The Day Of The Jack L

A man of small gestures he ain’t. Sweeping spotlights, orchestral arrangements, feather boas and high-gloss PVC trousers all form an integral part of the backdrop to the drama and the pomp that is a Jack L show.

Jack L, the performer is a curious hybrid of overblown dramatics, absolute sincerety and rock star posturing. At times, a puzzling concept, but above all, it is a fascinating spectacle and on this night, the crowd love every minute of it.

Crowd favourites ‘Georgie Boy’ and ‘Ode To Ed Wood’ go down a storm and Jack L’s deliverance is passionate, energetic and unmercifully engaging. Skilled live performers have become a rarity and Lukeman’s ability to work a stage and a crowd is an admirable talent which gets him through even the parts where the songs let him down slightly.

It is a sometimes dangerous balancing act he performs, as the heavy reliance on dramatic effect, both in the music and in his stage persona, could quite easily slip into parody. But Jack L pulls it off, and he does so because there is enough intelligence and talent at work here to back it up.

New songs like ‘Don’t Fall In Love’ and ‘Keep Dancing’ seem to indicate a more direct, melodic and perhaps toned down approach. They also serve as a pleasant reminder that with a voice like that, all you really need is songs to equal its specatacular quality.

Another of the evening’s highlights is a superb rendition of Jaques Brel’s ‘If You Go’, where Camille O’Sullivan provides some stunning vocals.

Jack L signs off with ‘So Far Gone’, a delicious slice of pomp pop, and there is again the suspicion that he has a cracker of an album waiting in the wings. But tonight it was about the live performance and for now, Jack L has to be content with being one of the hottest tickets around. Not a bad night's work.