James & The Charlatans, Manchester Arena. 9th December 2018

God I hate the Arena. It really is the worst venue in Manchester. This however is where the big acts play and it’s worth enduring to see James. First up though were The Charlatans. Now I’m not a fan really and Tim Burgess’ Savile haircut and incessant hip thrusting makes for uncomfortable viewing, but I’ve got to admit the hits sound bloody good. Weirdo, North Country Boy, The Only One I Know and a cover of The Buzzcocks ‘Ever Fallen in Love’ (which Tim didn’t know the words to) were fantastic. The interval brought queues for the toilets almost as bad as the bar (seriously the Arena is crap), which resulted in me skipping the first couple of James songs, but to be honest it really doesn’t matter with James. Every song lands and the adoring crowd lap up every second. Tim Booth is the anti-Burgess, no hair at all and dance moves so mesmeric it’s like he’s had his bones removed and it’s just the energy of the music keeping him going. That’s the whole point of seeing James live, to witness the blistering energy generated. If you think this is a 90s nostalgia act, where have you been the past 20 years?! Yes they’ll bang out the hits, but it’s songs from the last few albums that punch just as hard and everyone in the arena tonight will have felt not just that wave of energy, but the warm embrace of a band the loves its audience, loves its music and loves creating something magical. Do yourself a favour, get yourself a ticket to see James play live, they’re a national treasure and deserve your love.