The band brought their Australia and New Zealand tour to a close at Auckland’s Civic Theatre – a beautifully ornate 1920s venue renowned for its star-studded ceiling and lavish, almost dreamlike interior. It proved a fittingly atmospheric setting for the band to perform Laid in full. As the final show of the tour, we felt it deserved a review of its own. You can also revisit our coverage of the Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane shows here.
The biggest VIP soundcheck of the tour kicked off with ‘All Good Boys’, a criminally overlooked gem that deserves far more outings. ‘Stay’ followed, the song Tim has previously described as the sister to ‘Tomorrow’, before ‘What’s the World’ took us back to the band’s rawer, more unpolished beginnings. Played alongside a track from Yummy, the latter was a reminder of just how far James have travelled while retaining that same restless spirit. During the soundcheck, the band chatted about the realities of life on the road, travelling around Australia and then on to New Zealand and the toll the constant flights and packed schedule had taken on them.
Like Australia, New Zealand had yet to hear anything from the band’s last two studio albums live, so it was great to see them open the show with ‘Zero’ before moving straight into ‘Way Over Your Head’. When Yummy was released, Tim described ‘Way Over Your Head’ as the next ‘Sometimes’, and 18 months on, it’s certainly growing into that role. From the moment he and Chloe stand facing each other, holding hands as they deliver its gospel-tinged intro, the song takes on an intimate, unifying quality, gradually building towards a full crowd singalong.
‘Dream Thrum’ was the first track from Laid to make an appearance, followed by ‘Everybody Knows’ and ‘Five-O’. Though all three are delicate songs, there’s an underlying intensity to each of them. ‘Dream Thrum’ builds as Tim, Saul and Chloe come together for the repeated “I’ve changed” refrain, while ‘Five-O’ is driven by the adrenaline of Saul’s fiery violin playing. His solo takes on a different form every night, but somehow always manages to sound as though the world is teetering on the brink of collapse.
The energy surged with the buoyant crowd favourite ‘Ring the Bells’ before taking a raucous turn with ‘What’s the World’. ‘One of the Three’ brought the pace back down, followed by ‘Knuckle Too Far’. When ‘One of the Three’ returned to the setlist in North America last year for the first time since 2016, it had been reimagined in a lower key than the album version, with Andy and Chloe providing backing vocals. On this tour, Tim has taken it a step further, experimenting with an even deeper vocal delivery. The result is a richer, more reflective rendition that highlights both how the band’s sound has matured since the album’s release and their ability to continually find new ways of interpreting their earlier material.
‘Shadow of a Giant’ followed, making its tour debut. With its haunting introduction led by Chloe’s vocals and Saul’s mournful violin, the song felt perfectly suited to the picturesque venue. In complete contrast to the generally introspective mood of Laid, both on record and on stage, ‘Low Low Low’ filled the room with pure joy from the moment Andy played his first note. His triumphant trumpet intro and playful flourishes throughout brought an infectious energy to the performance, making the song truly come alive.
‘Sound’ followed, its hypnotic groove providing the foundation for one of the band’s great live centrepieces. The extended instrumental passages gave everyone room to stretch out, with the song taking on a life of its own as the musicians played off one another. Andy took things a step further, delivering his trumpet solo from the balcony, illuminated by a spotlight as he played high above the crowd. It was a brilliantly theatrical moment in a song that has never needed to be played the same way twice, and that’s a large part of its appeal.
Anthemic as ever, ‘Getting Away With It’ had everybody moving before Tim left the stage, handing the spotlight to Chloe for a solo vocal performance of ‘Skindiving’. Not only did it showcase the distinctive energy and depth she brings to the nine-piece lineup, but it also highlighted the band’s versatility, with Dave stepping out from behind his drum kit to take up the bass.
‘Lullaby’ brought a haunting stillness to the room, with just Tim, Jim, Adrian and Mark performing the deeply poignant track. Beginning with gentle acoustic guitar, the stripped-back arrangement allowed the emotional weight of Tim’s vocals to come to the fore, while Mark’s delicate piano work added another layer of tenderness. ‘PS’ was another showcase of the band’s extraordinary musicianship, beginning with its restrained drum pattern and gentle guitar introduction before gradually building into something far more powerful. Adrian’s intricate guitar work added texture to the arrangement, while Tim and Chloe’s harmonies brought a new warmth to the song. As it gathered momentum, Saul’s expressive violin took centre stage, carrying the track towards a breathtaking climax.
After a run of slower-paced tracks, the band lifted the energy again with ‘Say Something’, prompting a mass singalong. Once again, Tim resisted the urge to venture into the crowd, which still comes as something of a surprise, although you never quite know what to expect at a James show. Nothing feels choreographed or rehearsed; everything happens in the moment. With the seated audience so close to the stage, Tim could connect with those he was singing to without needing to leave it. His decision to stay put also kept the focus on the rest of the band, who are equally compelling to watch, with Chloe on acoustic guitar and Saul effortlessly switching between guitar and violin.
‘Beautiful Beaches’ followed, drawing a huge response despite this being one of its first live outings in New Zealand. Its driving rhythm, soaring chorus and underlying sense of urgency make it a natural fit for the stage, balancing the darker themes of the song with the kind of uplifting, communal energy that James do so well.
The main set came to a close with ‘Tomorrow’, which in its current live incarnation comes close to a religious experience. The song soars on the dynamic interplay between Saul’s acoustic guitar and Jim’s bass, with Andy’s uplifting trumpet lines adding another layer of momentum.
‘Out to Get You’ has proved a sublime choice for opening the encore at the last few shows, bringing the tempo right down before the band launch into a high-energy finale of ‘Nantucket’, ‘Sometimes’ and ‘Laid’. It was a particularly fitting choice given its position as the opening track on Laid. ‘Sometimes’ got off to a false start, giving the crowd a classic James ‘Getting Away With It’ moment. The euphoric anthem is rarely absent from the setlist, even at shows not centred around Laid, which says plenty about its enduring place in the band’s live repertoire. There’s clearly still a great deal of enjoyment in performing it, perhaps down to the combination of its powerful sense of unity, the shared energy it creates with the audience and the chemistry between the musicians themselves.
‘Laid’ draws an enormous reaction wherever it’s played in the world, and Auckland was no exception. The crowd took the lead, singing the first couple of verses unaccompanied before Dave kicked in with that unmistakable drum intro, sending the song into full gear. Andy’s exuberant trumpet lines, absent from the studio recording, added another dimension to the performance, lifting an already joyous finale to even greater heights.
Auckland was a fitting end to a tour that like in North America last year, showed just how much life there still is in Laid more than three decades on. At one of the shows, the band promised they’d be back in two years. Judging by the reception they received across Australia and New Zealand, they’ll be welcomed back with open arms.
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