“Sit back and watch my scrawny frame invade your feelings,” crooned the little man at the piano in front of his teeming audience. No longer the bare-faced boy of 10 years ago – when he released his first album, Pointless Nostalgic – Jamie Cullum presented us with a night that 50s Hollywood would be proud of. 

Despite his scrawny stature, and his four-piece band, he dominated the stage with songs that would find a home in the golden age of cinema, from old classics like ‘I’m Over It’ to the infectious rhythm of his new song ‘When I’m Famous’.

I went to the Corn Exchange expecting a lavender-toned evening of smooth jazz and tinkling piano. Nothing special, just easy listening and chilled background music. But this bundle of talent, returning to the UK stage after a four year absence, showed us why this was the Momentum tour.

Bursting onto the smoky stage with the energetic opening song, ‘The Same Thing’, Cullum has taken a notable departure from his earlier work. No longer the detached sitting pianist, in his musical absence, he has evidently become a performer. Dancing around the stage, jumping into the audience and plucking the strings of his piano, Cullum was sure to keep his audience entertained.

A keen photographer, Cullum’s interest in the aesthetic was obvious. From the carefully staged lighting, to the cameramen filming the intimate action by the piano, to Jamie himself filming his four-piece band as they took solos, it was easy – and expected – to feel as if we were watching an iconic film.

With projections of the performance split across two screens behind the stage, this gig was self-consciously constructed. Cinematic and sultry, these black and white screens provided an intimacy that enhanced the forceful beats of his songs.

Pulling down a white backdrop behind his head for his cover of ‘Pure Imagination’, Jamie was clearly aware of creating the perfect shot. Seeing his silhouette on the screens, layered with swirling lights, added a magical quality to the raspy tones of the song; in its purity, we really were transported to “a world of my creation”. As in cinema, dramatic moments were nuanced by softer ones. ‘Save Your Soul’ was a particular highlight. Spotlighted and alone, Cullum went back to his roots with intricate piano work.

His cover of Rihanna’s ‘Don’t Stop the Music’ was also refreshing, highlighting the influence of R&B that was also seen in his frequent beat-boxing and his new song ‘Love for $ale’.

His versatility was incredible, his stage presence formidable and his personality endearing. Joking about Cambridge life and sighing at lyrics about fatherhood, Cullum was both performer and friend. Sexy and stylish, this was an unexpected delight.