Jack Garratt

British artist-producer Jack Garratt could not have wished for a better introduction. The sharp young newcomer started 2015 as highly touted as he ended it, and with the announcement of his self-written, self-performed, self-recorded, and largely self-produced debut album now readied, that heat looks set to reach fever pitch ahead of its February release. Barely a handful of days had passed in 2016 before Jack was announced as winner of the BBC Music Sound of 2016 poll, an accolade to sit next to the BRITs Critics Choice for 2016 Award. Music has never been a competition, but it’s fair to say that if it was, Jack would be heralded as the fresh, young champion.A first single, Weathered (one of the many ‘moments’ that pepper the live set), and the current second single Breathe Life, show Jack confidently laying out his cards on the table. They are huge, infectious pieces of work, the sound of a young musician finding his feet and showing his strengths. They are songs that sit neatly on the radio playlists, and songs with an innate sense to impress. Phase is a record that is, indeed, littered with them, without any need to truly compromise what sparked all the initial interest. The propulsive Fire, and the torchlight anthem in waiting, Surprise Yourself, are merely two of the handful of songs here that are yet to be documented in those impressive live shows.Having sold-out a UK tour this Autumn, which included a very special night at Shepherds Bush Empire, and a now sold-out, headline show at London’s Brixton Academy for April 2016 as part of a broader tour, it’s an incredibly impressive feat for a young artist still with only a handful of songs out there in the internet ether. You suspect it must, therefore, feel pretty good to be Jack Garratt right now.“At the moment every day brings something new, something exciting. It’s blowing my mind. I really love it.”