Jack And His Crazy Footwork
Whether it’s his crazy dance antics that make you cringe and laugh at the same time or his heartfelt catchy songs, Jack Penate appears to have the perfect ingredients. And it would seem that during the year since his first Reading appearance, this London lad has cashed in on these skills, earning him a legion of fans that, even this early in the evening, have the NME tent packed, no mean feat for a singer who literally dances like no one is watching.
As the sprightly guitars of ‘Have I Been A Fool’ bounce their way around the tent, its clear that this set is all about having a good time. Penate’s feet twitch impatiently, eager to dance erratically across the stage as the singer’s vocals are all but drowned out by the enthusiastic crowd. Sticking to tracks off his debut album, ‘Spit At Stars’ makes an early appearance, its high pitched vocals leaping about with Penate’s signature jaunty beats much to the appreciation of the crowd. It's ‘Torn On The Platform’ that guarantees the crowd are under his control though and the agitated singer merely plays the opening bars before the crowd assume singing duties; they take control of the entire first verse before Penate steps in for an enthusiastically euphoric chorus, sparkling with an uncontainable energy and leaving Penate smiling at the wave of dancing bodies emulating his crazy footwork.
The punk ethos of ‘Second, Minute Or Hour’ is the beginning of the end for Penate's set. He strums his way across the stage, challenged only by the giddy dancing and chanting of the crowd that makes way for ‘Let’s Die’, to triumphantly finish things off. Clearly caught up in the overwhelming reception he’s received, Penate takes the opportunity to try some crowd surfing, much to the disappointment of a steward who has to quickly grab the singer’s foot before he is swallowed by the crowd. With his shirt torn to shreds, Penate makes his way back onto the stage, still grinning as he thanks the crowd and makes his exit. Frantic feet to rival his frantic beats, Penate managed to lead all in a dance-a-thon of imitators that was matched only by the fun filled jauntiness of his tracks.