Inside the eclectic world of Emma-Jean Thackray
On 31 October, multi-instrumentalist and Mercury-nominated Emma-Jean Thackray returns to The Glasshouse with her fearless new album WEIRDO.
Blurring the lines between jazz, electronica, funk and psychedelia, her live shows are emotional, explosive and not to be missed. We caught up with Emma ahead of the gig.
What keeps you coming back to The Glasshouse?
I love that the programming is so different – you can see pop alongside experimental music, classical, jazz, and indie. I wouldn’t be surprised if I walked in and saw a punk tuba quartet screaming away, with hundreds of people beaming and headbanging along.
The Glasshouse crowd are a bunch of music heads – my kind of people. And backstage, the team always has your back so you can give everything on stage.
What was it like touring with Kamasi Washington?
I’m a fan of Kamasi, so it was great to see his shows and how he approached them. I got on well with his dad, who plays in the band, and I loved hearing stories about Stevie Wonder.
It was great to meet Kamasi’s fans too – I hope they were into what I brought to the table. His fans adore jazz but many other sounds, which is exactly what I make.
How does it feel performing WEIRDO live?
It’s the most natural thing in the word in some ways but when I was making it, I forgot I’d be on stage singing some difficult words under the spotlight. Performing is my happy place though, and where I feel at peace.
“The Glasshouse crowd are a bunch of music heads – my kind of people.”
Your sets range from huge stages to more intimate ones. How does performing in a space like Sage Two compare?
Performing to 50,000 people at Glastonbury is far less intimate than a few hundred. Big stages tend to be more about the stagecraft – you connect to people, but they’re further away, so you have to bring them closer through the music. On smaller stages, the audience is right in front of you, looking into your eyes. They can see the lines on your face from effort and the sweat dripping down your neck.
When people leave your gig here, what do you hope they take with them?
Open minds and full hearts. I hope they feel like they’ve experienced different music they love and that they’ve felt something real. I also hope everyone leaves grateful for their lives and loved ones, with slightly aching feet that have brought movement into their bodies.
And finally, what’s next?
There’s a new project on the horizon that I can’t say much about right now. But I can tell you, like always, I’m going to do exactly what I want exactly the way I want to.
