Introducing: Jack garratt

Ali Huntley

Jack Garratt- the one man band. 

In May of this year I was lucky enough to watch, and meet, this talented guy at Thekla, in Bristol. This unusual venue is a boat floating upon the river that within holds two small dark atmospheric stages for about 400 people; a venue that perfectly complements the alternative musical stylings of Jack Garratt. Cramped and sweaty, I patiently awaited for the 23-year-old to enter and take centre stage with his band. To my surprise, he stood alone, in the dark, with more beard than hair and actually attached to a guitar, keyboard and electronic percussion. A true one man band; his set was distinctive and intrinsic. Slower, intimate pieces such as Water and Remnants melted the crowd together by the literal click of his finger. In contrast, the gargantuan, bass-heavy sounds of Chemical and The Love You’re Given transformed the room into a mess of movement. His voice, flexible and dynamic, was particularly affluent in the crowd’s favourite Worry. Under the sharp exterior however, was a less cool, endearing character who constantly joked with the crowed, wondering why we had all turned up. His last remarks were ‘I would love to keep playing, but I've fucking run out of songs’ is representative of how much he has achieved with so little, and how far he still has to go. Afterwards, he asked everyone to stay so he could meet people. This is not only a musician to watch, listen and appreciate. This is a musician to get to know.

Jack Garratt is a young, ridiculously talented, musician and producer from a small village in Buckinghamshire. Coming from a musical family, he was writing music from the age of twelve and plays every instrument under the sun: guitar, bass, piano, drums, harmonica, you name it. Having applied to BBC introducing in 2009, he has slowly been gaining momentum ever since. 2014 was an incredible year for him selling out gigs in London, impressing at festivals all across the country and featuring on Zane Lowe’s ‘Next Hype’ list of 2015. His music is a combination of bass and electronic, with guitar, piano and rich percussion. Think Jamie Woon, think James Blake. He has released two EPs: Remnants in 2014 and Synesthesiac in 2015 and his new single Weathered has become increasing popular across radio stations over this summer. He is currently supporting Mumford and Sons on their tour across the US and UK and is set for big things in 2016 with reports of an album in the early months. So listen, watch, get to know this guy. Get excited.