Terms like ‘angelic’ and ‘heavenly’ are not words I tend to throw around lightly, yet they are the only description suitable for the astonishingly talented JP Cooper. This evening left me in a state of complete awe over the beauty this humble man from Manchester is able to create using just his sublime voice and guitar.

As a darkened Haunt fills all the way to the back, we are greeted with tonight’s support, Prose, who start the set by saying they are so happy to be visiting Brighton on tour with Cooper. Prose bring a mixture of a hip-hop, rock soundtrack accompanied by heartfelt spoken words from front-man Mike Murray, who delivers each bar with a level of emotion that feels as though you are experiencing each situation he describes first hand. Their content covers everything from gun crime to alcoholism and is accompanied by extraordinary harmonies from the remaining members, who bring a more rounded tone to each song. Prose offer a very engaging mix to their genre, each song is punchy, concise and you can see the level of meaning each lyric holds to Murray as he speaks them, creating an incredibly immersive start to the evening.

As Cooper and his session band enter the stage, I hear one audience member by my side say to his friend, “I don’t think you’re ready for this!” I don't know about the friend, but as soon as Cooper begins with his hit ‘September Song’, I am mesmerised by the celestial voice this man possesses. Not a single string is plucked wrongly and every single vocal is executed with a level of precision as though it were taken straight from the record itself. As the final line is sung, the entirety of the tightly packed audience erupt into a surge of cheers. Cooper’s stage presence is incredibly calming and minimalistic, as he takes swigs from a mango juice carton, he proceeds to tell us how nice it is to be on stage again, it’s as though we had known him for the entirety of his life and we’re all having a nice catch up.

The set continues to the same level of perfection, including songs such as ‘Closer’ and ‘Satellite’. Out of nowhere, Cooper then recounts a story from his past concerning how he became interested in pursuing songwriting. He’d always thought he was ‘the best’ but, he informs us, joining his school’s gospel choir made him realise that music is not actually about being the best, but bringing people together. He proceeds with a cover of Lauryn Hill’s ‘Ex-Factor’, taking an acoustic approach, relying on his signature soft spoken tones to carry the song. However, he is not being afraid to blast out loud notes when appropriate. It’s as though this song were perfectly written for Cooper, his rendition is one that even Lauryn Hill would certainly approve of.

Here, Cooper’s humble nature is worth noting. He appreciates more than anyone that this evening is not just a one-man show, whilst he does hold the spotlight it’s the session band who give the show its depth and more immersive nature. Each of them excels on their own respective instrument, offering amazing synth from the keyboards and killer guitar solos which even Cooper playfully says, “Even I can’t do that!” Session players often get overlooked, but these guys are each certainly deserving of an honourable shout out for their contributions.

Whilst every song is played to a level which is almost unexplainable to those who have never seen Cooper, it is his own ‘Cover Me In Gold’ which forms the highlight of the evening. From the offset, each string is plucked divinely, as every lyric delves into the soul of each member of the audience, creating a warming aura throughout the room, certainly something very few singers can achieve so easily. This is one live rendition of a song I will not be forgetting any time soon.

The set begins to conclude with a refreshing combination of collaborations that Cooper has done, as well as further originals. The encore even offers a soon-to-be-newly-released song which holds a sense of tranquility that much of Cooper’s work does not possess. Overall, this set goes without critique, from start to finish, JP Cooper offers not only a fantastic show, which I would recommend to anyone and everyone, but it leaves me with a sense of wanting to see more of what this dreadlocked genius is yet to come up with. JP Cooper will undoubtedly become a household name in the near future and I feel blessed and thankful to be be able to see him before he sells out Wembley. If Cooper is playing in a town near you, I would not only get yourself a ticket, but one for me too, as this man holds a talent that is impossible to get tired of and is certainly one I look forward to seeing again in the future.
Ben Walker