To celebrate the release of their latest album "Girl At the End of the World", Manchester legends James chose to perform an intimate set at HMV Manchester to a packed out store full of die hard fans. Considering that this is from a band who are set to play the massive Manchester Arena in May, a band that can headline festivals, this was a rare opportunity to see them perform up close in a small space. James also performed here two years ago when their previous album "La Petite Mort" came out, so it is fine to see that they still support their local record store. It felt like there was an even bigger turn out than the last time, and it was great to see such an array of people sporting different James shirts from old to new. 
The 6 piece walked out to a huge roar and applause, and climbed onto the makeshift stage assembled earlier in the day by the HMV staff. James opened with the title track of the new album, which saw one of their guitarists using a 12 string guitar, and the other playing slide guitar. Before kicking in, frontman Tim Booth explained that the song was inspired by car crashes, in particular a roundabout near where he lives that sees frequent collisions. This was reflecting in the lyrics of the song, as Tim's vocals soared across the room in fine form. Though James' sound may have changed over the years, one constant is Tim's incredible vocal range. The slide guitar gave this song a Country style twang, and although the verses had a sombre feel, the uptempo chorus made this into a great song. Their second track from the new album, "Feet of Clay" saw one of the guitarists switch to a cello, giving the sound an extra warmth. The song is driven by a cracking bassline, and Tim's voice went above and beyond on this track. The cello sounded absolutely fantastic. Of all the songs on the new album, this is one that has that classic James vibe. Once they finished the song, Tim told an amusing anecdote about when the band were nearly hit by lightning when playing at a festival during a thunder storm. The group really connected with the crowd, sending them into fits of laughter and you can just tell that the band members are very down to earth guys.
James' 3rd song of their performance was "Dear John", which Tim explained was about when soldiers get "dumped" by their girlfriends via letter whilst they are away serving for their country. This song was dominated by the use of the synthesiser, and is the most reminiscent of the Synth Pop direction the new album has taken. The bouncy melody of the song allowed Tim to really get his groove on as he danced on stage like a man possessed! The group finished with the anthemic "Nothing But Love". This time their guitarist switched to playing a mandolin, completing a very diverse set. The mandolin definitely made me think of an REM vibe. The oohs and ahhs of the chorus got the rest of the band singing along, and of course the majority of the crowd too. This capped off a stunning intimate performance, proving that even after 30+ years, James still have a lot to offer and know how to keep a solid connection to their fanbase. After the performance, James then met with fans, signed copies of the album and took photographs, making this event a dream come true for many happy Mancunians!March 21st 2016 @ HMV Manchester. Photography by Rich Smith of Digital Bath.
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