Shooting Our Mouths Off

In 2011, James made their Peruvian debut at the Explanada del Estadio Monumental, a vast outdoor area just south of the Estadio Monumental “U” in Lima’s Ate Vitarte district. They returned in 2014 to perform at the revival of La  Feria  del  Hogar, an iconic Lima fair that had its roots in the 1960s. That year, the event was held at the Centro Cultural Deportivo Lima in the Cedros de Villa area of Chorrillos.

This year, the band performed at Veltrac Music Festival (VMF), an annual celebration of music and culture held at Costa 21 (Multiespacio Costa 21) in San Miguel, Lima. Just steps from Lima’s coastline, the festival enjoys a seaside setting, but once inside the grounds, the ocean slips out of view. Still, attendees are treated to striking vistas of the surrounding cliffs.

The 2025 edition was especially significant, marking the 15th anniversary of festival organiser, Veltrac Music. James stood as the sole British act on the lineup, joining Primal Scream as one of only two artists representing the United Kingdom. Both bands performed on the festival’s main BBVA Stage, with James taking the headline slot.

Tim’s friend William – whom he met at ayahuasca ceremonies in Peru – joined the band’s soundcheck, playing traditional Peruvian instruments rooted in the country’s rich Andean heritage. He later blessed the stage before the band began their set.

The band launched into their set with their unofficial anthem, ‘Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)’, immediately setting the field alight with energy before rolling seamlessly into ‘Born of Frustration’. Next came ‘Five-O’ – a track that may drift gently on Laid, but live it’s anything but subdued. At the band’s shows, it transforms into a showcase of the band’s individual brilliance as their sounds collide in perfect harmony, with Saul’s urgent, impassioned violin playing stealing the spotlight.

‘Shadow of a Giant’ and ‘Way Over Your Head’ represented the Yummy era in the set, offering a glimpse of the band’s latest evolution. Then came ‘Heads’, kicking the energy back up with its sharp urgency – both in its driving instrumentation and its biting, insistent lyrics. 

William joined the band onstage for ‘Sound’, opening the cinematic track by playing zampoña – a traditional Andean panpipe made of bamboo tubes. Like many members of the group, he’s a talented multi-instrumentalist, and also contributed charango – a small Andean stringed instrument of the lute family – to the piece. The performance beautifully integrated elements of Peruvian musical tradition into the band’s sound, creating a natural and collaborative fusion.

‘Sometimes’ arrived as the penultimate track, its gradual swell and heartfelt lyrics renowned for uniting crowds in a euphoric sing-along. The band closed with ‘Laid’, sending the night off in a whirlwind of joy and beautiful chaos, feeding on the crowd’s energy until the final chord echoed into the open air.