Live Review: James Bay - Electric Brixton, London 15/03/2018

James Bay is back and played a one-off show this Thursday evening in London's Electric Brixton.

The support act, Lilla Vargen, opened the evening with indie love ballads that possessed powerful vocals and undertones of heartbreak. Genuinely grateful and excited to be performing in London's Electric Brixton, the Irish singer was accompanied by a piano and synths. On her final song, she picked up a Fender Stratocaster and a melodic tune called 'Hold On', a tune that the crowd are sure to have stuck in their heads whilst waiting for headliner, James Bay.



A sold-out show, the venue was packed to the brim and yet it still felt intimate and down-to-earth.

Introducing his appearance on stage was a short video following him on a night out with a girl and into a club at the same time the bass drums of his band started pounding and James came to the stage. Dressed in all black with zipped jeans and buckled boots, his opening songs were not what I was expecting from the indie pop artist. Opening his set with his new single, 'Pink Lemonade', the crowd were ecstatic as James gave an electrifying, kick-ass display of loving his music.

Following up with songs from his debut album, Chaos and the Calm, and the announcement that he would be performing new tracks, nothing but excitement radiated around the venue. Intervals of video clips kept the crowd waiting in awe and anticipation of his next tracks and whether he would put his hat on or not (he didn’t).

James continued to make the crowd move and sway with a mixture of his old songs and new material. Thanking the crowd for the incredible experiences touring has given him and has been for the artist, it seems like he is truly grateful for how what he has created has been received worldwide.

James Bay can be described as nothing less than an incredible artist and performer this Thursday. The crowd's screams and declarations of love seem perfectly justified by the lulling melodies of his love ballads and we can't wait until James is back on the road touring with his new album.



Words and Photography by Max Herridge