Setlist
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James perform at the official Olympics welcome home for Team GB at Manchester’s AO Arena
“I personally think James are one of the best live acts in the country right now and have been for some time. I’ve never seen them and not danced, not sung, not left with a big smile on my face. Tim Booth and the rest of the band are very much their own people, they are not trying to be anything other than they are. They produce brilliant music and do it all with a graciousness that makes them stand out. There is always a natural warmth in a James gig, a sense of inclusiveness, a feeling that everyone there is having a great time, and this gig was one of the best I’ve been to, which is a high bar for this band.”
Read the full review at The Modern Record
“Indie greats James delivered another incredible night as they played their fourth headline show at Scarborough Open Air Theatre.”
Read the full review at The Scarborough News
“James have a reputation as one of the best live bands for a reason. Never playing it safe, they continually push the boundaries, creating a unique experience and new moments of beauty for both themselves and those on the journey with them – something that’s integral to their appeal and longevity.”
Read the full review at Dead Good Music Blog
with Orca 22 and The Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir. Johnny Marr joined them on stage for Laid
Laid (with Johnny Marr)
“An outdoor orchestral show with such a challenging setlist is a risk, but one that you’d expect James to take and actively embrace confident in their ability to take most of the audience with them. There was a real sense of joy up on stage, Tim in particular totally in the moment, wandering the stage, encouraging one minute, standing in awe the next. It was a perfect way to sign off the 2023-24 round of orchestra shows.”
Read the full review at Even The Stars
“Adding a full orchestra and a gospel choir was bound to ramp up the theatrics. Set against the backdrop of Lytham Green, with its iconic windmill, and the sun setting in the background, the performance went on a journey from the band’s back catalogue, peppered with singalong classics and singles from their newly released album Yummy.”
Read the full review at Manchester Evening News
“After experiencing the beauty of the band’s orchestral shows last year, we were initially unsure if and how they would translate to an outdoor setting. However, James proved their unwavering prowess once again with a headline set at Lytham Festival that was utterly sublime. Their versatility shone brightly as they delivered another performance of unparalleled beauty.”
Read the full review at God Is In The TV Zine
“After attending last years orchestral tour and experiencing the stillness and emotion created in the intimate venues, I was concerned about how this would translate in an outdoor festival atmosphere and also how good the sound quality would be. I needn’t have worried. The sound quality is perfect, the visuals more stunning than I could have ever imagined, and the whole performance feels just as intimate and special as any show I’ve seen previously. It’s majestic and all consuming, the energy and spontaneity that James bring to their performances unlike anything I’ve witnessed with any other act and I feel very grateful to be here tonight to witness it.”
Read the full review at Louder Than War
“Its now time for the encore that isn’t as it would take a lot of time for everyone to leave and return and typically James they’ll already be overrunning. Sit Down “starts” it off, suppose there’d be a riot if it didn’t appear at some point and the crowd duly sing along. Beautiful Beaches makes an apt appearance given the venue tonight and the night is finished with the glorious and true James anthem Getting Away With it (All Messed Up).”
Read the full review at RGM
with Orca 22 and The Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir. Johnny Marr joined them on stage for Laid
“After an hour Booth apologises for running out of time, and it feels like James could easily have gone on. Yet even truncated, their performance was an invaluable reminder that this extraordinary festival is counting down to its end, and we owe it to ourselves to make the most of it. Today, James were superb.”
Read the full review at Mojo
“It is inevitably two old favourites that bring the night to an end. Come Home brings back memories of student discos to large parts of the fifteen thousand crowd. Laid sends them even wilder as the final farewell to a tour where James both stuck to their guns with their new record as well as rolling out their biggest hits.”
Read the full review at Even The Stars
“Yet, the truly spine-tingling moments come when the band, backed by members of the utterly glorious Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir, showcase their musical prowess to its full splendour. As such, tonight’s musical glory is at its most inspiring on Sound, main set closer Sometimes [Lester Pigott] and encore opener Way Over Your Head, one of the standout tracks from Yummy proving that talent has forged their richly deserved 40 years of success more than just 90s appeal.”
Read the full review at The Upcoming
“Laid finishes the night with one final adrenaline fuelled head rush sending even those for whom eight new songs was an affront to their stuck in the past musical outlook. James are and always have been a band that live in the here and now, about creating unique experiences each night rather than the same tired repetitive rehearsed performance.”
Read the full review at Even The Stars
“Laid is the final song of the evening, and is the perfect choice for what has felt like a party for audience and band alike. Despite the huge venue, the whole show has had a really intimate feel, and the new songs sound right at home amongst, (and if not, dare I say it, even better than) the old faithfuls. I have watched this band A LOT over the years and I think this is the best I have ever heard them. If you get the opportunity to go and watch them over the summer, do it – you won’t be disappointed.”
Read the full review at Louder Than War
“The gig showcased why James continues to be a seminal force in the music world.
Their blend of new material and classic hits created an electric atmosphere that resonated with both longtime fans and new listeners.
Tim Booth’s magnetic stage presence, coupled with the band’s impeccable musicianship, made for an unforgettable experience.”
Read the full review at I Love Manchester
“There’s a certain irony in the opening request from a band famed for inspiring a generation to Sit Down on sticky dancefloors up and down the land, but from the first bars of Johnny Yen it was clear James’ performance at the Co-op Arena was going to be something special.”
Read the full review at Manchester Evening News
“The sight of James in full flight really is something to behold. The Manchester veterans were six songs in to a magnificent show when trumpeter Andy Diagram, whose joyous coils of noise are key to lifting and enriching James, emerged within the crowd on the second tier near the back of the arena, swirling his instrument as the lengthy, trance-like “Sound” ascended to a dizzying peak. Back on the stage, inimitable leader Tim Booth was transfixed, as lost in the music as everyone else. That sort of thing – exuberant, unifying, musically adventurous mass connection– is difficult to get right. James have made a speciality of it.”
Read the full review at iNews
“Beautiful Beaches is euphoric, a song that few bands in their fifties and sixties could create. Powerful, uplifting and joyous, despite the undertones of the lyrical content and concluding with eleven of the thirteen on stage turning, mostly kneeling and watching Dave and Debbie’s drum outro with the same wonder as the rest of us. They finish on Laid, way after curfew, a devil-may-care romp that feels on the edge of imminent breakdown that encapsulates the band and the live experience in a three minute pop song.”
Read the full review at Even The Stars
“And as for the setlist, we got most of the heavy hitters we wanted to hear. There was no Come Home or Ring The Bells, but the likes of Waltzing Along, Born of Frustration, Five-O, Say Something and Sometimes (Lester Piggott) more than compensated. Those last two got the biggest singalongs of the night but the most enthusiastic receptions were saved for Sit Down (ironically the first song to really get everyone on their feet) and the mercurial Laid, which makes for a terrific finale to any evening.”
Read the full review at What’s On Live
“Unusually for a band who play arena tours, James have a tendency to mix things up with their set lists to keep things fresh, and they aren’t even afraid of stopping a song if there’s a mistake – this all makes for a unique experience for each audience and presumably keeps things interesting for the band, so it’s a great approach that’s still working for them after all this time. There’s no-one quite like them and they show no signs of slowing down.”
Read the full review at God Is In The TV Zine