say thank you for making me feel so welcome and for your continued support!! We all feel it and appreciate it. 
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions, dear Nate!
Enjoy the upcoming gigs and experiences! Good luck with your solo work as well!
Meike (CosmicMouse)
Credits:
Thanks to Dye, JohnDoggett, WoundedBuffaloman for submitting questions (and sorry if not every question made it to the final interview).
Thanks to Jo Geater and Frances Schiavone for proofreading!
Who does remember this one?
This used to be the frontpage of my initial jamirotalk forum. That’s how we started 16 years ago: It has been a christmas present from my husband to me. My own fan-forum dedicated to my favorite band Jamiroquai. It started tiny and ingenuously but grew fast and took root. Many years it has offered the Jamily a place to be, to discuss, to share the same passion. We have made friends, have met at countless concerts, jammed the front row with our international flags and filled the forum with our stories, reviews and emotions. We invited the band members and interviewed them.
The forums of jamirotalk have become a big archive of 16 years of Jamily vibes. Expressed in numbers, that is 9.029 topics, 146.312 posts… and believe it or not: 8.796.796 words!
I could read for hours there, re-read all those reviews of concerts, endless discussions, so many memories I wouldn’t want to miss.
But it is time to start a new adventure: The Jamily needs MORE Talk. Jamirotalk PLUS (+) is ready to take off. Like in old jamirotalk-days we provide a common discussion forum. You can talk about everything here and it will stay in an organized structure. But jamirotalk (+) can do even more. It gives you everything that a social network needs.
At the moment, there probably still are some bugs and things that won’t run smoothly yet as more users are online. Please report anything that doesn’t seem to be right and we will try to fix it step by step. This is just the beginning.. more tools might come as the community is growing and functions will be modified if necessary. That’s the good thing… we can create it as we need it. It will grow, expand, evolve and improve, with YOUR help!.… so better start making a wish-list and let us know, it might happen sooner or later!
Are you ready?
Feel free to join us in order to get the full access to all functions. Create a personalised profile, introduce yourself, add photos and content and get ready to party!
Then have a look around, get used to everything. Check the topic How To Use Jamirotalk (+).
We will grow fast and it could easily get messy, so please try to keep it neat and cosy!
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me or one of my team members.
Please don’t flood the galleries with unnecessary pictures. Pictures regarding the Jamily and Jamiroquai are welcome, but please take care of copyrights. Don’t wanna get into trouble! Thanks.
Also, be aware that uploading massive amounts of pics will cost me some extra money… so share wisely!
Videos (from Youtube for example) will be embedded, so won’t cause more traffic, so that’s fine.
The former jamirotalk forums will stay for reading and research. The comment functions will be enabled after a while, though. It’s worth to check old topics there… so much fun and so many good vibes. But don’t get lost. Come back and help filling this new place with love, passion and fun as well!
Welcome to this new galaxy! Enjoy and let’s jamirotalk (+) !
CosmicMouse
Dear Elle, thank you so much for getting in touch and for giving us the opportunity to know more about you through this little fan-interview!
You have been touring with Jamiroquai for more than a year now; your energy and good vibes on stage are amazing and infectious. You really seem to enjoy what you are doing!
What is your favorite Jamiroquai song to sing live?
I love to sing “Don’t give hate a chance", "Runaway", "Dr Buzz" and "Something About You" .
Which song would you love to perform, that hasn’t made it on the setlist so far?
I would like them to bring back "Dr Buzz" and "Something About You". Also I love “If I like it“. I’d love that song to be added.
Did you actually listen to Jamiroquai CDs before you joined them?
I actually met Jay through a boy band called Damage, I met Jay at their video shoot. It only just occurred to me recently that I had met him socially about 20 years ago. I’ve always known his hit songs hence why it was so easy for me to learn for his tour.
How did you actually get that job?
Well I was kindly referred by the gorgeous Hazel who I spent 2 years working with on the Anastacia tour, we had so much fun together, my name was then put forward to the band and Paul who I’ve worked with on the Will Young tour before fought for me to be the 3rd backing vocalist. So on both their kind recommendations I got in the band.
What was the process of joining the band? Did you have auditions?
No auditions were needed as I’d worked with 2 of the band members before and thankfully due to everything being online the band could google my work.
How fast did you have to learn all the songs and what was your approach?
I had roughly 72 hours after finding out I got the job to learn as much as I could, I think I was asked on the Thursday or Friday before the start of rehearsals so it was quite scary. I listened to the hits as Hazel gave me all the albums. Then the girls and I spent a week in the studio learning songs and going over the parts before joining the band in the main studio. Put it this way, on my journey to and from the rehearsal studio I had ear phones on.
Performing on big stages in front of huge audiences is actually nothing new to you; you have played with famous musicians including Anastasia, Robbie Williams, Lisa Stansfield, Will Young and Incognito.
What makes the difference to performing with Jamiroquai? Is there anything that makes it special to sing with Jamiroquai?
A huge difference, Jay sometimes changes the set list on stage which gives me the giggles and he might throw in a song that he fancies doing, nothing is on track, everything is live, and he gives us newbies songs to learn often which is helping me catch up with his catalogue of songs. What I also love is he adlibs on the spot and then looks at us to copy it and provide a 3 part harmony or unison. And that’s live on stage, no rehearsal, I love it! Love that he can just make stuff up and we sing it there and then. It’s brilliant.
What was your greatest moment in 2017 during this crazy Jamiroquai journey?
Ok I can’t remember what country we were in and it’s the only time I stopped singing because I couldn’t stop laughing..... someone in the audience stripped off naked and was dangling his bits for us all to see, that was crazy but hilarious at the same time.
And the worst?
Not being with my son on his 15th birthday, watching him on FaceTime blowing out his candles helped me a little bit.
Love my babies. Where do you see yourself in a couple of years?
To be honest I see myself still doing what I love, I have the best of both worlds I get to perform with some phenomenal artists and musicians and I get to perform my own shows, I’m on cloud 9, life is always good to me and I will continue to make people smile through my music, we are all here to share love and shine our own light and I intend to keep on doing that.
Still singing for Jamiroquai, maybe on a new album?
As long as Jay and the band want me I’ll be there, I’m loving every moment with them and I’m loving the high of being on stage with them, it’s a party every time we step a foot on any stage, I love it.
My album “I AM” was released in 2016, I have a lot of new material that I will continue to release.
You can view my current album from HERE or on iTunes: I Am by Elle Cato
My heart speaks to me often so I love putting pen to paper and writing songs with my partner Orefo. So watch out some new material will be coming soon. As Maya Angelou said “Don’t die with the music still inside you” something like that.
Would you prefer to concentrate more on your solo career? Or something completely different?
I’m lucky enough to get to do both, backing vocals for artists and my solo albums. I’m a mother so I can juggle the two, I have more than enough energy to give to all.
I am however due to sing with an amazing artist Dave Koz who I met recently, I’ll get to promote my album and sing cover songs that I love.
Check out my next solo dates.
Is there anything else you want to share with the Jamily?
I honestly would like to share this ......
Firstly, thank you to Jay for hiring me, I absolutely love every minute of being on that stage with everyone. I can’t stop smiling, and my feet won’t stop dancing, love their music.
Thank you Jamily for the love, thank you for welcoming me in with such warmth and thank you for all the kind comments, the hugs, the gifts and your hugs, hearts, and most of all thank you for supporting Jamiroquai as without you guys buying those tickets there would be no tour. We appreciate you all, so big humungous Cato hugs to you all. And I’m honoured to be interviewed, Thank you to Derrick for giving you my details.
Elle
Thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions, dear Elle!
Enjoy the upcoming concerts and places you are travelling to. And say hello to the rest of the gang!
Meike (CosmicMouse)
Credits to Diego for contributing questions, and to MsP for editing!
Setlist:
Shake it on
Little L
Automaton
The Kids
Space Cowboy
Cloud9
Superfresh
Hey Floyd
Cosmicgirl
DGHAC
Hot Property
Runaway
Alright
Revolution/Canned Heat
Lovefool
....................
Virtual Insanity
What a powerful gig, the sound was actually good but way too loud. My ears are still deaf...
The support PDM did a great performance this time and improved a lot. In Düsseldorf the DJ had been doing his thing alone, which was kind of tiring after a while. This time: he had a guy on stage who was playing live on the keys and was singing with a thing in his mouth that was alienating the voice. How is it called? A Talkbox, I think! Really cool! Reminded me to Daft Punk.
The Jamiroquai gig was great as always, when you look at the setlist you won't see big surprises, but there are those little changes of details in the arrangements that make every gig different and special.
Jay was improvising a lot this time, giving instructions to the musicians and the backing singers, who were looking kind of confused in some moments. The songs had therefore longer middleparts while Jay was singing some variations.
Highlights for me was Hey Floyd, but also the new version of Cloud 9. In Düsseldorf they performed this one like on the album with Paul playing the bassline on keys. In Amsterdam Jay decided to change it and make it a more live version. It has a new intro and Paul is playing the bass guitar. Now that I saw both versions live, I can compare and must say, for me it is way better now! I loved it!!
Jay was in a good mood, he was dancing and moving, but I had the impression that he is more careful and a bit stiff.
I always love to see how much fun the musicians have, how happy they are when the audience is singing along. I think the people were quite responsive. Great atmosphere!
After a while Jay spotted two little girls in the audience ( maybe 8-10 years old). They were frontrow with parents, one on the left and one on the right. He was really attentive and caring, made sure they were carrying their earprotection. Then he ordered they should come over the barrier, to have a better place to watch. Later he allowed them to come on the side of the stage, where they got something to drink and after the last song he went there to join them and make photos with them. Very sweet. I think they will never forget this day!
Julia, Cati and me were so lucky to get invited to the aftershow, so we met the whole band (except Howard, I think) and spoke to the boys. Jay was also around for a while. Nice highlight and a great ending of my last gig from this tour leg.
I hope it won't take too long until this all starts over again!
Shout-out goes to Sandra, who originally wanted to go with me, but couldn’t go. I missed you loads, dear! My friend Julia from Berlin was so lucky to get Sandra’s ticket and could so experience her 1st Jamiroquai concert ever! She loved it and even considers to go again to one of the London shows! A new fan is born!
Special thanks to Cati who joined me and shared a hostel-room with me. It was great to get to know you better and to spend the night together!
Warm greetings to Cynthia who came from USA for several gigs in Europe and Dana from Israel! Lovely people! It was nice to meet you! What would be a Jamiroquai gig without the Jamily vibes?!
My Review, Jamiroquai 09 Jan 2018 Munich, Olympiahalle
It’s been five years ago that I saw Sandra the last time, when me and my family went to Austria and visited her. And our last Jamiroquai gig we enjoyed together was even 10 years ago!!! 10 years! It was the legendary Ahaus gig in 2008! So you can imagine that the most biggest highlight of this night was to meet and hug her again after such a long time!
After super-freshing us up in the hotel, we went to the Olympiahalle and were welcomed by familiar melodies…. It was the soundcheck: Too Young too Die, and we were hearing Jay singing. Yeah, His voice is working. Phew! That was a very important moment, as Sandra was still suffering from a Lost-voice-and-cancelled-gig-trauma. She had some dark déjà-vu-moments when she saw the venue and familiar faces from last time… but the more songs we were listening from the soundcheck the more she recovered and the confidence that we would have a fabulous night was growing again. 
Soundcheck:
Too Young to Die
Hot Property
Shake it on
Travelling
Deeper Underground
Pablo from Spain arrived as well during the soundcheck.
It was getting colder and colder, but finally the time had come and the security guys were preparing for the check-in. That was the moment when Sandra and me got out our tickets, to be prepared.
Sandra was shocked because she noticed that we had different dates on our tickets.. but I could calm her down. She still had her old ticket from the canceled gig, and I had bought a new one. So I had the updated date on it. It was logical that the date was different.
Then I was joking around… „Oh let’s check if we printed the right ticket. Not that we printed tickets for Berlin or something like that.“ Actually that was a joke, but still a possibilitly when you are going to different gigs and buy your tickets at the same ticket seller. They all look the same.
Sandra checked her ticket again… where is the word „Munich“?? Where is it? … BERLIN?? Damn, what??? She INDEED had the Berlin ticket with her. WTF!!!!
She must have mixed up the prints in the hotel, where she was packing her stuff for the gig. We remembered that she had two tickets with her. She thought they were both the same, because she printed the Munich ticket two times at home. When she pursed one of the ticket she didn’t do a last check unfortunately.
Ok, but we are in 2018… the real ticket was still available in digital form on her ticket-seller account. The question was just, can they scan the ticket code from the mobile phone?
You front-row-runners know the problem: every little delay in the process of check-in can cost you your safe place in the front row! What a thrill.
In the end, it worked… but they had to double check Sandras digital ticket. Meanwhile I started to run, so that I could safe a good space… but I got lost. Sandra warned me before, not to take the stairs too early. She did that mistake last time. So I was running forward but the venue was really confusing… lots of stairs into the hall, not well signposted. If you got the wrong stairs you ended up in the seating area. I got a bit lost… was running too far. So me and Sandra reached the stage at the same time and only got a place at the right side. Damn. At least front row but considering that we were the first ones in the queue very disappointing.
But we were in at least. Could have been much worse with the ticket mess. So we decided to be happy anyways. And you know, as soon as the music starts, everything is alright.
By the way, Pablo had the same problem to find the right stairs to the standing area… he found a place in the front but very left-sided.
DJ Deetron was nice! I liked him way better that PDM. He warmed up the audience and he finally did what I actually expect from a DJ support act for Jamiroquai: he did a Jamiroquai Remix! The Automaton remix. I liked that! That was the moment I got completely in the mood. It reminded me to the Roundhouse gig in March 2017 where they used this remix for entering the show.
I am not that into remixes to be honest, but when it is tied to an experience or memory than it works for me.
Then the gig started! I noticed that the venue was not completely full. There were lots of free seats. But still, the audience was great. Most of them came a second time, after that disaster in November when Jay lost his voice. So the expectations were high and Jay and the band were welcomed with loud applause. Jay wearing a colorful poncho was a nice surprise. But this one didn’t last long… it was too hot. He put it off after a few songs.
It took a while until we noticed that Sola was missing. Instead there was another guy behind Solas set and did a pretty good job. Later we heard from Derrick that Sola was touring with his theatre group and couldn’t attend the gig. The guy who replaced him is called Olli (?). He will be playing in Zurich as well.
Here is the setlist. It differs in some points to the printed version. Jay way improvising a lot, changed the order, left away songs, added others… and all in all this was a great set. I saw a few gigs of this tour by now and so there were no big surprises, but I noticed minor changes in arrangements, some different intros or endings. Jay gave the musicians the opportunity to shine in great solos. He even introduced the whole band. Nice!
My favorite song was TWM.
Shake it on
Little L
Automaton
Kids
Space Cowboy
Alright
Cloud9 (alternate)
Superfresh
Cosmic Girl
DGHAC
TWM
SDISJ
Runaway
Virtual Insanity
Revolution/Canned Heat
LF
..........................................
Deeper Underground
When they came back for DU the audience was welcoming them with loads of lights of their mobile phones. This looked beautiful.
Actually, I am not a DU fan, but we were jumping anyways and enjoyed it. I haven’t heard it in a while now, so it was great. It was even a slightly different version. Matt did some additional sounds which spiced it up.
Thanks Jamiroquai for another great show. And thank you Jay, that you had lost your voice… as bad this experience had been for you, this gave me the chance for another Jamiroquai journey and the long overdue meeting with my dear friend Sandra. Everything happens for a reason.
Jamiroquai @ Roundhouse, London/UK 31 March 2017 - My Review
The run on tickets.
Well, never had it been harder to get tickets for a regular Jamiroquai concert! At the pre-presale I failed badly. The run was huge, I made it somehow to put 2 tickets in the basket but couldn't get through the registration process fully because I wasn't able switch the country. What a mess. Then I lost them. Sold out.
3 days later I was better prepared. Registered on different ticketsale-sites, figured out before on which I could order from Germany and how to pay and so on. Then I had made this deal with Jeroen. We promised each other to offer the second ticket to the other one if one of us succeeded in getting the tickets. Chances were doubled this way.
The time arrived and as soon as the presale started, the sites were overloaded... you were immediately put into a virtual queue which seemed to be a dead-end-road.
I tried on different sites, refreshed sites, some said already: sold out. Damn!
Suddenly, after about 7 long minutes, I could choose 2 tickets.
I couldn't believe it. My hands were shaking while typing in my details... I pressed the send-button and got the message: congratulations, you will go to the Roundhouse to see Jamiroquai! YAY!
I later saw how lucky I was, when I realized that just a handful of the Jamily got tickets as well and how many were unhappy because they failed. What a shame.
So there we were: Jeroen and me in the queue in front of the Roundhouse. I was there since 3.40 pm or so, after meeting up with Victor, his girlfriend and Pablo. Jan, Erica, Jessica joined, and some more.... the front row again represented the international Jamily: Germany, Netherlands, UK, France, Chile, Spain, Portugal... I like this!
The venue
The Roundhouse is smaller than I imagined from pictures. A nice venue, better for standing in my opinion because if you had seats you might have had one of those pillars in front of your nose.
My position: front row, what else!? A bit on the right side, in front of Paul. Perfect! I love to watch Paul grooving, also Jay was standing in front of us a lot.
Support: DJ Fred Falke
Well, I prefer live bands as support. Fred had a hard time. He put some tunes on, nothing from Jamiroquai though, and all he seemed to do was pushing some buttons... for my amateurish view kind of boring. This wasn't really warming me up, but I don't blame him. He did his best. It's just that it doesn't worked for me.
At 8.40 pm the show started with the intro which was the Automaton Deetron Remix, or let's say instrumental elements of that remix, no vocals. It took me a while to regognize it. I had only been listening to that remix one time before.
Don't really like it as remix, but to start a show it is pretty well chosen! During those tunes, the musicans came on stage and took their positions!
I always love that moment... you know then it won't last long now until the rocket takes off!
With Shake it On Jay came on stage with his LED-hat. This one is really cool, we know that from the Automaton video. It was so funny to see what he can do with it and he did obviously enjoy to play with the effects.
Shake it on is a great opener I think. Every musician could show off. What a massive song!
During Automaton Jay presented all possible colours and moves which was a show on ist own. Inbetween songs he was standing in front of the crowd and let the "feathers" lift up and down one at a time. Amazing!
Sometimes he was checking the status of the LEDs by mirroring in Derricks cage.
I remember later during the gig someone was shouting: "Jay, switch the hat on"... indeed, he forgot sometimes to operate it when he was too busy with dancing.
Jay's voice was really good in my opinion. Just at Space Cowboy I noticed that he was quite out of tune at the beginning. But this got better then. Maybe he couldn't hear himself properly.
As I knew what they had been playing 3 days before in Paris, the setlist was not so much a surprise for me. But I had resisted the temptation to listen to any video from that gig, so there were still surprises in the arrangements for me which was cool.
Overall it was a very balanced setlist. 8 out of 12 new songs had been performed which is pretty decent. Lots of classics, some rarities which hadn't been played live a lot in the past, for example Mr.Moon, The Kids and Supersonic.
Mr.Moon was awesome. I remembered that I have been talking with Paul many years ago about this song and he told me he would have loved to play that one live. They did rehearse it before at previous tours but it never came on the setlist, if I remeber well. You could tell that he really enjoyed it and he obviously did very well!
I am so happy when they surprise us with old songs, performed in a new way. Little L had some new parts in the second half for example. And Emergency on Planet Earth was a completely different version, more relaxed and very nice.
Another great live feature is to mash up songs.
We were so happy when Revolution started. I typed in the word "Revolution" and sent it to Diego... suddenly they switched to Canned Heat. Oops! I had to correct my info. At the end they came back to Revolution again. Haha! Then Love Foolosophy flowed in.. what a trip!
Most of the new songs went very well live. Hot Property was hot! Automaton with the lasershow and LED-hat and Jay's robo-dancemoves made it perfect. Works well with live instruments! Superfresh as well. And Carla anyway. Dr.Buzz lacked something in a way. The sound was not very balanced in this one. Not sure what went wrong. Hope they can fix this in the future or they could skip it from the list maybe.
All in all, this was a great concert. It shouted: WE ARE BACK! There were lots of good vibes, the band seemed to be a bit nervous and concentrated but happy and thankful for the great welcome back of the fans. The crowd was awesome!
There were some tiny mistakes, COTE started a bit slowly, Jay gave signs to speed it up a bit. Some sound issues in some songs, but I'm sure they will fix this soon.
There were no big screens with background videos or effects, just those countdown numbers and laserlights but this was enough for me because Jay's hat is a little show on its own.
Not so good: I missed the horns. But the backing girls did sing some parts, so it was ok.
I want to welcome the new guys Nate and Howard. I couldn't always figure out who of them did which parts. I saw Nate playing the guitar sometimes and he was also singing. Multitalented guy!
One good thing at the end: No Deeper Underground as encore!! Yay! Finally!!
Supersonic was a great closer, but Jeroen suggested they should have better played Twenty Zero One. I agree. This would have fit perfectly to the concert. But I was happy with Supersonic as well. I won't complain! I had a blast. Dancing, singing, partying! Lots of fun!
Thanks to everyone who made this evening so unforgettable!!
Setlist:
Shake It On
Little L
Automaton
The Kids
Dr Buzz
Space Cowboy
Superfresh
White Knuckle Ride
Cosmic Girl
Corner of the Earth
Morning Glory > Feel So Good
Mr Moon
Cloud 9
Something About You
Emergency On Planet Earth
Runaway
Hot Property
Carla
Revolution > Canned Heat
Love Foolosophy
.............................
Supersonic
