I first stumbled upon Jacob Banks on Youtube — this video of him singing “Unknown (To You)” to be exact. I was captivated by the texture of his voice, the clear runs that fell off easily and perfectly, the resonance that made me feel as if the song was filling my whole body, yet still maintaining that gruff texture I loved, with a growl here and there to top it off. The melody was beautiful, slightly depressing — just the kind of music I like to listen to ;P The music plus the colour grading of the video and his aesthetic in general… I was reeled in hook, line, and sinker.
Shortly after I discovered him, I found out he was doing a show in Philly on Dec 1, 2017 for his Into the Wild tour. I didn’t have very much time to decide whether to go and ended up deciding against it, worried that I was being too impulsive and doubting I’d be able to find anyone to go with me so last minute.
Then this January, when I saw that he was on tour (this time for his Village tour) and would be passing through Philly again, I took it as a sign that it was meant to be — I was meant to see him in concert! Once again, I couldn’t find anyone to go with me, but I decided that that wasn’t going to hold me back a second time. Plus, at $22, the tickets were affordable, so how could I not snatch up this opportunity? (Who knows how much his tickets will sell for in the future when the rest of the world realises his greatness?? lol)
Jacob Banks is a British-Nigerian artist. He studied to become a civil engineer and sang throughout his last year of university. When his best friend passed unexpectedly, he was forced to realise that our time on earth is short so we have to make the most of the time we have here. And so, he decided to get into music, spend his time on earth doing what he loves, and see what happens.
“My approach to being onstage is this: You’ve given me your time. Time is the only currency that matters to me. Money can be replaced, anything else can be replaced, but time, if you choose to come see me, if you choose to spend your 30 minutes or an hour or whatever it is, and you’ve given that time to me, I will put anything aside and give you a good show.” (via NPR)
He’s said this in interviews and he took a moment in the middle of the concert to share this same message.
Presence. Presence. Presence.
At a concert, everything invites you to be present. It’s not like listening to music in the background as you do your work. Concerts give you space to listen actively; to pay attention to the words, not just the shape of the melody; to literally feel the music, the vibrations running through your body.
This intentionality is something that I think the age of streaming has taken away from us. I miss labouring over which albums to spend my money on, listening to the same songs on my iPod over and over until I know every word by heart. With streaming, I don’t even know what songs I’m listening to half the time.
Jacob Banks has released singles and EPs, but Village, released in late 2018, is his first album. The title comes from the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” This album is a mix of all things that make him him — the different genres he loves (soul, gospel, jazz, hip-hop, reggae, blues), Nigerian influences, and Western influences.
“All my morals, my cultural understanding and the way I deem what’s OK is very rooted in the fact that I was born in Nigeria. But how far I dream, how many things I want to achieve and the boundaries I want to push come from the Western [culture] because African culture is very minimal. It’s much more about how much noise you can make without being hurt or not. Western culture is very much [about] how you can take that and multiply it. So those two affect my well-being, and now I make music in that respect.” (via Tidal)
I love every song on his album as well as previously released songs not on this album, so of course I would recommend listening it all the way through so that we can jam out together, but if you’re looking to test the waters with a few songs, here’s a sampling organised by mood:
“Slow Up” • contemplative note to self • “What I’ve learnt from the ocean / Hard to dance and rejoice in the motion / Let the sun have its moment / The moon will come”
The weeks leading up to the show, this was my song on repeat. Jacob Banks wrote it as a note to his younger self, wishing he was younger for longer. People grow up so quickly, especially people of marginalised groups. It’s also a good message to be present in the moment.
“Unknown (To You)” • angsty • “Say that you don’t want me / Say that you don’t need me / Tell me I’m the fool”
Gotta give a shoutout to the song I discovered him through!
“Witness” • romantic • “Baby, this is your song / Dance however you want / I’m happy to say I was there”
The melody is so beautiful and I love the part in the pre-chorus where it really feel like he’s not just singing but speaking directly to you.
“Prosecco” • happy bop • “Your heart beats louder than mine / And I’m no good for ya / But I’m still good to ya”
I have a tendency for slow songs, or as my brother likes to say, “depressing songs,” but this is more upbeat. This one always gets my head bopping! Another fun upbeat one is “Diddy Bop,” which was featured in the 50 Shades Freed soundtrack lol.
“Keeps Me Going” • tribal beats • “I’ve hit my high, I’ve hit my low / There was nowhere left to go”
This upbeat song gets back to his Nigerian roots. In interviews, Jacob Banks has said that his Nigerian background has influenced how he perceives tempo more as rhythm, and enjoys “tribal energies as opposed to full dance floor environments.” Another song that highlights this tribal essence is “Monster“; I love the beat drop in the first line of the chorus, featured in the second video of the Instagram post embedded at the end of this post.
“Unholy War” • redemption and release • “Let love lead you home / Let redemption keep you warm / So, you better run”
Jacob Banks is known for modernising soul and I think this song really showcases that. It’s upbeat but a little heavier than the previous songs, and almost feels rock and roll maybe? Although I don’t usually listen to such intense music in the background, this performance stole the show for me at the show. Check out the first video of the Instagram post embedded at the end of this post!
“Kumbaya” • mellow duet • “Kumbaya, we’re both livin’ in pieces / Half your heart, go stay with me, yeah”
This song is another great example of bringing together modern and traditional elements. The track features a duet with Bibi Bourelly, but for the show, he brought his opener Abir back out. I really loved the roundness and power of her voice, and their harmonies were beautiful. Here’s a clip I found of their duet from their show in Brooklyn, two days before Philly’s show.
For a little bonus, my favourite performance from Abir was “Finest Hour.” There’s freedom in realising you’re not perfect. I definitely haven’t been feeling like I’ve been living my finest hours, weeks, or months lately, so I loved this message.
“Peace of Mind” • nostalgic • “You have taken hostage of my mind / Overstayin’ your designated time / You’re invading this lonely heart of mine / And ignorin’ all the exit signs”
Jacob Banks’ voice has a very rough texture that I love, but he also has a softer side and pulls it back with this song. He played the guitar himself for this one!
It was nice being around other people at the show — even though I didn’t know anyone there — to feed off their energy, especially since I’m not the most outwardly expressive person myself. I did exchange some words with people whilst waiting in line for the show (20 minutes early for the doors to open an hour before the show), but I didn’t have any full on conversations or make new friends, which, I’m personally okay with but for some reason I feel like I should be talking to people and making connections. Or maybe it’s not that I feel like I should be doing that, but I feel like society says I should be doing that. Instead, I had my phone on hand and even read a quarter of a book, though I admit that not a lot of it stuck to me, so I might have to go back and reread it.
But ultimately, I’m glad to have seen Jacob Banks, alone or not. Beyond glad. I’ve been rewatching my videos over and over and could hardly bring myself to do anything the day after the show. This post took so long to write because I was sampling all the songs again, and the sampling turned into full on jam sessions. Anywho, I love simply seeing who I want to see, no waiting for someone to go with, no compromises, just love and appreciation!
Have you ever gone to a concert alone before?
Do you listen to Jacob Banks?
How does one wear a beanie like he does? It’d probably spring right off my head.
Songs featured in Instagram videos
“Unholy War” • “Monster” • “Prosecco” • “Keeps Me Going” • “Diddy Bop” • “Slow Up” • “Finest Hour“
View this post on Instagram
Jacob Banks // Sun Feb 24 2019 // Opener: Abir
Union Transfer // 1026 Spring Garden St, Philadelphia, PA 19123 // (215) 232-2100