James Bay is ‘Up All Night’ in Leeds on a midweek date of his UK tour
Words and Photos – John Hayhurst
I think I’ve caught James Bay on nearly every UK tour that he has done since the very early days when he just brought a guitar to a small York club to play songs he had recently written. That was around 2013 and things then moved very fast. Once ‘Chaos and the Calm’ was released he had already had two top ten singles in the UK and ‘Hold Back The River’ became the anthem that he will forever be known by, well that and the hat and long hair and red guitar were everywhere for a 3 year period.
Then it seemed to stop, he was still releasing albums and singles and touring, but could never recapture the highs of that early period, even cutting his hair and losing the hat for a different image didn’t work, and so here I am again arriving at Leeds O2 Academy to watch him for the umpteenth time.
However, something has changed, the crowd are 60% under 30 years old, previously it had been a trad radio2 audience, but tonight we have plenty of student age folks, and young couples keen to catch him in action. I still have no idea when this happened or how, but it’s completely refreshing to see a sold out academy and the average age being in late twenties.
Canadian multi-instrumentalist and singer Leif Vollebekk is the support, setting an intimate and soulful tone. Known for his emotive vocals and masterful piano and guitar skills, Vollebekk captivated the audience with a selection of tracks that showcased his unique blend of folk and indie influences. His performance was both heartfelt and engaging, providing the perfect prelude to Bay’s more electric band focussed set. He even managed a soulful and short version of Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ towards the end of his 40 minutes.
The live setting is where James Bay excels, his band are very tight, he has a good friend in Tom Peel on bass and it’s his birthday today, his beloved team Newcastle United are playing in the cup tonight v Arsenal and he keeps asking for score updates during his set.
Opening with ‘Up All Night’ sets the tone for a rock performance with plenty of solos and posturing. He’s back with the trademarked hair and hat and its like that difficult third album never happened.
Switching between electric and acoustic guitars he flies through ‘Give Me The Reason’ and then the first venture into ‘Chaos and the Calm’ with a stunning version of ‘If You Ever Want To Be In Love’ and this younger crowd know all the words and were really belting it out, much to Bay’s delight.
The setlist traversed Bay’s career to date, it was a well-curated mix of his classic hits and fresh material from his latest album, ‘Changes All The Time’, released in October last year. Tracks like ‘Speed Limit’ and ‘Easy Distraction’ which was co-written with Brandon Flowers of The Killers, showcased his evolving sound and songwriting prowess. The new songs were met with enthusiasm, indicating a strong positive reception from these newer fans.
Midway through the performance, Bay addressed the audience with his characteristic humility and humour, expressing gratitude for their support over the last 10 years and relief that Newcastle had scored. He shared anecdotes about the creation of his new songs, providing personal insights that really connected with the crowd.
An unexpected standout moment was the medley of ‘Peer Pressure/Craving/Pink Lemonade’ and an intimate solo only spot where the stripped-down arrangement allowed his soulful vocals and emotive delivery to really shine.
The main set concluded with the hat actually coming off and an energetic performance of ‘Best Fake Smile’ and then after a few minutes break the encore featured a run through of 2 new songs before the inevitable ‘Hold Back the River’ finale, which as you would expect raised the roof off the place.
James Bay’s concert at the O2 Academy Leeds was a testament to his growth as an artist and his enduring appeal, but also how he is now clearly connecting with a younger audience with this new album. The blend of new material and beloved hits, coupled with his genuine interaction with the audience, made for a great night, catch him on this run of dates (only Dublin and Wembley left) before he treks to Canada and the USA, but I’m sure he will be back later this year for more.
