Singer, songwriter, composer and musician Jay Wilton (28), will soon be wowing audiences in a Barnyard Theatre production.
The Germiston born-and-bred young man currently lives in Webber, and is looking forward to immersing himself in the 1980’s alternative production Hey Now, Hey Now Now, which will be staged at the Barnyard Theatre at Emperors Palace on February 6.
From there the show will go to other Barnyard Theatres in Gauteng.
The production features four singers; Wilton, David Beretta Owens (Lithium), Danny de Wet (Wonderboom) and Jon Preston.
It promises the “greatest alternative 80s music of all time”, including music from The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, The Cult, U2, The Pixies, Depeche Mode, Violent Femmes, The Clash, Talking Heads, Lloyd Cole, Joy Division, New Order, Simple Minds, Bauhaus, The Jam, The Police, Echo and The Bunnymen, The Smiths, Duran Duran, and more.
The show kicks off at 8pm.
Wilton has been in bands since the age of 13.
He started out playing the drums, but after a while decided he wanted more musical control and so he picked up a guitar and starting writing lyrics and composing music.
He can also play the piano and keyboard.
Then, at the age of 17, he tried his hand at singing and from there his career in music really started.
He was the singer and guitarist in the band The Cavalier, and the band was beginning to do extremely well until bad management and fall-outs between the band members ended their promising future.
“It was a totally different life then,” Wilton said.
“I was playing gigs every weekend, rehearsing during the week, and it was as though I was disconnected from the world. It was a strange lifestyle.”
Wilton attributes his return to normality to his girlfriend of two-and-a-half years, Jamie-Lee Bernstein.
“We met at the last show of The Cavalier.
“She was a fan of the band and she has totally brought me back to the real world.
“I now see daylight, know what it’s like to go out for lunch and watch television,” Wilton laughed.
The youngest son of Dr Derrick Wilton, who Jay describes as a great thespian, and Denise, a former actress, Jay said that he is sure he gets his love of performing from his parents.
“When I am on stage, I find it totally exhilarating and I really feel alive,” Wilton said.
“Give me a stage and I forget about myself and just play. I stop thinking and start feeling. It is wonderful to share that energy with the crowd, and extremely exciting when you feel it coming back to you.”
Apart from his music Wilton is also a qualified hypnotherapist and he occasionally sees patients.
“The thing I enjoy most about hypnotherapy and music is that this is my way of giving of myself to help others,” he said.
With regards to how well his hypnotherapy works, Wilton spoke fondly of his gran, Judith Smal, who he helped stop smoking.
“I loved my gran and loved spending time with her,” he said.
“I can remember as early back as my nursery school days when I didn’t want to go to school, but rather stay with her as she made the best sandwiches and we would watch television together.”
This year, apart from the Barnyard Theatre shows, Wilton has a number of exciting projects lined-up.
His band Go For Burton, which can be classified as a new school rock band, will be releasing an album in mid-February, and he is also the co-writer and singer for a DJ group called Gang Lone Wolf who will be releasing an album at the end of February.
“I am going to spend the next few months seeing how things develop,” he said.
Wilton has a sister Christine, who also sings and is a fashion designer, and three step-siblings, Nicholas (a doctor), Anthony (a lawyer) and Jennifer Currie (the founder of Baby to Mom).
- Win tickets:
One lucky reader stands a chance of winning 10 tickets to see Jay Wilton live in action in Hey Now, Hey Now Now, at the Barnyard Theatre, at Emperors Palace on February 6.
All you need to do is email your first name, surname, contact number and suburb to germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za
Please use the words Barnyard Theatre in your subject line.
The competition will run until noon on January 29.
The winner must be available to use the prize on February 6.
The winner will be drawn randomly and notified telephonically.
