THE ROUSING RETURN OF THE SPACE COWBOY

Led by singer Jay Kay, Jamiroquai are widely known for their quirky style,
musical infusion of electronic and jazz, and their front
man’s taste in hats, of course

by Jazmin Moore
Photos: J. Moore

The iconic acid jazz band Jamiroquai took Madrid by storm last November 25. The sold- out concert at the WiZink Center was, safe to say, unforgettable.

Jamiroquai is a Grammy award winning British funk band that originated in London, in 1992. Led by singer Jay Kay, they’re widely known for their quirky style, musical infusion of electronic and jazz, and their front man’s taste in hats, of course.

The band’s name is a mix of “jam” and “iroquai” (derived from Iroquois, a North American Indian Confederacy of the Five — later Six —  Nations). They’ve been known to incorporate a mixture of cultures into their art, which is directly reflected in their following. The fans I was surrounded by at their show ranged from 16 to 60, black, white and every race and age in between.

The birth of their massive following came when the band found commercial success from their single “Virtual Insanity”, released in 1996. Since then the band has gone through numerous member changes (Jay Kay is actually the only original band member that remains). But they never lost the eccentric touch that has given them a permanent place in the disco pop hall of fame.

After a 7 year hiatus, the group finally released a new project in March of 2017: their 8th studio album titled “Automaton”.

And with this new release came a brand new European tour, where Madrid was lucky to get a visit.

While standing in line in front of the WiZink Center on Saturday, I was surrounded by eager fans in Jay Kay hats excitedly chatting amongst themselves: “I haven’t seen them in 12 years!” “ Well I haven’t seen them since Rock in Rio a decade ago!”

It was clear to me that this was more than just a show.

It was a a much-awaited comeback.

Cosmic Girl cover art (Fair use)

It’s almost hard to refer to the show as a concert because, above all else, it felt like a giant dance party. Not one person in the entire arena was standing still as the group performed classics like “Space Cowboy” and “Cosmic Girl”, as well as brand new singles like “Cloud 9” and “Superfresh”.

It was clear time nor age has affected front man Jay Kay as he danced right along with us in true, quirky, Jamiroquai-like fashion, not missing a single beat. He never failed in between song transitions to let Madrid know just how special they were to the band.

No matter what a person’s language was, they belted every English lyric to every song; obviously, Jamiroquai has a solid place in Madrid’s heart.

About Jazmin
For one so young, Jazmin has ample experience in the media. Currently reporting for Guidepost, she has done a stint at radio stations like the South Florida Journal, and was Entertainment News Director at Florida Atlantic University’s Owl TV.