Review – Jamie MacDowell and Tom Thum
A beatboxer and a singer-songwriter team up for a light-hearted jam session. What they produce is entertaining, intimate, and a little bit funny – there’s some real talent there. However, it was sometimes hard to tell whether their awkward fumbling was always an intentional part of their schtick, or just a lack of polish. It was more like being privvy to two guys mucking around in their home studio than watching the highly polished Tom Thum shows of Fringes past.
If you’ve never seen Tom Thum perform, you will definitely be impressed by this show of high-grade, humorous beatboxing. It’s truly remarkable the sounds that man can make with his mouth. Jamie MacDowell‘s cutesy roots songs are overlaid with Thum’s beats and intertwined with off-shoots into pop covers from “I Will Survive” to Snoop Dogg. An audience-inclusive mash up of “No Diggity” and “I Need A Dollar” was a particular highlight.
The two have obvious chemistry despite the occasional awkwardness, and it’s easy to see that they’re good mates having a laugh. This went down well with the audience, with plenty of laughs gained from their clumsy interactions, weird sounds (including a donkey smoking a bong) and clever lyrics. The challenges they set each other add interest and humour, especially when they pull suggestions from the crowd.
There are some really beautiful original songs here too, especially MacDowell’s ode to his best friend Nicolette, and “London”. “London” was written and is performed with MacDowell’s friend from that city, Billy Booth, who happened to be in town for his show with The Magnets. Where the show lost its charm though was in its forays into pop covers. Despite the audience picking up at these points, for me the covers took the show a little too far into karaoke territory.
With their unusual blend of roots and beatbox, Jamie MacDowell and Tom Thum brought a good fun, endearing, but at times clumsy show. Just a touch more polish would make this a great gig that truly showcases the obvious talent of these musicians.
