James Smith At Servant Jazz Quarters, London

You may be familiar with the name James Smith, and not because you know about four of them from school. The cheeky chap from Essex who opened his gig with “I’m sh*tting it”, made the audience feel at home for his very first gig as an artist in Servant Jazz Quarters, London. Although the venue was very small, only being able to hold a max of 100 people, Smiths’ smooth voice managed to drift all the way through the audience. Born in Upton Park, up-coming singer-songwriter James Smith was signed to a major record label at just seventeen years old. Two years later, we saw Smith smash his first gig, and I truly believe this boy is going to go far.

From Amy Winehouse to Dua Lipa, James covered these artists beautifully, but it was more poignant to hear and see him play his own songs for the first time. His original song ‘Holy water’ isn’t as holy as you think. The words “absolutely smashed” sum this up as James was so hungover when he recorded the track he can’t even sing it the same anymore! His infectious melodies, his addictive smile and the way he controlled the crowd was impressive.

After his EP ‘Little Love’ James has delivered again. ‘T-shirts’ was performed and it made me drift off, and not in a bored kind of way. It made me feel like I had suffered the pain of a breakup. If you can make someone feel that emotion through lyrics you are a true artist.

James Smith, a previous BGT finalist mentioned that he couldn’t breathe before his first ever gig. Nerves didn’t get the better of him as he made the audience feel mesmerised. More fans were made that evening, including me.