James, The Snuts

James played a jubilant show to a full house at the Shepherd’s Bush 02 tonight for Absolute Radio’s 15th Birthday. Even though they messed it up a bit, they more than got away with it.

But first of all - The Snuts. After introducing themselves briefly the Glaswegian four-piece storm through their set like a force of nature, barely pausing for breath between songs. Less that they had somewhere else they needed to be, and more like setting off a chain reaction that took on a life of its own.

They set the tone and tempo with Gloria, a chiming, glassy holiday of a track reminiscent of the Future Islands. Next up is Seasons; dynamic, expansive and dropping into half tempo for Jack Cochrane’s voice to soar over the top. Zuckerpunch offers up a different soundscape with drummer Jordan Mackay launching into a trip-hopesque shuffle on the drums which laces through some heavy electronic sampling. Heads nod to the chunkier sound, but although perfectly produced the melody might soon be forgotten.

Over the course of the set The Snuts dip in and out of styles that remind this reviewer of early 2000s bands like Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, Kula Shaker and even at times, Jamiroquai. Saying that though most of their fans looked young enough not to remember or care.

After a short interlude the stage darkens and fills up with the members of James; all nine of them. The venue floor is full, a choppy sea of silver hair and the occasional floppy beanie; quick-on-the-draw fans who bagged tickets within the five minutes it took for them to sellout. The steep, tiered and crimson-cosseted venue extends up and away from the band like a telescope with plaster griffins and cherubs peering back at them.

A strobing bassline slides us straight into the classic James soundscape of Sound, with the steady 4:4 kick drum and Booth’s whispered lyrics evoking a shamanic journey. The band famously prefer to semi-improvise this song to keep things alive and uncertain; a theme that runs through the entire performance. They drop into a jam, Tim Booth discards his beanie, and a beskirted Andy Diagram transports the crowds with triumphant, beatific bugling.

During Curse Curse, Tim balances on the lip of the stage, stabilised only by the outstretched arm of a fan. They lock fingers and sing to each other for the duration of the song – precarious and moving.

Continuing the theme of messing up and getting away with it, Tim stops the band only a few bars into Tomorrow. Guitarist Adrian Oxaal owns up to starting it in the wrong key and explains to the audience that this is what happens when you constantly change up sets and songs. A couple of minutes of joking around adds to the emotional range of the evening and endears James to their crowd even further. Even the obstacle of an electric guitar pedal technical issue becomes a blessing, allowing the band to pivot into an acoustic version of Star, with Adrian picking up the cello instead.

The penultimate track of the evening is Sometimes, with the crowd singing along. Tim turns the microphone to the audience for a few minutes to sing “Sometimes, when I look deep in your eyes I swear I can see your soul”, over and over. This might have gone on for hours if James didn’t begin Laid. There aren’t many songs you can interrupt a moment like that with, and finish the night on a high, but Laid is one of them.

Set List:
Sound
Ring the Bells
Curse Curse
Walk Like you
Interrogation
Tomorrow
Come Home
She’s a Star
Johnny Yen
All Good Boys
Sit Down
Beautiful Beaches
Getting Away with it (All Messed Up)
Sometimes
Laid

Tickets for the James 2024 arena tour are on sale below.