Oscar Jerome Lights up Gloomy Soup Kitchen Basement

The Soup Kitchen in the Northern Quarter is the venue for tonights gig, the dark and dingy basement almost looking inviting as orange nad purple stage lights beem across the room and inot the corner where Oscar Jerome and his band will play. An undulating cheer rippled across the crowd as the band arrved at the stage shortley followed by the an himself.

After a brief silence the band began to warm up. A mixture of  short drumbeats and saxophone riffs from fellow south london artist Theo Erskin ecoe across the room. Jerome picks up his guitar and starts to play.

Jeromes work which incorpartes Jazz, Hip Hop and accoustic geres making for a chilled and mellow vibe which sets the nights tone.

He starts with the instrumental, ‘Where are your Branches?’ his ability with the guitar is highlighted during this track as he effortlessly plays over his band’s groove, with eyes closed in concentration. He then continued the upbeat mood with songs such as, ‘Give Back what you Stole from me,’ and , ‘Subdued’, both of which were heavily influenced by hip hop.

The relationship between drummer and bassist has the audience dancing and swaying before guitar and saxophone collide for an emphatic climax. The following song is one of his best sellers, ‘Smile on a Screen’. The quicker tempo and catchy chorus making the room jump up and down. In this song Jerome’s singning compliments Erskin’s sax brilliantly, then an unexpected collaboration with special guest and poet James Massiah sends the crowd into rapturous applause.

The gig came to an end with Jerome’s newest single, ‘Do You Really’ the reaction from the crowd surelymeans that this song is bound to be a hit. A catchy guitar and keyboard riff make this song an instant hit as part of an up beat and genuinly fun set. Oscar Jerome is a real talent in Jazz and I would recomend going to one of his gigs at a smaller venue.