Jamie Webster's brave '24 Hours In A&E' is part tribute, part letter of complaint

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1 Sep

Britain’s modern folk hero, Jamie Webster, paints a vivid picture of the NHS frontline in…

24 Hours In A&E

More new music follows Webster’s recently announced run of new UK arena dates, all after his 40,000-capacity Sefton Park homecoming show

Webster’s documentarian lyrics on 24 Hours In A&E brings the struggles of NHS healthcare professionals and patients into sharp focus

Jamie Webster – 24 Hours In A&E
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Dismay, empathy and anger course through the lines of Britain’s modern folk hero, Jamie Webster’s latest single, 24 Hours In A&E. At the same time a festival tent-shaking anthemist and documentarian of the troubled times we live in, Webster’s pen and plectrum are this time directed at the nation’s healthcare system, from where a tale of addiction, violence and the valour of NHS staff has been painted over a head-bobbing cut of brave and beatsy pop.

Now working determinedly from his own studio in an outer-city, dockland world as yet undiscovered by Liverpool’s ongoing regeneration efforts, 24 Hours In A&E, shows off Webster’s game embrace of new sonic ideas while holding true to his socially and politically-driven preoccupations. Digging into a record collection where Talking Heads vie for attention alongside Bob Dylan, Webster’s latest catches him veering closer to New York new wave and hip-hop influences and leaving his acoustic guitar on standby.

With a UK-wide fan base visibly and audibly connected to Webster through shared stories of hope beyond adversity, every line of the singer-songwriter’s latest release conjures vivid, almost photographic pictures from a busy and tense NHS waiting room – part tribute, part letter of complaint.

Webster says of the track: “’24 Hours in A&E’ is a documentation of the state of decline in the NHS and the public health service under the Tories, compiling stories that come from my own experiences and those of others around me from times in A&E. It’s about good people from all walks of life, of all backgrounds, including people who were born here, who migrated here or are seeking asylum. It’s showing support for NHS staff, seeing the things they have to put up with due to the lack of funding and the lack of recruitment.

“So many of those working so hard to keep us fit and healthy have come to help us from overseas and things will only get better if we all call for the changes we need as one working-class community. In my eyes the issue has always been with the people upstairs designing the engine, not the people on the ground making the cogs turn.”

Among the special guests that Webster invited on stage for his 40,000-capacity Sefton Park show on, Fri 12 July, was legendary Royle Family actor, Ricky Tomlinson, who gave an impassioned speech based on Webster’s hit single, Voice Of The Voiceless, including angry lines on the abandonment of the NHS by the previous government. Other special guests at the show included Echo and The Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch and The Zutons’ Dave McCabe.

Having celebrated his third Glastonbury appearance in 2024, this time packing out the Other Stage, and looking ahead to both his biggest run of European dates and his first headline tour of Australia later this year, it’s on stage where Webster continues to make perhaps his biggest impression on new and returning fans.

Adding intimate shows into his schedule, alongside main stage festival appearances and seven UK & Ireland Winter UK Tour dates, including two new arena shows and a return to London to play in front of 2,300 people, all of Jamie Webster’s upcoming UK and international live dates are confirmed as follows: