Shooting Our Mouths Off

With the band’s highly anticipated Love is the Answer tour just around the corner, they’ve hit the road for a couple of warm-up shows in locations not included on the main tour – Bristol and Bournemouth. Both shows feature the band’s exclusive VIP sound-checks, allowing fans to hear three songs and take part in a Q&A session with the band before the performance. As the first full-band show in the UK this year, Bristol proved to be the perfect choice for our first review of 2026.

Always a band full of surprises, they opened with a new track called ‘Nantucket’. It was so much a work in progress that Tim had lyric sheets in hand and admitted he was still refining them. Clocking in at around nine minutes, the song was a layered journey driven by Mark’s electronic wizardry, evoking the Millionaires era. It was an explosion of everyone’s talents, with Saul switching between violin and guitar throughout. It’ll be fascinating to hear how it evolves once it reaches the studio. The soaring ‘I Know What I’m Here For’ followed, prompting the first singalong of the night.

The tempo took a dip for the soft melody of ‘Runaground’, making a welcome return to the set after making a brief return for a handful of shows in 2022. ‘Say Something’ came next, triggering Tim’s first visit to the barrier as he walked up and down the walkway, holding hands with fans while singing some of his most poetic lyrics, sat alongside gentle guitar and rhythmic drums. Things took an atmospheric turn for ‘Junkie’, which hadn’t been performed since 2008. Tim’s vocals were especially impressive throughout the fuzzed-up track, yet despite its wall of distortion, it still carried a striking delicacy thanks to Mark’s keyboard work.

After a deep cut like ‘Junkie’, most bands would play it safe and follow with a hit, but James are always chasing that risk of doing the unexpected and they introduced a second new song titled ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’. With its uplifting feel, catchy chorus and Saul’s funky guitar work, Tim may well be right to predict that it will be everyone’s favourite song in a year’s time. The synth-fuelled ‘Come Home’ came next. One of the band’s most danceable songs, it always sparks an energetic reaction from the crowd, and that energy was mirrored onstage, with Chloe and Debbie in particular clearly enjoying themselves as they danced freely around the stage.

Even as the pace softened for the stunning ‘PS’, the momentum never faded – it simply shifted into a more immersive mood. The Laid cut stood out as a clear highlight of the night, driven by the band’s improvisational spark. It unfolded as a rush of creativity, from Saul’s expressive violin lines to Adrian’s understated guitar touches, all weaving seamlessly around Tim and Chloe’s rich, intertwined harmonies. James have never been short of rapport with the crowd, and that connection is a vital part of their stage presence. ‘Stay’ began with an apprehensive Tim admitting that he hadn’t rehearsed the Yummy track, having missed several days of the band’s tour rehearsals due to losing his voice. Nevertheless, he powered through, and as he shared vocals with Chloe while the pair faced one another, heightening the intimacy between them, you would never have guessed.

‘Hallelujah Anyhow’ has been a fan favourite since its release, gaining even more affection after an orchestral performance for Piano Week and stripped-back renditions at the band’s intimate shows in Kingston and Liverpool this February. In Bristol, they unveiled a full-band version that erupted into a chaotic tangent during the breakdown, with Dave and Debbie driving the frenzy with pummelling beats, before everything snapped back into place as the chorus returned in perfect unison. ‘Waltzing Along’ continued with momentum, as Tim took a fan’s hand to climb onto the barrier, breaking down the distance between artist and audience for an intimate moment.

Having not been played since 2014, ‘Greenpeace’ was arguably the night’s biggest surprise. Electronically driven, the track highlights the band’s long-standing willingness to experiment. On the original recording, Tim’s vocals alternate between a gritty, growling intensity and an angelic falsetto. However, much like the reworked Laid tracks for last year’s North America tour, his voice has evolved over time – so Chloe stepped in for the falsetto, delivering a flawless performance. ‘Tomorrow’ and ‘Way Over Your Head’ sat side by side as a perfect pair, brimming with emotion in both lyrics and instrumentation. The former featured a beautiful moment as Saul and Jim played intensely side by side, while the latter closed with the crowd sustaining the song by repeating the lyrics – until Tim brought it to an unforgettable end with a deep, resonant vocal that no one could match.

After transporting the crowd to the beginning with an extended, improvised version of ‘Johnny Yen’ – as raw and electric as ever – the band closed the main set with ‘Born of Frustration’. Its iconic “la la la la la” refrain and Andy’s soaring trumpet sending the audience out on a euphoric high. The encore was short but unforgettable, opening with the raw emotion and candid lyrics of ‘Out To Get You’ before exploding into the high-octane thrill of ‘Laid’. Tim fed off the crowd’s excitement, motioning for everyone to belt out the opening choruses, and when Dave’s instantly recognisable drumbeat kicked in, Tim’s vocals ignited the room – sending the audience into a euphoric frenzy.

James delivered a beautifully and creatively crafted setlist that truly had everything – blending the comfort of familiar favourites with the excitement of two new songs, while revisiting a few cherished old friends. It was a powerful reminder of a band still pushing forward, yet firmly rooted in the qualities that have always set them apart.

Final tickets for the band’s arena tour are available here.