Rescheduled from May, the Manchester veterans make a triumphant return to the Nottingham stage...
“We owe you, sorry for the inconvenience,” James frontman Tim Booth exclaims during the third of a 21-song set at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall.
The band are back in town seven months after cancelling their original date in May due to Booth falling ill on the day of the concert. Upon taking to the stage to the sound of newbie To My Surprise, a track from the group’s 14th studio album Until The End Of The World, Booth says: “You may have noticed this is not going to be one of those slick rock ‘n’ roll concerts.”
The band make a point of omitting their main anthem Sit Down, and other stalwarts Laid and Say Something – instead opting to perform a set laden with sombre, hard-hitting material from their latest album, a record which fell just behind Adele and ranked number two in the UK album charts. After all, this is the album they are touring – a continuing voyage, the night after performing in Lisbon.
The original Nottingham show was sold out, but tonight there are a few empty seats as not everyone can make the rescheduled gig. James’ performance is intimate, personal and powerful and third song Getting Away From It (All Messed Up) makes a big impact before the singer tells us that next track Moving On is about a celebration of his mother’s death – “a beautiful experience” Booth describes nonchalantly while dancing like a spineless serpent, entwining around his microphone stand. Feet of Clay again deals with the theme of death.
The eight-piece Manchester outfit perfect an acoustic rendition of She’s A Star mid-set and Dear John follows – a poignant number about a break-up which provokes Booth to get up-close to his particularly devoted fans in the front row.
The musicianship of the band is first-rate, Booth’s voice unfaltering and the group anchored by drumming lynchpin David Baynton-Power. Commercial break through track Come Home, released in 1989, drops just before the encore and the band return to play four songs to see out the set.
The crowd virtually belt out all the lyrics to Sometimes and the band end with Nothing But Love, a humdinger from their latest work before basking in applause, jubilation and appreciation from the audience. But, realising they have seven minutes left before the curfew, James deliberate – whether staged or not, it appears genuine – and decide to play Sound. Halfway through, trumpet player Andy Diagram appears in the balcony to toot along and steal the limelight.
After the band bid a fond farewell, we spill into the street on a cold, damp Tuesday night with smiles etched on our faces. The Manchester rockers are enduring and enjoying a late career renaissance, having outlived many of their contemporaries of the Britpop era.
Set list
To My Surprise
Waking
Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)
Moving On
Five-O
I Wanna Go Home
Interrogation
Moving Down South
Tomorrow
Vervaceous
Feet of Clay
She’s a Star
Dear John
Surfer’s Song
Curse Curse
Come Home
Attention
Encore
Just Like Fred Astaire
Sometimes
Nothing But Love
Sound
James were at the Royal Concert Hall on Tuesday 6 December 2016.
James website
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
