Jay James Picton, Theatre Royal, London

Jay James Picton has kicked his musical career off to a stellar start. After picking up a guitar just a few years ago, this unique-sounding singer-songwriter has signed with Universal Records and been described as the male version of Adele. And she’s not doing too badly now, is she?

His blend of soulful blues with a slight nudge of rock fits wonderfully with his Adam Levine-esque vocals, making his performance at the Theatre Royal infinitely more of a lean forward than a sit back experience. Accompanied by the coolest looking backing band to have probably graced the venue’s stage, Picton launches into his set with ‘Another Man’ and the beautiful ‘The Boy That Wants To Fly’, with his soaring voice bouncing off the walls and hitting us square in the heart. Knockout track of the evening arrives neatly in the middle of the set in the form of ‘Heads Vs Hearts’, its Western overtones so pronounced you can practically hear the saloon doors swinging shut behind you. The track has been made into a three-part music film series, available on Picton’s YouTube channel; you can picture the track accompanying the latest Bond villain as he makes his foray onto the screen for the first time (take heed, Hollywood).

Picton has ‘star quality’ written all over him, from his vocal gymnastics, to the way he celebrates his backing band and converses with the crowd. Tonight, this singer-songwriter took his place on the stage prior to headliner Rebecca Ferguson, but DIY gets the feeling it won’t be long before Picton gets his very own tour.