Photo Credit: Summer Cinnamon
Words: Abi Hawes

The Manchester band James played their first ever show at Nottingham’s Motor Point venue, while touring their album ‘Nothing But Love‘. James are one of those rare bands that no matter how many times you see them, deliver a different experience each time, appealing to both long-time fans and newcomers. Their concerts are packed with energy, radiating passion from start to finish.

Having originally formed in 1982, they rose in success during the 1990s with this including ‘Sit Down’ and ‘Laid‘. Known for their improvised live performances, incredible sound and strong crowd engagement means that they truly are an impressive band to watch.

To open the night, the band Doves, who had been supporting James throughout the tour took to the stage. They opened their set with ‘Words‘. While they sounded strong musically, the audience look a while to warm up to them, evidenced by the lack of engagement. Despite missing their lead singer Jimi Goodwin, the band thrived delivering an enjoyable show. They finished with their two most well-known songs,’Black and White Town‘ and ‘There Goes the Fear‘ which did bring the audience to life.

It was then the time that everyone had been waiting for. James opened with the set ‘Out To Get You‘, a 1990’s B-side. The venue was alive with the sound of the many instruments they use to create their iconic sound. They went straight into ‘Waltzing Along‘, Tim Booth’s voice sounding exceptional. Not only did the band sound great but looked it too. Their energy was relentless with constant, dancing and moving throughout the entire show. As expected, Booth immediately came up to the barrier, holding hands and singing directly to the audience. The whole Areana was buzzing from the raw sound of the band although Booth did say that the audience were quiet in-between songs which he took as a mark of respect.

By this point, the spaces between everyone had almost disappeared. They then went into ‘I Know What I’m Here For‘ before the iconic and unmistakable intro to ‘Come Home‘. The audience sprung alive, many screaming the lyrics, alongside people dancing. Tim Booth danced throughout the song, bringing their music completely alive.

‘Say Something‘ followed, to which Tim Booth ventured off into the seated area of the audience. Everyone turned to watch him make his way through the crowd, while fans received hugs, high fives and attention. The 9 piece band are one of those bands that certainly make the audience feel a part of their performance. Even one lady was lucky enough to dance with him. The camera’s showed Booth running to the merch stand and singing on the counter while everyone chanted the lyrics back. No matter where anyone was in the venue, the experience was immersive and personal.

‘Born of Frustration‘ followed- a challenging track which was executed flawlessly showcasing just how incredible the band are. Booth spent this song alongst the audience again, even handing the mic to a fan dressed in James merch to sing the iconic noises. The bands chemistry was evident, each member feeding off the others energy.

There was a slight change in tone as ‘Five-O‘, ‘Zero‘ and ‘Shadow of A Giant‘ played. Although these tunes were evidently less known amongst other James songs, their stage presence, talent and visuals kept almost everyone focused on them. Having warned the audience that they had gathered us to tell the truth. He informed the crowd that “we are all gonna die”, the songs opening line. These songs specifically highlighted the female voices in the band, and the crowd seemed captivated by their sound.

One particularly refreshing aspect of the night was the lack of phones. While some pictures and videos were being taken to capture the moment, people weren’t recording the whole thing and instead were living in the moment. This ensured a more connected, authentic atmosphere, far from shows where the audience is just a sea of screens.

Not only this, but James create a spectacle, such as during ‘Shadow of A Giant‘, the animations turned them into skeletons, or the bands carefree dance moves, making it enjoyable for anyone.

Next, ‘Way Over Your Head‘ and ‘Beautiful Beaches‘ played, although less people knew them, James maintained their energy ensuring that everyone remained engaged in the spectacle. 

One of the defining traits of James is their ever-changing setlist, often decided shortly before or even during the show. This unpredictability keeps the performance fresh and unique. However, whatever songs they played on Tuesday night, every song had the same amount of energy put into it. The bands passion was evident the entire show, alongside Booth’s amazing frontman skills. The bands charisma plays a huge role in the connection between them and the audience, making the large arena feel much more intimate.

The band closed the set with two of their hits, one being ‘Tomorrow‘. Arms flung in the air as the audience chanted the words back. The audience which consisted of mostly middle-aged people clearly were in their element, belting the songs that they grew up to.  They finished their main set with ‘Sound‘, to which ‘Andy Diagram’ went into the audience to play his iconic trumpet solo’s while of the rest of the band were encouraged to go crazy.

The iconic introduction to ‘Sit Down‘ began, however they opened the song acoustically, the arena erupted into the well-known lyrics. Practically everyone was singing along, groups of men had their arms around each other dancing- the environment was extremely positive. Certain people even went on to sit down. The whole Areana full of strangers felt like one body in the moment.

The band walked from stage, which was met with chanting for them to return. 

Soon enough, the band returned to the stage which was met with a loud cheer. Much to everyone’s surprise, Booth comes back on with a piece of paper with new lyrics on. He claimed that the band were going to take a risk and open their encore with a new song of which some of the lyrics were still in the making. The band emphasised that the everchanging setlists and improvisation makes up James. This bold move was met with mixed responses, some excited for new music from the band, while others were worried about what song it was replacing in the encore. 

Thankfully, they played ‘Getting Away with It (All Messed Up)‘, before closing the set with their single ‘Laid‘ which peaked at number 3 in the official charts. The audience immediately started singing the first verse at the band before Booth joined in from the start and everyone restarted with him. Hearing the band play this song with the audience felt almost magical, there was a sense of nostalgia from many members of the audience.

Ultimately, James are one of those bands that have so many hits and mixed with the band’s energy and their amazing crowd interaction, that they are a brilliant band to see live. Despite not performing ‘Sometimes‘ and ‘She’s A Star‘, their setlist was brilliant, showcasing the bands talent. This tour for ‘Nothing But Love‘, released in November last year has shown that the band still have more to offer. Out of the many bands I have seen, offering an incredible live show.