Jamie T admits he cannot afford to tour Europe.
Since Brexit, it has become expensive for British artists to play in the EU, due to extra paperwork, higher transport costs and extra border-related fees and the indie legend doesn’t make a lot of money from royalties to fund the shows.
He told The i newspaper: “I get some royalty cheques, but they’re not huge. We do make money from [concert] tickets. That’s the main bit.
“Gigging is expensive, because I’ve got a band. I can’t tour Europe anymore. I don’t think we’ve been back there since Brexit.”
While he’d love to tour outside of the UK and is trying to figure a way he can pull it off, Jamie T admits “it’s not adding up at the moment.”
He added: “I want to keep the band working, too. And albums don’t go on as long as they used to. It feels like they get released and then disappear. Which is alright for me, because I mostly enjoy writing records these days. That’s where I feel happiest.
“Yeah, it would be nice to tour more. But I’m getting older now. I can’t really complain. I’ve been in it for 20 years. I’m happy to still be here.”
Jamie T became a poster boy for noughties-era indie as a teen – with hits like Sheila and Sticks and Stones – and his new album, Ghosts (100 Days of Morning), is his way of closing that chapter of his life.
He said of the record, out Friday (09.10.26): “It’s hard to grow up as a musician when you start so early and you’re known for things you wrote when you were 17.
“So I was keen to make one last record that was looking back on those times. In order to tie it up in a bow, and maybe move on a bit.”
