JAMES – BRIGHTON DOME 25.4.23
Tonight is the first time that I’ve seen James for twenty-two years, and I must confess that they’re not a band that I’ve ever particularly rated. I’ve always thought that they were quite good, but not great as such. Also, I’ve always approached the concept of rock bands playing with orchestras with a degree of caution, probably as a result of a youthful encounter with Deep Purple’s Concerto For Group and Orchestra. Will tonight change my mind on both matters?
James’ line-up has had a slightly fluid nature, but it has grown into the nine-piece that we see today, consisting of founder member Jim Glennie (after whom the band is named) on bass and backing vocals; Tim Booth (everybody knows him) on vocals; Adrian Oxaal on lead guitar and cello; David Baynton-Power on drums and percussion; Saul Davies on rhythm guitar (and occasional lead), acoustic guitar, violin, percussion and backing vocals; Mark Hunter on keyboards, piano and programming; Andy Diagram on trumpet, percussion and backing vocals; Deborah Knox-Hewson on drums, percussion and backing vocals; and Chloe Alper, also on drums, percussion and backing vocals. If that wasn’t considered enough to fill a stage, tonight at Brighton Dome they are joined by a twenty piece orchestra (including a harpist) and a choir.
Prior to the gig I had heard the orchestral version of ‘She’s A Star’ from the forthcoming album ‘Be Opened By The Wonderful’, and on my Google Nest speaker my worst fears seemed to be confirmed: it sounded to me effectively like Tim Booth accompanied by an orchestra – oh dear.
Tonight, after the orchestra had taken the stage the band followed, but only Tim Booth, Jim Glennie and Saul Davies seemed to be present. This was clearly going to be awful. They despatched a really quite good version of ‘Laid’, and then to my great relief, the rest of the band and the choir joined them.
From this point on things rapidly start cooking really well. The band, orchestra and choir work really well together, without one overshadowing the others. It’s striking how instrumental melody lines are often shared between the guitars, keyboards, violins and the flute (I think that there was only one flautist), often simultaneously.
There is no lack of showmanship either. At one point Andy Diagram is up in the balcony standing in front of us as he plays the ‘Dirty Old Town’ introduction to ‘Hymn From A Village’. Deborah Knox-Hewson replaces David Baynton-Power behind the main drum kit for one song, giving it some real welly and headbanging like a good ‘un. During ‘Say Something’, Tim Booth takes a tour of the stalls, serenading individual fans. This is one particular moment of many when it becomes clear what a high degree of affection this band are held in by their fans. There is a real outpouring of love going on here.
The showmanship isn’t just confined to the band. During ‘Ten Below’ the orchestra stands and really goes for it! We even got a new song: ‘Love Make A Fool’, which has been specially written for this project. It actually has a surprisingly crunching feel to it. This ends the first half of the show. There is a half hour interval, which I am sure the performers need every second of!
Back in the day I always had a sneaking suspicion that Tim Booth thought he was a bit special, was a little bit ‘up himself’ as it were. If that was the case then (and I’m sure it wasn’t – he’s from Manchester!) it certainly isn’t the case now. The orchestra take their places, and Tim wanders on stage. He notices the conductor’s discarded baton. He makes a move to pick it up. The orchestra strike a warning note and glare at him. He tries again, same thing. Eventually he manages to pick it up and begins conducting in his own inimitable way (I honestly don’t have the words to accurately describe it). The orchestra play Ravel’s ‘Bolero’. Eventually the conductor comes onstage and rescues both Tim and the orchestra, and they effortlessly go into ‘Sit Down’. At a James show you even get comedy!!!
One of the key things about tonight’s show is that they’re not playing the kind of set that they normally play, so Tim tells us: “if you’re expecting lots of hits from the nineties, just sit back and enjoy the show!” Obviously, there are hits, but not as many as you might expect. Surprisingly ‘She’s A Star’ doesn’t get played, despite it being the first track from the new album to be released. Maybe the most surprising inclusion is ‘Why So Close’ from the ‘Stutter’ album (1986). This is performed acapella and is a cold war era song about the danger of nuclear war, and it is a song that seems frighteningly relevant now.
So, with regard to the two matters addressed in my opening paragraph, has tonight’s performance changed my mind? The answer: yes and yes.
As a two-hour plus skimming stone through James’ back catalogue I’ve renewed my acquaintance with a couple of old friends, and have heard some very impressive material that I’m going to have to hear more of. The collaboration with the orchestra worked brilliantly too. Rather than it being a sign of James perhaps having delusions of grandeur, it was an exciting new way for them to perform their material.
Even more surprising was that I discovered, having met some of the orchestra in the pub across the road from the venue, that the orchestra had been put together specially for this project. You would be forgiven for thinking that they’d been playing together for years. Not only was this a good first night of a tour, it was an absolute all-round triumph for everybody involved.
James setlist:
1. ‘Laid’
2. ‘Dust Motes’
3. ‘The Shining’
4. ‘Look Away’
5. ‘We’re Going To Miss You’
6. ‘Hymn From A Village’
7. ‘Moving On’
8. ‘Hello’
9. ‘Say Something’
10. ‘Ten Below’
11. ‘Love Make A Fool’
(Interval)
12. ‘Bolero’
13. ‘Sit Down’
14. ‘Beautiful Beaches’
15. ‘Magic Bus’
16. ‘Tomorrow’
17. ‘Alaskan Pipeline’
18. ‘Why So Close’
19. ‘The Lake’
20. ‘Someone’s Got It In For Me’
21. ‘Sometimes’
22. ‘All The Colours’
23. ‘Many Faces’
(encore)
24. ‘Nothing But Love’
25. ‘Medieval’
