Photo Credit: Kevin O’Sullivan – 29th May – O2 Academy Bournemouth
As all the ‘Swifties’ left Glasgow in a mass exodus to Edinburgh for the first night of the Taylor Swift UK tour you would have been forgiven for not realising there was another big concert in Scotland on this Friday night: none other than the legendary Manchester band James. The band released their album Yummy on 12th April to critical acclaim with it reaching number one, tonight’s show provided a good return with seven tracks from Yummy.
First up we had an entertaining forty-minute set from indie rockers Razorlight, formed in 2002 they have released four album to date, the last one being Olympus Sleeping in 2018. There would have been around 6000 fans in the Hydro for the start of the set but by the end the standing area was packed out as the fans showed their appreciation towards a very popular band. In The Morning was the first song they played and it honestly sounded flawless and so fresh while Golden Touch sparks the first crowd interaction of the night with a singalong moment. In The City was the best track of the set, it had everything you could possibly want, for any Doors fans there was a touch of Jim Morrison at his finest during this one as vocalist Johnny Borrell belted out the chorus “And I was lookin’ for you/Lookin’ for you in the city last night”. I Can’t Stop This Feeling I’ve Got was also a great fan connection moment and it wouldn’t be a Razorlight concert without hearing the big hitters Before I Fall To Pieces, Somewhere Else and the last (but not least) song of the eleven track set America. The crowd participation during this last song was memorable. We are hoping to see a headline tour from Razorlight in the near future. 9/10
It was the usual Friday night chaos in the Hydro with massive bar and toilet queues but we managed to get back to our seats by 8.40pm for the announcement asking fans to keep their mobile phones away, the reason being that vocalist Tim Booth likes a wee crowd surf! The standing area was now full to capacity as everyone wondered what song James would open with tonight, they have been changing the setlist every night as they have done for a few years now keeping everyone in suspense. From the first notes there was an almighty cheer as She’s A Star began, the excitement in the arena was incredible as thousands of fans sang the lyrics back to the stage with big smiles on their faces including more than a few around us in the seating area. Next up was Tomorrow, another one from the 1997 Whiplash album as the crowd continued the singalong which basically went on all night with unbounded enthusiasm. The fans would have been wondering what songs they would get from Yummy, we found out soon enough as they played three in a row from the album kicking off with Our World and a very catchy opening whistling moment as booth sang “Because our world isn’t your world/You just stole the world, just been free”. The crowd were delighted when Tim says they would play Rogue live for the very first time, another special moment from tonight, Life’s A Fucking Miracle was great to hear live, the new songs seem to fit in easily to the set.
A few years ago James decided to add to the seven band members by inviting Chloe Alper and Debbie Knox-Hewson to join the band and they have made the world of difference to their live performances bringing great energy levels to each song, it’s almost as if James have reinvented themselves as we would find out during the next track Born Of Frustration, the only number played tonight from the 1992 Seven album. The arena exploded with excitement once again as Booth led an extraordinary four minutes of connection to the crowd with a simple La la-la-la chorus for everyone to sing along to. The last of a trio of songs from Whiplash was Waltzing Along, my heart almost skipped a beat as it’s a personal favourite, be assured that this one was sang at the loudest in the arena! This was quickly followed by Getting Away With It (All Messed Up), not knowing what song will be played next becomes a game of ‘Name That Tune’ the old TV show and adds to the atmosphere of the night, more bands should be doing this. It was time for another two from Yummy, Shadow Of A Giant and Better With You sandwiched in between Five O, a track we don’t get to hear live too often and the first of three from the 1993 Laid album. From the opening notes of Just Like Fred Astaire the arena once again erupted into cheers, dancing and singing as Tim Booth provided extra entertainment with his crowd surfing, he seemed to be out in the crowd for a good three minutes. It couldn’t be a James gig without Sit Down and the band duly granted their wishes when they played a stripped back version thus allowing the fans to be the main contributors to the singing side amid amazing scenes around the Hydro. Mobile God was the one song that Booth encouraged the fans to get their mobile phones out, most didn’t, as we listen to another Yummy album moment, their 18th album to date, and some clever lyrics opening the track “I’m the last thing you stroke in the evening before bed/I’m the lover you touch in the morning in your bed/You’re my bitches, control all the fixtures of your head”. We are referring to mobile phones here of course! The main set was closed with the popular Sometimes, the chorus to this song seemed to reverberate around the arena for some five minutes as we all sang “Sometimes when I look in your eyes I can see your soul”, one of the highlights of the night for us and a definite goosebumps moment.
The four-song encore began with Way Over Your Head, the last from Yummy, followed by Beautiful Beaches as the screens turned to orange emulate the subject matter of the song when people were running to the beaches in 2020 to escape the Californian wildfires. We were then taken back to 1990’s Gold Mother album for Come Home, the set finished with Laid, the title track from the 1993 album of the same name and by far the band’s biggest song and a great way to end the night. Having seen James play live around a dozen times since 1993 this performance was the best yet, like a fine wine this band only gets better with age! After the UK leg of the tour followed by a Glastonbury appearance the band heads out to North America later in the year. 10/10
Written by: Alan Brown
