LIVERPOOL LAUREATE JAMIE WEBSTER RELEASES NEW SINGLE ‘BREADLINE’

Anne Kelly Published: July 2024 | Updated: July 2024 3 minutes read

THE SINGLE COMES AHEAD OF THE SCOUSERS BIGGEST HEADLINE SHOW YET

Few artists moved Glastonbury 2024 like Jamie Webster, shaking The Other Stage with indie-folk fury and communal joy two weeks ago. Now, as the people’s songwriter prepares for the biggest show of his life, he releases pen-picture of familiar hope and sorrow on new single, Breadline – OUT NOW. The track is Webster’s first new music since the release of his No.2 album, 10 For The People in February this year and his third UK Top Ten album.

Breadline hits streaming services just before he hits the stage in front of 40,000 people at Sefton Park, Liverpool this weekend, bringing together his own Jamie Webster ‘In The Park’ festival covering two stages on Fri 12 July 2024.

Webster’s latest release, produced by Tim Cunningham, is a deeply contemplative take on finding the green shoots in life’s barren fields. A self-confessed superfan of Bob Dylan, Breadline’s warm, acoustic-driven feel takes a route closer to the sounds of his folk heroes, as much as it does his own one-man-and-guitar roots in his earliest days.

On top of his third unforgettable Glastonbury outing, Webster celebrated the ascent of his modern classic, Weekend In Paradise, to BRIT Silver Certification via the BPI, earlier in the month. With accolade upon accolade and huge show on top of mega show coming his way, Webster nevertheless keeps his feet on the ground and concentrates on using his voice for good.

Explaining the intricacies of Breadline, Webster says:

“The first half of the song is about someone who’s coming through a hard time. They’ve got no work, they just lost a relative, they’ve got no hope and they’re on the breadline. And then in the second verse, they find hope, finding a bit of work and maybe the chance to turn their life around. I’ve written it through someone’s eyes who is in that situation. It’s about the character that I’m telling the story for.”

Following his rapid and remarkable ascent past being contained in the UK’s indoor venues, Webster’s defining appearance at Sefton Park this month follows last year’s huge, two-night stand playing at Liverpool’s iconic Pier Head before 24,000 people.

Flooding other UK cities with fans keen to hear his real-world songs of aspiration and community, he has packed out major venues from London’s Roundhouse to Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom and Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse. Not to be contained by geography, 2024 also sees Webster play his biggest European shows to date and head for his first tour of Australia.