Best known for his second place in ‘The Voice’ in 2014, Jackson Thomas will be performing some of The Beatles biggest hits as part of the touring show ‘All You Need Is Love’.
When it comes to popular music, no one can deny the importance of The Beatles. Having crafted songs rich in melody and lyrics that have influenced music for the last 50-plus years, The Beatles have become a major cornerstone of our culture.
It may have caused a backlash in the '60s, but John Lennon’s comment about The Beatles being “bigger than Jesus” isn’t that far from the truth now. One person The Beatles’ music has touched is that of Melbourne-based singer Jackson Thomas.
Thomas has had an eventful past two years. In 2014, the former electrician decided to pursue his passion for singing by entering ‘The Voice’. His soaring Jeff Buckley-esque falsetto won both audiences and the judges over. Since then, Thomas has been honing his talent by touring as a support with Robbie Williams and ‘The Voice’ mentor Ricky Martin.
Thomas remembers his experience on ‘The Voice’ being “pretty full on – especially at the start. A lot of the front runners had all four chairs turn around, and I only had one chair turn around, and it was Kylie Minogue.
Jackson Thomas“Some people would say to me, ‘Don’t worry. If it doesn’t work out, you’ve still got work to go back to.’ I had to tell them to not give up on me just yet; I’m still on the show! I went to New York with the show, and played around with a couple of songs. I found a dance song called ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ [by Armin van Buuren], had help changing it around a bit, and played it for Ricky Martin. That was a really good moment; he was really emotional and had goosebumps. From then on, things started falling into place for me.”
The next step for this rubber soul is the ‘All You Need Is Love’ tour. Having already performed the show at the Sydney Opera House in 2015, a show he looks back on fondly as it was “iconic songs in an iconic venue”, Thomas is looking forward to teaming again with the performers from that show: Jack Jones (Southern Sons), Ciaran Gribbin (INXS) and Darren Percival (‘The Voice’).
Thomas describes the show as nothing like a “cheesy, tribute show". "We’re still ourselves; we don’t dress up or stuff like that. It’s with a 50-piece orchestra and a band, and the 4 of us on stage. We swap around and sing solos, and a couple of duets.”
As someone relatively new to the industry, Thomas has been slowly learning the ins-and-outs. But he feels lucky to be a part of this show, as he has described it as a “massive learning experience”.
Along with singing the praises of his fellow performers’ abilities, Thomas feels grateful to them for providing him with support. “I’m the youngest by 15 years, and [the other performers] are all experienced musos; I’ve learned a lot from them. It’s really cool to be working with guys who have been in the industry for years. A compliment [from them] goes a long way; last year at rehearsals, I finished a song and Ciaran said, ‘That was beautiful! Awesome job!’ It’s really cool to hear compliments from people who are in the industry and I respect.”
For a show about The Beatles, it felt obligatory to ask Thomas which of The Fab Four he holds in the highest regard. Although he answered John, Thomas was quick to state the importance of all four members. “George wrote some of my favourites. ‘Something’ is my favourite song. It’s a really hard question because when they’re together it is just awesome.”
Once the tour wraps up, Thomas will be focusing on work for his debut album. “I’ve done as much as I can without releasing anything. I was pretty scared of ‘being wrong’. I’m a bit more relaxed now about writing my own music and getting it out there.”
All You Need Is Love Live Dates
29-30 Jan - Hamer Hall (Melbourne)5-6 Feb - Adelaide Festival Centre
