21 April 2015 (gig)
27 April 2015
The first truly 'hot summer' night of the year, probably, and the Barfly is packed to the rafters - everyone is here to see arguably one of the most exciting new acts of 2015 - Jake Isaac. Newly signed to Elton John's Rocket Records, he's built up quite a following in London town. While Jake's solo acoustic shows have been causing a stir for a while, tonight he is backed by a full band - and what a difference it makes.
It's not that Jake Isaac can't command a crowd on his own, but backed by drums, bass and keys the songs shine. Opener 'Home', taken from his latest EP ('Where We Belong') starts with a solo Jake on the guitar, but come the chorus it's transformed into what can only be described as an anthem. Followed quickly by 'Fool For You', with audience handclaps the room begins to move.
Isaac is a natural performer, comfortable onstage talking to the audience like they're all in his front room. Fans are invited to 'do the funky chicken' if they so desire. The set lifts again with a new song 'War Is Our Name', before dropping back to some quieter numbers, Jake conscious that he should 'appreciate the journey' when playing some of his older tracks. As the set builds to a close, Jake Isaac has decided he's not doing 'that cheesy thing where he pretends to walk off' encore trick, so finishes with an epic version of his best known track to date 'Long Road'.
It's been a relatively long road getting here - but with a performance like tonight, the road to the big time can't be that long.
