Shooting Our Mouths Off

Time off has been few and far between for James this year. Since their biggest arena tour to date came to an end in April, they’ve played shows across Portugal, Spain, Ireland and the UK – everywhere from the ruins of Tynemouth Priory to the shores of the Azores. Their final UK show of the year came at Rock n Roll Circus in Norwich’s Earlham Park and, as with anything James-related, it was the perfect blend of magic and chaos.

After sets from Seb Lowe, The K’s and Razorlight, circus performers took over the stage before the crew could begin getting everything ready for James. Due to what were described as major technical issues, the band eventually appeared around half an hour late, explaining that they’d likely be creating the setlist as they went depending on what was actually working.

Saul began strumming his acoustic guitar and the opening chords of ‘Tomorrow’ echoed through the tent. Euphoric from the outset, the song gave us a lovely moment between Saul and Jim as they played closely alongside one another, a small interaction that spoke volumes about their bond as both bandmates and friends. ‘I Know What I’m Here For’ followed, making its first appearance since becoming a prominent part of the arena tour. Driven by Mark’s instantly recognisable keyboard hook and the infectious energy it takes on live, it provided the perfect soundtrack for Tim’s first venture into the crowd.

‘Say Something’ soared, showcasing the band’s versatility as Saul switched effortlessly between guitar and violin. With the exception of their four-song set at Aviva Studios, it was only James’ second show since the cancellation of Belladrum after Tim lost his voice, but here he sounded stronger than ever.

‘Five-O’ cut through as a real highlight. Saul’s opening solo is always a talking point, but it was his exhilarating playing during the instrumental breakdown alongside Jim that really shone. At one point he was kneeling on the floor, with Tim looking on in complete awe. His, Andy and Chloe’s backing vocals joined Tim’s to striking effect, adding another dimension to the track’s atmospheric sound. The delicate ‘Way Over Your Head’ followed, with Chloe’s vocals woven beautifully throughout and adding so much to the song’s emotional pull. More than two years on from its release, it has grown into something of a live anthem, with the reaction it receives showing just how much it means to people. In fact, Aviva Studios was the first James show this year where it hadn’t appeared in the set

The joyous ‘Ring the Bells’ had everybody bouncing before Tim took off into the crowd once again for ‘Born of Frustration’, fearlessly making his way through hundreds of people. Andy’s trumpet lifted the performance throughout, culminating in the triumphant solo that brings the crowd favourite to a close, this time delivered from the barrier.

There was then a moment reminiscent of Edinburgh’s Royal Highland Centre in 2022, when a “do not climb” sign on one of the support structures encouraged Tim to do exactly that. In Norwich, the words “I wonder if you can climb this” were heard before, inevitably, he headed up a structure towards the back of the tent. After some debate over what to play next, he asked Saul to begin ‘Sit Down’, before Dave’s crashing drums kicked in a verse or so later. Adventurous as ever, Tim continued singing while dangling from the structure, peeping his head around the side as he looked out across the crowd. 

You might have expected something a little calmer after Tim’s latest bout of mischief, but instead, new song ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah’ won out over ‘Shadow of a Giant’. When it was first played earlier in the year, the funky track already sounded great and practically defied you not to dance, but there was still a sense that something was missing. With the band busy working on their new album, it seems to have been given a new lease of life and here it absolutely flew. Described by Tim as a catchy pop song that fell into their laps, it definitely has single potential. The smiles exchanged across the stage showed that, all these years into the James journey, they’re still enjoying where it’s taking them.

Debbie emerged from behind her kit, acoustic guitar in hand, to join the rest of the band for the unifying ‘Sometimes’, with Adrian delivering electrifying guitar work that drew the rest of the band around him to watch. Time restrictions meant the song was stripped of its lengthy crowd-led outro, before ‘Laid’ brought the main set to a euphoric end. Having already lost so much time earlier in the evening, there was no disappearing from the stage for an encore. Instead, the band powered straight through, bringing the tempo down with the emotive ‘Out to Get You’. Mark’s melodica created a moment of real beauty – the kind that few bands could pull off so late in a set without losing any of the crowd’s attention.

The penultimate track of the night was ‘Nantucket’, which has quickly gone from being a new song to a live favourite, with everyone desperate for a studio version they can add to their playlists. Driven by Jim’s infectious bassline, it’s built around extraordinary keyboard and synth work from Mark, but every member of the band has a role to play. The drums remain irresistibly catchy throughout, Adrian adds cello, and Tim and Chloe tackle the song’s relentless, fast-paced lyrics together. When they first started performing it, lyric sheets were understandably a necessity. Now, they appear to be getting through most of it without them – no small feat given just how many words are packed into the song.

After all the technical problems they’d faced, and the way they managed to turn chaos into something magical, it seemed only fitting that the final song of the night was ‘Getting Away With It’. Tim and Debbie headed out onto the walkway, dancing with fans as the band brought their UK shows for the year to a close. After a night where seemingly anything could – and occasionally did – happen, it was the perfect ending. Next stop: Australia.