James: O2, London – Live Review

James
The O2, London
17th April 2026

They have been going for more than four decades, but instead of resting on their laurels James continue to refuse to turn their latest celebratory tour into a predictable greatest hits rerun. Tom Parry sees them put on a masterful live show, blending old and very new and making the cavernous O2 arena almost intimate.

If it were any other band, the spectacle of a gig opening up with the trumpeter playing somewhere high up on the steps between seats would be a novelty to remark on afterwards. This, however, is James, a band who have been upturning arena show conventions for several decades. So, for many in the sold-out crowd at the O2, the unusual start, which led into an ominous and then emotionally stirring version of their early ’90s hit Sound, is exactly what they have come to expect.

James fans are a dedicated bunch. I reckon I have seen them live about 15 times, starting at Glastonbury around the time Sound originally came out, perhaps even before. My friend was there tonight with his dad, who has totted up an incredible 34 James shows over 34 years. An average of one gig every year, and still coming back for more. Given that metronome regularity, you would think this now veteran band would struggle to keep surprising their loyal audience. But tonight, as has so often been the case, they still managed to keep it fresh. Frontman Tim Booth and bass player Jim Glennie, the only two to have played on every James album, have of course been around a long time. But this somewhat uncategorisable band – made up of nine on stage in recent years – remains a restlessly creative outfit, never content just to churn out the hits. 

This gig was the penultimate night of a tour ostensibly to mark the release of a career-long greatest hits collection – three CDs-worth of singles. Without the compulsion to concentrate too much on the latest material, the set was a genuine cocktail that encompassed their many eras. What was really notable was the attention to detail of the musicians and the way in which long cherished songs like Five-O, Say Something and Born of Frustration were pushed and tweaked. 

Lead guitarist Adrian Oxall and long-time violinist and guitarist Saul Davies were especially mesmerising. The addition of second percussionist Deborah Knox-Hewson has also hugely embellished the live sound. There were, of course, the moments we have come to expect from Tim. He shows little sign of losing his ability to lock into his trance-state dancing or to crowdsurf. What really made the gig, though, were the unplanned sparks of energy, when the music took flight.

After emerging for the encore, Tim announced that they were going to do something “typically James” by introducing a new song. A rare, and indeed bold, move in front of such a substantial audience, as he pointed out. I can imagine that if this were most of their contemporaries (no names here), such a declaration would have gone down like a lead balloon. But the as-yet-unreleased number, titled Nantucket, seemed to be appreciated by everyone around me; not out of some kind of phoney solidarity with James taking a stand against expectations, but because people really were happy to be surprised. Yes, they finished off with two solid favourites from what the uninitiated would call their heyday, but the sheer depth of tonight’s set provided ample evidence that the stalwarts up on stage still have the energy and passion for a few more reinventions.

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Words by Tom Parry, you can find his author’s archive here, plus on Twitter and his website

Photo credit Ehud Lazin, supplied