English singer-songwriter Jack Garratt has returned to beloved independent East London venue, Village Underground for a captivating performance of his track ‘Time’.
The performance was recorded as part of Jim Beam’s ‘Welcome Sessions’, a new concert series that reunites global musicians with the independent venues that started it all for a special one-off performance, captured on camera.
This venue played a seminal role in Garratt’s career, dating back to his first UK tour. After enduring some first-tour mishaps, Garratt returned to London for a sold-out homecoming show playing to an adoring crowd of 700 fans at Village Underground.
“I arrived in London, after a tour of bad luck and technical difficulties, and everything just worked. Not just technically, but also the experience that the venue provided. I immediately felt a connection to this audience of hundreds standing in front of me. An audience who were singing every word of every song back to me. I was home,” says Garratt of the experience.
“For that brief moment in time, nothing else existed beyond the venue’s four walls, and I was in the one place in which I felt I truly belonged. It changed me as a performer forever, convincing me that I did not need to worry so much anymore. Any self-doubt about if I was on my way up or not, was put to bed. It was the start of something that changed my life forever. I’m not religious, but it’s the closest thing to a congregation I’ve been a part of. All of us in one room, sharing a single experience in which strangers become communities if only fleetingly, escaping together to experience a singular event that is absolutely unforgettable and utterly distinct.”
Now, audiences at home have the chance to experience a taste of that memory, with Garratt returning to the Village Underground stage for a re-recording of his track Time with the support of a full horn section and choir. Having always played on his own and with never more than two supporting musicians on stage, the track pays tribute to a community of professional musicians that have not played for over a year and a half.
Watch the stirring performance below and stay tuned for more in Jim Beam’s Welcome Sessions series.
