Jack White, O2 Academy, Birmingham - review

After exploding on to the music scene in the late 90s and early 2000s with the White Stripes, the Detroit rocker has continued to break the mould, whether it was with Meg, his side project bands or his solo albums.

Rock, blues and country are his mainstays but he is never afraid to experiment. Whether it’s praised or criticised, he just likes trying new styles and sounds. It’s what makes him so great.

It could be argued he’s the last of a dying breed – he still writes and performs his own material, he has formed at least two other bands – the brilliant Raconteurs and The Dead Weather – and he finds and produces new artists through his independent label, Third Man Records.

He just oozes intrigue too, whether it’s the relationship with his ex-wife, Meg – who he always referred to as his little sister –his obsession with the red, white and black, which has become blue, white and black for his solo albums, or his fascination with the number three – hence the label’s name.

Either way, when I was growing up, it went like this: Indie rock was good, Oasis were great but Jack White was just on another planet.

When he plays the guitar and shreaks down the mic, people stop and listen – usually in awe.

And now he’s back on the road with his third solo album, Boarding House Reach, which has certainly kept his fans on their toes.

I wasn’t sure how to take it at first but now it has really grown on me, so much so I’d say it’s his best solo effort to date.

He’s never really had a rule book but he’s also now at the stage of his career where he can just have some fun.

So when he added a date at the 02 Academy in Birmingham – which is fast becoming my favourite music venue – my brother Tom, my mate Ben and I just had to pop along. And what a night it was too.

Belting out When You Hear My Name got the crowd rocking from the first beat. You want to hear the new stuff but it’s also great being whisked back to when it all began.

The track was off their original album, way back in 1999, but it’s still as fresh and as raw as when it was first released.

Then it was straight to his new album, Boarding House Reach, with Corporation. ‘Who’s with me?’, goes the lyrics. We were all with him.

‘Nowadays, that's how you get adulation’, he adds. It’s an example of how some of his songs have a political edge.

It’s not what his music is about, but at the same time he’s never afraid to attack the corporate world and make fun of being rich and powerful.

The funky, pop-like Lazaretto – the track of his second solo album that shares the same name – was next and it got everyone jumping as his wonderful guitar playing came to the fore during the solo.

Hotel Yorba is one of his better known and certainly more main stream songs. It helps to break the gig up from all his ferocious solos and heavy riffs. Personally, I could listen them all day but the crowd certainly appreciated the song.

White is also one of the greats at covering songs, paying homage to the original song writers but then moulding it into his own imagine.

I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself, first sung so beautifully by Dusty Springfield, was adapted by White for his ground-breaking White Stripes Album, Elephant. And with Kate Moss pole dancing in the video, you couldn’t really go wrong.

But rather than just sticking to the soulful country-style music Dusty created, he did that but then added another ferocious chorus, turning up the fuzz and screaming down the mic. Superb.

‘You drink water, I drink gasoline’, goes the opening lyrics to Just One Drink, another lovely, mellow track from his Lazaretto album.

And everyone loves Icky Thump. When that first came out I remember saying to friends, ‘if you don’t adore this track, you will never get what the White Stripes are all about’. Pretty headstrong in those days but the final White Stripes album, of the same name, was just a masterpiece – little did we know at the time there would be no more.

One of the moments last night that will stay with for the rest of my life was White’s acoustic set. Choosing a favourite track from his repetiore is near-on impossible but You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket is certainly up there. The crowd fell silent at first and then sang along. A special moment.

Then it was back to his new album, with the track Over and Over, which takes him back to his roots of heavy riffs, screaming solos and a catching beat.

We were also treated to some songs from his side projects, with the Dead Weather’s Walk Like a Buffalo and the Raconteurs’ Broken Boy Soldier. The Dead Weather were good but the Raconteurs were arguably as a good as the White Stripes. To say I’m excited they might be reforming is an understatement.

And no Jack White gig would be complete without the finale of Seven Nation Army, which will always be his most famous track. It’s so famous now sometimes it’s easy to forget how good it is.

And with that, he was gone, but hopefully not for too long. Fingers crossed the rock god will be back with one of his other bands soon. I can't wait.