James put on a stellar set at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham

Utilita Arena, Birmingham,  12 June 2024

Having a successful forty-year career is no mean feat. However, James have managed this with ease. From the release of Stutter in 1986 to the recent number-one album Yummy, James are still on a career-high four decades later.

Following on from Razorlight’s stellar set, which sees the packed audience at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham sing along to hits including ‘America’ and ‘Golden Touch’, an announcement stating “James would prefer if phones were not used during the show” is heard overhead. It is refreshing that the band is actively encouraging their fans not to witness the concert through their screens, but rather just to enjoy the music, something which is becoming increasingly lost during live events.

James stroll onto the stage together, led by frontman Tim Booth, who does not shy away from his usual eccentricity, wearing a fur jacket and continuously drinking out of a white mug in between songs. Breaking into ‘She’s a Star’ from the 1997 album Whiplash, the band are greeted with an overwhelmingly warm welcome from the audience. The demographic of the sprawling crowd demonstrates that the band has managed to keep many of their fans who have followed their journey throughout the years, as well as acquiring numerous new supporters.

Age is certainly just a number for lead vocalist Booth

As the performance progresses, it is certain that age is certainly just a number for lead vocalist Booth as, at the age of 64, he stands on the edge of the barrier to the pit, clinging on to the fans’ hands as he sings along to ‘Waltzing Along’. Following this is a trio of songs from recent release Yummy, with lead single ‘Our World’ and album standout ‘Hey’ just as powerful live as they are through headphones. Booth exclaims that as phones aren’t in his face, he’ll be able to come into the crowd more, and he certainly fulfils this promise, jumping into the pit and crowd-surfing into the centre before having to make his way back to the stage on foot during ‘Life’s a Fucking Miracle’.

‘Say Something’ sees the audience take over the mic for the chorus “Say something; say something, anything”, seamlessly followed by ‘Born of Frustration’ and ‘Five-O’, opening with Saul Davies swapping out his guitar for the violin.

In a recent conversation with The Boar multi-instrumentalist Davies stated that ‘Butterfly’, a song which he was heavily involved in crafting, is one that he is looking forward to bringing together for the live shows and it certainly has come together beautifully.

Booth introduces ‘Better With You’ as “an apocalyptic love song because we live in apocalyptic times”. Leaving the dancing to rest for one number, he joins Chloe Alper at the front of the stage, their vocals complementing each other as they come together for the further song taken from Yummy.

As the opening notes of ‘Just Like Fred Astaire’ play Booth makes his way off the stage, however this time he enters the stalls and completes a lap around the entire arena, hi-fiving and shaking hands with fans on the way. ‘Curse Curse’ comes to a close and Booth finds himself back on stage for the enchanting introduction of ‘Shadow of a Giant’, both a standout on the new album and during the live performance.

The renowned opening to one of James’ biggest hits ‘Sit Down’ begins to play and the entire arena is on their feet. Nearing the end of the track, Booth quietens the band and holds his microphone towards the audience for an a capella rendition of the chorus, with the voices of the crowd, nearing 15,000 people, filling the arena.

There is an appreciation from the audience for the artistry that we have just witnessed on the stage

‘Mobile God’, a song detailing our obsession and reliance on technology, something which the band have made clear that they are whole-heartedly against since before they even made their way onto the stage, follows. However, it is not until the third attempt that the song is completed, as Booth begins to sing the track twice before forgetting the lyrics, stating that forgetting the lyrics once is forgivable but twice is embarrassing. The talent of the band is illustrated here, as it is obvious by these two false starts that the band are each playing their instruments live. Cleverly, the screen transforms the members of the band and some members of the audience into robots, projecting the message of the song perfectly.

‘Tomorrow’ and ‘Sometimes (Lester Piggott)’ round up the set before the encore, with the audience’s energy levels at a high as we anticipate the band’s return.

After a short interlude, Booth followed by the band takes the stage for their three-song encore. Davies also mentioned in his interview with The Boar that a special quality about James fans is their appreciation for the band’s new music, and nothing showcases this more than the band savouring one of their newest songs ‘Way Over Your Head’ for the encore.

‘Beautiful Beaches’ is sandwiched between ‘Way Over Your Head’ and the final song of the night ‘Laid’, another one of James’ biggest hits. The entire audience is on their feet – it is certainly the perfect choice to wrap up the outstanding gig.

As all thirteen performers line up at the edge of the stage to take their final bows, they are met with thunderous applause. There is an appreciation from the audience for the artistry that we have just witnessed on the stage. After that phenomenal performance, it is evident that James will not be slowing down anytime soon.

★★★★★