Frontman Tim Booth kicks off the show from the back of the venue, with band member Larry Gott as the rest of the band play from the pitch black stage and burst into 'Sit Down'. They make their way through the crowd with the light of a single spotlight and in the time it takes them to get the stage they have the audience in the palms of their hands. Kicking off with their biggest hit certainly got the audience sparked up, but, it also meant the band had to keep up the high calibre of songs. After 'Hang On' another classic, the band launched into several new songs from 'The Night Before', the first of two mini albums which is set for release later this month.
The songs were doubtlessly unfamiliar to the majority of the audience and unless you had cyber-stalked the band and previewed them everyday on the bands website in the two weeks before the tour you were pretty much clueless. However there is much wealth in the material, 'It's Hot', 'Dr Hellier', 'Ten Below' and 'Crazy' all scream classic James but without communal lyrical memory of a 'Laid' or 'Sit Down', the audience seem lost, awash in the foam of the setlist dotted with obscure oldies.
"Is this the Edinburgh crowd who came to hear some deep and sophisticated music?" asks Booth, "Or is this the Edinburgh crowd who came to hear some of our greatest hits?" which receives a much louder reception than the loaded former question.
The band then proceed to play a few familiar songs which prop the audience back up again, 'Destiny Calling', 'Johnny Yen' and 'Seven' give the fans just a small taste of classic James that they came to see.
The Edinburgh crowd are still slightly subdued, possibly each having a song they fear they will not hear, but when the band reappear they literally 'own' the Corn Exchange for their encore. Suddenly the whole of Edinburgh is singing every single word to 'Say Something' and 'Getting Away With It'. When they burst into 'Sometimes' the audience turns into a choir, overpowering Booth's vocals. The house lights come up for the chorus and every person is singing the words back to him. 'Laid' polishes off the set in a spectacular crescendo of joyous singalong glory.
FUTURE GIGS
- date performer venue price
-
Wed 29 May 2024
James
Bournemouth
O2 Academy
[BH1 4BH] £47.50
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Mon 3 Jun 2024
James
Aberdeen
Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (& Press and Journal Arena)
[AB23 8BL] £52.50
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Wed 5 Jun 2024
James
Newcastle upon Tyne
Metro Radio Arena
[NE4 7NA] £52.50
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Fri 7 Jun 2024
James
Glasgow
SSE Hydro
[G3 8YW] £52.50
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Sat 8 Jun 2024
James
Leeds
First Direct Arena
[LS2 8BY] £52.50
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Tue 11 Jun 2024
James
Cardiff
Cardiff Motorpoint (previously CIA)
[CF10 2EQ] £52.50
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Wed 12 Jun 2024
James
Birmingham
Barclaycard Arena (formerly NIA)
[B1 2AA] £52.50
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Sat 15 Jun 2024
James
Greenwich
The O2 Arena
[SE10 0AX] £59.50
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Sat 6 Jul 2024
James
Bedford
Bedford Park
[MK41 7TD] £55.00
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Sun 7 Jul 2024
James
Lytham St Annes
Lytham Green
[FY8 5LD] £55.00
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Fri 26 Jul 2024
James
Scarborough
Open Air Theatre
[YO12 6PF] £49.50
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