Shooting Our Mouths Off

James are currently midway through their Living in Extraordinary Times tour, supporting their most recent album of the same name, released last August. Never a band to take the straightforward option, they’ve added an ambitious twist by performing an acoustic set of their own material each night alongside the main show. We caught their performance at Stoke’s Victoria Hall last Friday – the nearest date on the run to a homecoming show.

“8pm sharp,” tweeted James HQ ahead of the gig, but punctuality wasn’t quite on the cards; the band appeared around 20 minutes late, a delay quickly understood when frontman Tim Booth emerged on crutches after an unfortunate fall that left him injured. Known for his kinetic stage presence and fearless crowd surfing, his mobility issues were met with immediate empathy from the audience as he explained the situation, prompting a carefully adapted setlist.

The acoustic section opened with the understated ‘Pressure’s On’, where the interplay between David Baynton-Power and new percussionist Chloe Alper stood out, underscoring the rhythmic depth even in stripped-back form. Midway through, a wave of chatter in the standing area was lightly called out with characteristic wit by multi-instrumentalist Saul Davies before he delivered a spellbinding violin passage.

The deeply affecting ‘All I’m Saying’ – written in response to the passing of Tim’s best friend – followed, introduced under difficult circumstances as the persistent chatter threatened to break its spell. Despite this, Tim carried the performance through with striking vulnerability, his voice and expression combining to create one of the most intimate moments of the evening.

As with any James set, the acoustic section balanced newer material with older favourites. A soaring ‘Coming Home (Pt. 2)’ benefited richly from the harmonies of Chloe Alper and trumpeter Andy Diagram, while ‘Broken By The Hurt’ added emotional weight and highlighted the strength of Tim’s vocal delivery. The set closed with the rarely aired ‘Hello’ from Millionaires, leaving the sense that it would be difficult for anything to follow.

It did not disappoint. The second set began with the atmospheric drift of ‘Out To Get You’, its slow-burn texture perfectly suited to Victoria Hall’s setting. ‘Five-O’ followed, with Tim visibly engaged, almost directing from within the performance as the band built towards its collaborative peak. That balance of tenderness and release continued through classics such as ‘Ring The Bells’ and ‘Waltzing Along’, both of which transformed the room into a full-scale singalong, with even Tim joining in despite his injury.

The band leaned further into familiarity as the set progressed, with ‘Come Home’, ‘Laid’, ‘Getting Away With It’ and ‘Sit Down’ all making appearances. Yet newer material from Living in Extraordinary Times was met with equal enthusiasm – ‘Leviathan’ and the album’s title track in particular drawing a huge response. Led by Mark Hunter’s distinctive riffing, ‘Leviathan’ saw Tim moving closely along the front row, clearly restraining his usual urge to launch into the crowd during its climactic moments.

‘Heads’ provided another standout, driven by Jim Glennie’s forceful bassline, Dave’s pulsing rhythm, and a strikingly processed trumpet contribution from Andy, whose use of loops and effects pushed the sound far beyond traditional brass textures.

With curfew looming, Tim addressed the crowd’s expectations of an encore and explained the band’s decision to remain on stage and continue uninterrupted. Rather than breaking the flow, they pressed on seamlessly into the closing stretch. ‘Many Faces’ delivered a unifying moment, with the entire audience raising fingers and chanting the refrain in unison, before the night was brought to a euphoric close with the unexpected return of ‘Sometimes’, capping the set with a final surge of collective release.

In a climate where nostalgia dominates much of live touring, the Living in Extraordinary Times shows remain a reminder of how vital James continue to be – balancing risk, reinvention, and a refusal to coast on legacy, while still delivering performances that feel alive in every sense.