James (& Happy Mondays), Manchester Arena, 3rd November 2021

It has to be someone good to entice me into the Arena. I’m just not a fan of large scale gigs, the smaller the room the better. That’s not going to work tonight though with a double bill of James and Happy Mondays. James can easily sell this place out on their own. Happy Mondays probably not, but I can see why this odd couple have been put together. They’re bands of a classic Manchester era, before the C got replaced with a D and although to me they seem slightly odd bedfellows, they do share a trippy vibe. I’m fact that’s all the Mondays have really. It’s all about the groove. Question is can Shaun Ryder still groove? Well no, not really. Let’s be honest he sounds pretty awful, relying on Rowetta to handle as much of the vocal lifting as possible. Fair play though, he’s funny and Bez plays his mad bastard with maracas role well. The band sound good too and the tunes are undeniably classics. It wears thin pretty quickly though, largely I’m afraid due to Ryder, who spends half the set looking down at a lyric sheet. Maybe take the sunglasses off Shaun. It’s still fun though. Kinky Afro, Loose Fit, Step On. These are great songs and as the crowd slowly files in, the atmosphere builds. They do feel a bit lost in this cavernous space though. Like I said, just too big. Now I gave a smaller Manchester venue a bit of a hammering in my last review, but make no mistake, the Arena is still the worst gig experience in town. Too many people and inadequate facilities. How they’ve got the cheek to charge £7 for a pint is beyond me. We’re not in London y’know! I’ll admit Ryder sounds better from the bar though. Like I said at the top. It takes someone special to get me in here. James are special. There’s no denying that Tim Booth can still groove. He looks fantastic, still has that cheeky glint in his eye and still every bit the showman. I say still. Truth is James never really stopped did they. Alright there was a break, but they’ve come back as good as ever. That’s the trouble with putting them on tours like this, with the Mondays or the last one with The Charlatans. It makes them seem like a nostalgia act to the uninitiated. This Arena crowd though know and love, nay adore James. Honestly there’s not a weak song in the set. New or old. Born of Frustration brings my first euphoric high. I swear I go somewhere else. It’s magic. Some bands are amazing live, but a select few are truly spectacular. There’s 9 players and to watch them watching each other as the music travels through them is like watching something I just can’t explain. It’s alchemy. I talk about bands being tight and making it look effortless, but this is transcendental. That sounds bonkers I know, but honestly it’s true. Special shout out to the camera crew and whoever was vision mixing. It’s not easy covering a band with that many people on stage and making it look so good. Not that I was paying much attention to the side screens, being thankfully too near the front to need them. Come Home, gets a guest appearance from Bez. He’s ridiculous, but somehow slots in easily. There’s a great mix of stuff from latest All The Colours of You and plenty of oldies to keep this sold out crowd happy. Curse Curse sounds huge and even the albatross Sit Down, dedicated to anyone who’s lost someone sounds glorious. Sound is nothing short of a pure release, an outer body experience. But it just keeps happening. Beautiful Beaches, Getting Away With It, Laid. It’s like being punched into heaven. Come a curfew destroying Sometimes, I’m totally lost. I could be anywhere. I’m still not sure I’ve landed. James. Magnificent. Absolutely magnificent.