Stats are the Answer

Each night of the band’s Love Is the Answer tour brought a unique setlist, drawing from every era of their career. Some songs became regular fixtures, while others made just a one-off appearance.

After the North American leg, we pulled all the data into a handy spreadsheet to get a clear picture of which tracks were played – and how often. It turned out to be so fun (and surprisingly revealing) that we’ve done it all over again.

With the band heading to Australia and New Zealand in just a few weeks, it feels like the perfect time to revisit the numbers and look back at which songs dominated the tour, which rarities emerged, and how the set-lists evolved over the course of the tour.

What were the most frequently played songs?

‘Way Over Your Head’ was the only track performed at all twelve shows, growing increasingly communal as the tour progressed, with Chloe regularly stepping down to the barrier to connect with fans.

‘Greenpeace’, ‘Say Something’, ‘Nantucket’, ‘Five-O’ and ‘Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)’ all tied for second most-played, each missing just one show.

‘I Know What I’m Here For’, ‘Laid’, ‘Shadow of a Giant’, ‘Sometimes’ and ‘Sit Down’ were each absent only twice, resulting in ten performances apiece.

Which songs were surprise additions?

‘What For’ was one of the tour’s most talked-about surprises. A fan favourite, it hadn’t been performed since Bristol in 2023. Despite drawing a huge reaction each time, it appeared only in Bournemouth, Aberdeen, and Newcastle – opening the show at the former.

‘I Know What I’m Here For’ emerged as a tour staple. As mentioned in the previous section, it was featured in ten shows. Before this run, it hadn’t been heard live since Dundee in 2023.

Two tracks from the North American tour where the band played Laid in full made appearances – ‘Skindiving’, which saw Chloe take the spotlight as the sole vocalist, and ‘Knuckle Too Far’, which Tim previously stated to be his favourite track to perform on the September/October 2024 tour.

‘Junkie’ came as a major surprise, marking its first performance since Barcelona in 2008. Asked during soundcheck which songs they were currently enjoying playing live, Chloe singled out the introspective Pleased to Meet You cut, which was played three times.

An underrated gem, ‘Runaground’ was played in both Bristol and Leeds. It was a welcome return for the Best Of track which last appeared during the band’s 2022 summer shows in Porto, Lisbon and Bath. Those dates preceded the Edinburgh performance where the band revisited their classic 1998 Barrowlands setlist – including ‘Runaground’, albeit in a different running order. Before that revival, the song had been absent for 12 years.

‘Greenpeace’ proved to be a major highlight of the tour, returning to the setlist for the first time since Portugal in 2014. The song also allowed Chloe to put her own stamp on it for the first time, delivering the angelic falsetto chorus while Tim anchored the deep, resonant verses. One of the band’s more exploratory pieces, it was originally created for and gifted to Greenpeace.

Which songs made just a single appearance?

Four songs made just one appearance in the main sets – ‘Interrogation’, ‘Knuckle Too Far’, ‘Stutter’ and ‘Beautiful Beaches’.

The only performance of ‘Interrogation’ arrived in Aberdeen, where the La Petite Mort track unfolded with striking intensity. Rich with texture and atmosphere, its intricate instrumentation heightened every nuance of Tim’s passionate vocals.

Immortalised on One Man Clapping but absent from any studio album, ‘Stutter’ remains one of James’ most gloriously rough-edged songs. Its solitary outing on the tour, fittingly saved for the homecoming crowd in Manchester, amplified its cult status.

‘Beautiful Beaches’ was held back until Nottingham, where it received its one and only performance of the tour. Its soaring atmosphere remained intact, but it was a newly enhanced percussion showdown between Debbie and Dave that truly stole the spotlight.

‘Lost a Friend’ was played just twice, in Bournemouth and Aberdeen. Though it was picked back up in the sound-checks toward the end of the tour.

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

‘Top of the World’ was the biggest surprise in the sound-checks, appearing only in Nottingham.

‘Nantucket’ and ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ were the most frequently sound-checked tracks – ‘Nantucket’ seven times, right up until Newcastle, and ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ six times.

Although it featured in three sound-checks, ‘Better With You’ sadly never made it into the main set.