Riot Fest, Chicago

For their second North American festival appearance on this tour, the band hit the stage at Riot Fest in Chicago. Held at Douglass Park, the iconic three-day punk rock festival attracts a daily crowd of 40,000, with a unique layout that places some stages side by side.

The band weren’t due onstage until 4:10pm, giving them plenty of time to explore the festival grounds and take everything in – from towering totem poles of lights to the world’s largest John Stamos butter sculpture. Of course, there was also time to indulge in some classic festival grub.

Before James were indie rock veterans Superchunk – who, interestingly, share a connection with the band. The North Carolina band run the independent label Merge Records, which released a couple of albums in the ’90s by none other than Andy’s side project, Spaceheads. In fact, Spaceheads even supported Superchunk on tour.

With this being only the second date of the tour where Laid wasn’t being performed in full, the setlist was anyone’s guess. The band opened with the slow-burning ‘Five-O‘, perfectly suited to the late afternoon atmosphere. It was a fitting introduction to the depth of the nine-piece lineup, gradually building until Saul’s violin and Jim’s bass locked into a frenzied, electrifying moment – offering a glimpse of the energy to come. ‘Sit Down‘ followed, proving once again that it can ignite a crowd no matter where it’s placed in the set. It’s a testament to the band’s deep well of anthems that they can drop such a fan favourite mid-show without needing to save it for the last song.

Even on a big stage in a wide-open field with a huge crowd, James have a rare ability to create deeply intimate moments. ‘Born of Frustration‘ saw Tim weaving his way through the audience, dissolving the boundary between performer and crowd, while ‘Sound’ brought Andy to the barrier for his soaring trumpet solo. It’s in these spontaneous, connective moments that James truly thrive.

Only one Yummy track made the set – ‘Way Over Your Head‘. A slow-building song that most bands wouldn’t risk playing at a festival, yet it continues to earn a stronger reaction each time, especially during its beautiful outro where the band sing in unison. With tracks like ‘Beautiful Beaches‘ and ‘Heads’ offering more urgency and pace, the set struck a dynamic balance in tempo, while ‘Out to Get You‘ echoed the same stillness and delicacy found in ‘Way Over Your Head‘.

The set reached a euphoric climax with ‘Laid‘ – a song that never fails to unite a crowd. As the opening notes rang out, Tim invited people from the wings to come up and join the band, with just one request: “no phones, just dancing.” Within moments, the stage filled with people dancing, singing, and laughing, turning the performance into a spontaneous celebration of joy and connection.