Setlist : Come Home, Destiny Calling, Ring The Bells, Seven, Who Are You, Chameleon, Honest Joe, Really Hard, Out To Get You, She's A Star, Five-O, Upside Downside, Getting Away With It (All Messed Up), Say Something, Tomorrow, Sit Down, Hymn From A Village, Gold Mother, Laid and Sometimes
Imagine the scene. Three o clock in the afternoon in WH Smiths at Nottingham Station. Stood in the queue and over the radio a familiar intro blares out. My feet start twitching, my fingers start moving. It's Sit Down. The guy in the queue behind me starts singing along. I feel as though James fever is sweeping the nation. It's synchronicity, timing, coincidence, call it what you will. I take it as an omen that tonight will be a very good night indeed.
The train rattles it's way over the dull midlands countryside, never has it seemed so exciting. By the time I arrive at New Street Station I'm sucked into the busy throng my frenzy and anticipation building. It's happening, it's actually happening. Here we go again, Ladies and Gentlemen the show is just beginning...
We try to calm ourselves down in the Wetherspoons around the corner and I force myself to eat something. A few pints later at 8.30 we realise we really ought to go to the venue, having decided to leave The Twang for tonight. Inside it's packed, and I'm not one for standing at the back. With a determined shimmy and an air of intent I edge through the crowds till astonishingly I find myself 2 rows from the front, right in front of where Larry will be standing. As I wait it gets hotter and hotter, this is truly a cauldron of a venue. When the lights go down and the siren keyboards of Come Home begin, the crowd erupts. The guy next to me 3/4 of a pint looks at his glass worriedly. Whoosh, half gone. Whoosh, all gone. The packed crowd are transformed instantly into one hot, sweaty collective organism. If you'd asked me pre-tour which song I'd have liked them to come onstage with, I would have probably told you that Come Home was a bit of a cheesy choice. It wasn't. It sounded dynamic and fresh. It sounded bloody good.
Ring The Bells and Destiny Calling follow, but for me though the set really gets going with Who Are You. It gets me dancing with it's crazy riff, and I probably started to annoy those around me. Sorry, but how can you stand still to something as infectious as that? Same goes for Chameleon, ridiculously catchy, I was still singing it as I staggered across Birmingham later after the inevitable post-gig drinks. I was still singing it when I woke up. And as I waited for the train. Honest Joe continues my dancing theme. I loved hearing it, and my dance induced trance means that any objectivity as to how good it sounded are completely out the window. Out To Get You builds magically, Larry, Saul and Tim bouncing off each other as the song builds at the end. This was true James magic, Larry is a legend and it is truly great to have him back.
The slowed down She's A Star sounds beautiful to me. It catches some of the crowd out who want an anthemic singalong, but then this is not about historical James and they need to take the risks to keep things fresh. Five-0 is always a great song and provides a slightly slower pace for a bit which is welcome to those of us at the front who are now soaked with sweat from head to toe. Of course as it builds in it's glorious way that doesn't last long and I am dancing away again. At this point a special mention should be made to Johnny Yen, who kept passing me glasses of water. Without him, I probably would have collapsed in a heap at some point and ended up being passed over the barrier to be revived. Not a good look.
Next song, Upside Downside was completely new to me having missed out on the Nambucca gig. It is a song that has something about it. It sounded great. I want an album full of new material as good as this song frankly, and if it means I have to lock the boys in a studio until it's finished then that's fine by me.
Getting Away With It gets the whole crowd heaving again, then Tim embarks on his audience foray for Say Something. Luckily for me, he chooses to balance on the barrier right in front of me. When he asks us to hold on to him, what's a girl to do? Answer: hold onto his leg and not let go. To be honest, I have no idea what the song sounded like at all, but from where I was standing underneath Tim it seemed good.
Predictably, the highlight of the set for me was Gold Mother. Reader, I swayed my hips and danced till there was no return. On record I have to admit it always sounded a bit flat, but live it takes on a flowing, improvised quality. And boy, can you sway your hips to it. Sometimes and Laid close the set with a frenzy, the crowd going beserk in that joyful abandon that James provoke in their audience. And then they're gone. I stand exhausted and delirious. The heat of the venue has very nearly killed me, and looking around it looks as if we've all taken a communal shower with our clothes on. This wasn't the most exciting setlist they could have played, but hey, James are back onstage, and playing with a passion again. If this is the future, then it's looking good.
One down, three to go.
