Live: James

11th July

Castlefield Bowl

8/10

Following on from a well received set from Pixies the night previously, it was a substantial and just as highly expectant crowd that packed Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl on Friday. The closing night of the Summer in the City festival saw Stockport band Blossoms start off proceedings followed by a reunited Starsailor playing support to a headlining set from local heroes James.

Whilst still a far cry from the masses present for the main event of the evening, up and coming five-piece Blossoms were received well amongst the early goers. The thirty minute slot was defined by a noteworthy psych sound underpinned by distinctive organ melodies alongside resonating lead vocals from laidback front man Tom Ogden. Particular comment must go to tracks ‘Blow’ and ‘Madeline’ which once up and running whipped the small audience into a relative frenzy.

Following on from Blossoms came the moment that many within the confines of the Bowl had been waiting for. Spontaneous, rigorous applause almost completely drained out the welcome given by front man James Walsh as Starsailor graced the stage after a five year hiatus. Despite such a break, the Post-Britpop Lancastrians appeared more than comfortable. “Thank you for waiting for us Manchester, it’s been far too long” uttered a visibly excited Walsh before kicking things off with ‘Four to the Floor’ from their 2003 album Silence Is Easy. With the crowd fired up and in good spirits, the set list which included hits such as ‘Tell Me It’s Not Over’, ‘Poor Misguided Fool’ and ‘Silence Is Easy’ seemed to go down well, maybe even too well when at times the appreciation displayed by the crowd led to lyrics being drowned out by deafening screams of enjoyment. All in all though it was a strong return for the band, evidently still capable of drawing and entertaining a crowd.

As nine o’clock approached and with the sun just beginning to fade in behind the stage, it was time for headlining act James to embrace the 8,000 strong audience and bring the festival to a close. The unmistakable figure of lead singer Tim Booth was greeted with rapturous applause and it did not take long before Booth’s infamous, eccentric dance moves accompanied by the familiar guitar stylings of Larry Gott and the rest of the Manchester band had the attention of those in attendance.

Armed with their newly released album ‘La Petite Mort’ the band’s latest material was particularly well received, most notably ‘Moving On’ and ‘Frozen Britain’, the former of which judging by reaction was the most popular song of the set. As expected though, diehard fans were not left disappointed as a rendition of classic tracks including ‘Sometimes’, ‘Come Home’, ‘Laid’ and the essential James anthem ‘Sit Down’ echoed from front to back serving as proof of continuing popularity and longevity.

In short, it would be hard to disagree that there was a better place to be than Castlefield Bowl on this particular Friday. Summer in the City brought music lovers of all ages together and from the reception of all three acts, one may have problems finding anyone who thought it wasn’t worth the money.