Photo Credit: Caitlin Mellors
Words: Abi Hawes
On Thursday night, STARSAILOR returned to Nottingham to celebrate 25 years of the band. It was my first visit to Rock City. The room was filled with an excited buzz and adidas stripes as the audience waited to see the top hits of the early 2000’s band.
I had a taster of what to expect as I saw the singer James Walsh play a solo acoustic set at Shiiine on Weekender 4 days prior. This setting highlighted his brilliant voice as well as his isolated guitar skills. He mentioned that he had travelled via a train and bus to get there and came across as a genuinely nice person.
ED HARCOURT played after Girlband!, with Starsailor later joking about having songs older than the band. As a long-term friend to the headliner, who can “drink them under the table”, he did a completely acoustic set, showcasing his music skills on both the guitar and the piano. The audience was quietly taking in the sound of his vocals as he belted out his tunes. After releasing his latest album ‘Ophic’ on 14th November, he claimed that it had “charted 2008th”. Also, he dedicated ‘Until Tomorrow’ to Mani, the former Stone Roses bassist following the announcement of his death earlier that day.
As he sang ‘It’s the End of the World’, he came up to the barrier, giving members of the audience high fives and hugs. Although I personally hadn’t listened to his music before, he has definitely encouraged me to, as his passion for music shone throughout his performance.
After, STARSAILOR took to the stage as the whole venue erupted in claps and shouts as they opened the set with their 2001 single ‘Alcoholic’ which arguably helped them to originally establish their career. Following the use of the intro music, which was the strings from their recent orchestral album, the song began. Starting with just James Walsh’s acoustic guitar and vocals, the band joined in which set the tone for the rest of the night. Following this, they kept the audience going by playing ‘Poor Misguided Fool’. The entire audience was either tapping their foot, nodding along to the beat and dancing to the songs.
Although they did mostly play a setlist from the first three years of their career, they did play ‘Where the Wild Things Grow’ from their latest album that they released in 2024. James Walsh’s vocals filled the entire room, which sounded the same as 25 years ago. I know for sure I was in awe at the sound of his voice. After, they played their more popular songs from their debut album such as ‘Fever’, ‘Lullaby’ and ‘Way to Fall’ truly celebrating the bands music. All ellicted sing a longs from the crowd bringing back nostalgia for many.
Halfway through, James said he had hoped to do the song ‘Jealous Guy’ by John Lennon justice, which everyone mutually agreed that he did. You could certainly see the passion behind the band, which was replicated from the audience too. The band thanked the fans several times, while asking who had been to the past shows in Nottingham, even remembering the venues. It’s hard to see genuine bands these days, but STARSAILOR are without a doubt one of these bands that are.
After revisiting their earlier albums, through ‘Born Again’ and ‘Tie Up My Hands’, they claimed that they had two more song including much to my happiness was my personal favourite ‘Tell Me It’s Not Over’ which was their first single released from their 2009 album. To finish the main set, they played ‘Silence is Easy’ -the band sounded incredible, it was obvious that the band had a lot of love for what they were doing. After this, they walked off stage to which the audience none stop clapped and demanded an encore. They didn’t stop until the band returned to the stage.
The energy from the venue was buzzing, excitement-filled people waited patiently, captivated by the band’s impressive skill, and ready to hear the bands encore. STARSAILOR are one of those bands that ensure the audience take away a memorable night that will be nearly impossible to forget.
They played a three-song encore starting with ‘Love is Here’, before upping the ante with ‘Four-to-the-Floor’. Then, they closed the night with ‘Good Souls’. The final run of skills, highlighted the skills of all the band providing an energy charged ending. Before they started playing ‘Good Souls’, they devoted it to Mani as they explained the importance he had on the band and music in general. The entire audience were in sync, enjoying the raw sound of the band. Hands were up in the air, and most people were singing their hearts out. As the song came to a close, the band kept playing, going into ‘She Bangs the Drums’ to honour the musical legend. Although it was a room full of strangers, everyone became connected and came together to honour both the band and Manni. It was beautifully executed.
The lights came on and the music ended and everyone began to exit. The crowed filed back out into the freezing weather to the sound of ‘Fools Gold’.
STARSAILOR set out to celebrate their 25 years as a band but have shown me in the last week that they still have a lot to offer, both through their new and old songs alike. The Post-Britpop Band make a night in Nottingham extremely magic, as for many, the band soundtracked part of their childhood. Its my third time seeing them, and I cant wait to see the band again.
Taped Magazine 