The second show of the Australian and New Zealand tour took the band back to Sydney, where they played the Hordern Pavilion for the first time. With a capacity of 5,000, it had the feel of a small arena. Modern, well laid out and with food trucks dotted around the grounds, it was a rather more salubrious setting than your average venue.
At the VIP soundcheck, the band played three songs: ‘One of the Three’,‘Moving On’ and ‘All the Colours of You’. The latter was a welcome surprise, having not been played since Penamacor Lince Terras Do Fair last August. During the Q&A, one question in particular stood out, with a fan asking about the inspiration behind the lyrics to ‘Strangers’ from Millionaires. Tim revealed that the song was inspired by his experience of supporting a friend who was contemplating ending their life. Saul expressed his love for the track, admitting that he had been asking the band to play it for years.
To open the main set, the band harked back to their UK arena tour, putting Saul in the spotlight from the outset as he delivered the extended intro to ‘Five-O’ before launching into ‘Low Low Low’. Never one of the band’s favourites, the latter has found a new lease of life across both Laid tours, emerging as an unexpected highlight, thanks in no small part to Andy’s jubilant trumpet work. The energy carried through ‘Ring the Bells’ before the mood took a darker turn with ‘Dream Thrum’.
‘Way Over Your Head’ was the sole representative from Yummy. Unreleased when the band last toured Down Under, it prompted a communal singalong that rivalled some of their bigger hits. ‘Beautiful Beaches’, another song that hadn’t been released on their previous visit, received a similarly enthusiastic response. Debbie and Dave’s double drum solo was a highlight, while Chloe delivered the hushed, almost inaudible outro that has been missing from recent performances.
In terms of surprises, the band went right back to the beginning with the inclusion of both ‘What’s the World’ and ‘Stutter’. Hearing such early songs alongside the newer material offered an interesting reminder of just how much James have evolved. They’ve always been a band that throw everything into their live performances, but the nature of that energy has changed. Where once it was raw and raucous, there’s now something more communal about it, reflecting not only how tight they’ve become musically, but also the bond between them.
When Laid was performed in North America, the smaller venues seemed particularly suited to the album’s more delicate sound. Yet after an outdoor auditorium in Perth and a small arena in Sydney, it’s becoming clear that James can adapt the songs to pretty much any setting. Some venues might lend themselves better to the material than others, but the band have a knack for making the space work for them. Of the Laid tracks, ‘One of the Three’ was a particular standout, with Chloe and Andy’s backing vocals complimenting Tim’s beautifully.
After closing the main set with the anthemic one-two of ‘Getting Away With It’ and ‘Sit Down’, the band returned for the encore with ‘Out to Get You’ before making room for the layered new track ‘Nantucket’. Placing unfamiliar material so late in the evening is a bold move, but the song has won over audiences throughout the band’s UK and European dates this year. It has continued to develop, too, with the heavier drums first heard at the performance following the documentary premiere now firmly embedded in the arrangement.
The show reached a fittingly triumphant conclusion with ‘Sometimes’ and ‘Laid’, although the crowd had one final surprise in store. Long after the latter had finished, they continued singing its famous high note, leaving the band smiling as they took their bows. They weren’t quite finished, though. It was Jim’s birthday, and while the crowd had already sung ‘Happy Birthday’ to him earlier in the set, this time it was the band’s turn to surprise him. A member of the crew appeared with a cake for him to blow out the candles. Already visibly taken aback by the reception James had received halfway around the world, Jim looked genuinely touched by the gesture and it was a lovely way to round off the night.
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