Shooting Our Mouths Off

In addition to performing Laid in full, each night of the band’s North American tour featured a unique mix of songs spanning their entire career. Some tracks appeared regularly, while others made just a single appearance. We’ve broken down the data into a handy spreadsheet, offering a clear look at which songs made it into the band’s set-lists.

What were the most frequently played songs?

‘Heads’, ‘Tomorrow’, and ‘Way Over Your Head’ were each performed sixteen times, meaning they were only left off the setlist twice throughout the tour.

‘Shadow of a Giant’ was performed twelve times, appearing consistently in the first five shows. It wasn’t left off the setlist until Brooklyn, and from then on, it followed a pattern of being played for a few shows, dropped for one, then brought back again.

‘Stay’ and ‘Beautiful Beaches’ followed closely behind ‘Shadow of a Giant’, with eleven performances each. The latter’s strong presence isn’t unexpected, as it’s become a staple in recent sets and consistently draws a rapturous response from the crowd. ‘Stay’, on the other hand, getting so much stage time is interesting – while one of Laura’s favourites, which is a very important factor, it wasn’t a single from Yummy or particularly pushed in promotion.

Which songs were surprise additions?

After delighting in the Toronto VIP sound-check, ‘Oh My Heart’ made a welcome return in Detroit and Montreal, having not been played in the main set since Porto in 2019. Driven by infectious guitar lines and rolling drums, it sounded fresher than ever.

‘Hymn From a Village’ appeared just twice – once in Brooklyn and again in Montreal – its inclusion notable given it hadn’t been performed since October 2023. It was the only track performed that isn’t officially featured on any album.

Which songs made just a single appearance?

‘Just Like Fred Astaire’, ‘Top of the World’, ‘Leviathan’, ‘Moving On’ and ‘Don’t Wait That Long’ all only received one outing.

Everyone figured ‘Just Like Fred Astaire‘ would show up in Toronto, where Michael Kulas often guests with the band. Instead, it caught fans off guard by being played only in Cleveland.

‘Top of the World’ was a surprise last-minute addition to the Washington show, closing the night with a beautifully unexpected downtempo moment.

While ‘Leviathan’ was a mainstay in the band’s summer set-lists across the UK and Europe, it surfaced only once during the North American tour, in Nashville.

‘Moving On‘ replaced ‘Zero‘ after a technical issue during the Los Angeles show.

‘Don’t Wait That Long’ was only performed in Minneapolis, despite being a regular feature during the VIP sound-checks.

Were there any surprise songs during the VIP soundcheck’s?

‘All Good Boys’ made a couple of appearances during VIP sound-checks, marking its live debut in North America. Widely considered one of the band’s strongest B-sides, it’s finally receiving the recognition it deserves with a place on the track-listing of their upcoming compilation, ‘Nothing But Love – The Definitive Best Of‘.

While its inclusion wasn’t unexpected, given its strong ties to the Laid album, ‘The Lake’ emerged as a standout during the latter half of the tour, played in multiple VIP sound-checks. The song has yet to be performed live in the band’s main set without Joe Duddell and the full orchestral arrangement.

A standout moment from the 2023 orchestral tour, ‘Someone’s Got It In For Me’ made a rare, one-off return at the Montreal VIP sound-check.

Unafraid to share their outspoken views, the band treated fans in Minneapolis to a performance of ‘All the Colours of You’ – marking only the third time the track has been played this year.

In Portland, the band surprised fans with ‘Señorita‘ – a song usually reserved for their Greece shows – as a nod to the crew, who count it among their favourites. The track made a return just a few days later at the Vancouver VIP soundcheck.