LIVE REVIEW: James @ M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool

Although Manchester's Brit-Pop Indie legends James have been playing for over 40 years, we knew they would still have a few tricks up their sleeve ready to make the gig a standout performance. The hype for the show started hours before they came on, with hundreds flocked outside the stadium wearing James’ signature daisy on t-shirts, hats, hoodies and bags. Despite the overarching nostalia of the night, there were people of all ages queuing at every entrance, speaking to their timeless music that transcends generations. 

Photo Credit: LJ Hubbard // @hubbphotos

Before James came on for their electrifying set the crowd was truly warmed up by Doves, who immediately had the whole arena dancing in just their first song. It’s clear to see why James picked them as their opener as their high energy performance, building choruses and strong guitar riffs were infectious to the crowd, who clapped along to every song. With a strong bass you could feel in your chest and songs that moved you, Doves gave each band member their time to shine without losing the captivated audience for a second. You could never predict where each song might go as Doves consistently brought new instruments onstage mid-performance, delighting the audience with harmonica solos, trumpet interludes and a powerful finish ending with all three band members on percussion together. 

Photo Credit: LJ Hubbard // @hubbphotos

Almost before you could catch your breath after Doves’ performance, James took to the stage. Opening with the electric ‘Five-O’, the crowd were immediately under their spell and taken through five more high-energy fan favourites. Lead singer Tim Booth slowed the crowd down for ‘Junkie’, telling his audience it was about universal addictions and how “we all get hooked on stuff” whether that’s drugs, social media, or people. 

After this moment of introspection Tim climbed into the audience for ‘Say Something’, ‘She’s a Star’ and ‘Born of Frustration’, taking his time to greet and hug every fan he came across as he climbed around the seats of the arena, followed by a camera crew and star-struck fans. Followers of James will know that Tim is always crowd-surfing and leaning over the barriers to his audience, but this was the first time I’d seen him climb up to the rafters to greet loyal fans who were just happy to be in the same room as James, and certainly weren’t expecting to hold Tim’s hand when they booked the nosebleed seats. 

Photo Credit: LJ Hubbard // @hubbphotos

Once Tim was back onstage James began playing ‘Greenpeace’, a protest song written almost thirty years ago, but whose lyrics are still painfully relevant today. Pledging their allegiance to the organisation and everything it stands for, James urged their crowd to treat the earth and its inhabitants more kindly, with on-screen visuals displaying the environmental chaos of our world. ‘Shadow of a Giant’ followed, with Tim and Chloe Alper (another of James’ vocalists and percussionists) leaning over the barricade, held up by fans clutching their hands and passionately singing along to the lyrics with them. 

Next on the setlist, ‘Way Over Your Head’ was accompanied by impressive visuals that merged the figures of the performers onstage with skeletons, flowers and skulls, representing that underneath our physical appearances we all look the same, and are part of the same earth we will return to once we’re dead. Not one to linger on a sombre moment, James then launched into ‘Waltzing Along’, ‘Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)’ and ‘Tomorrow’ to finish the show, with Tim holding the microphone to the crowd for them to sing the last lyrics, a powerful and passionate chorus that went on for several minutes as the other band members left the stage. 

Photo Credit: LJ Hubbard // @hubbphotos

After a brief pause filled with clamours for “one more song” and “encore!” the band returned, debuting a new song never played live before called 'Nantucket'. The song was so new in fact that it wasn’t even done being written and recorded, with several band members bringing sheet music and lyrics onstage as the crowd watched the song unfold and develop in real time. This was accompanied by visuals of people all over the world performing their traditional dances, ranging from English Morris dancing, to the New Zealand Haka, to the Hawaiian hula.

James closed their set with the fan favourites “Sometimes” and “Laid”, finishing a performance many wanted to never end, as even long after the band had exited the stage there were still cries of “one more song” from the audience. The gig didn’t finish there, however, as the crowd still present sang “Come Home” while leaving the venue, attesting to James’ powerful ability to bring strangers from all different walks of life together for one last moment of unity before jumping into taxis and buses home.