Mr Jukes, O2 Institute, Birmingham - review and pictures

Following the indefinite hiatus of indie-rockers Bombay Bicycle Club, lead vocalist Jack Steadman shaved his hair off and decided to reinvent himself as an R&B and soul ringmaster otherwise known as Mr Jukes.

Opening the show was multi instrumentalist Cosmo Sheldrake, who's half an hour set showcased his talents in creating accessible pop songs in the live environment without the use of traditional instruments with audio samples including the sun rising and a London pig.

Taking to the stage accompanied by an eight piece band, Jack Steadman aka Mr Jukes looked confident in his and his band’s ability to wow the packed O2 Institute straight from the off. Playing tracks from his debut album ‘God First’ as well as a number of covers including tracks by Slum Village, Herbie Hancock and Lauryn Hill, the tracks were brought to life with a fantastic three piece brass section as well as three distinct backing vocalists.

With featured artists on the record including the late Charles Bradley, De La Soul and Lianne La Havas, in the live environment these vocals were covered by backing vocalists who did a fantastic job to stay true to the recording whilst injecting their own personality and emotion.

It’s when Steadman’s vocals become the most prevalent that the performance is most rewarding however; bringing back the memories of various muddy fields and sticky floored venues watching Bombay Bicycle Club. But if Bombay Bicycle Club do unfortunately never return, the project of Mr Jukes will certainly quench any appetite for Steadman’s inventive and innovative creativity.

All photos by Laura Benwell