JAMES : V2000 CHELMSFORD HYLANDS PARK 20.8.00

One Of The Three Webmaster

So with possibly the worst main stage line-up in festival history, what were James going to bring to the party?  A greatest hits set to please the masses or were we to witness a return to the awkward setlists for the more discerning James fan?

Opening with Laid, it became quite evident from the very start that Tim's voice was in particularly good form, as he had demonstrated so powerfully performing the same track with just Michael on keyboard accompaniment an hour earlier in the Virgin tent. The sound was crystal clear and the band had obviously worked on the arrangement as there was a noticeable but subtle change without losing the rhythm and tempo of the track.

"Let's party" Tim urged the crowd before launching into Sometimes, the metronomic guitar playing of Adrian, Saul and Michael whipping the moshpit into a heaving mass.  She's A Star had a similar effect - it seemed that James had gone for the safer but sure-fire hit set.  They were pulling it off spectacularly as well backed up as at Shepherds Bush by the Wired Strings quartet.

"This is one of those accidental pop songs that we stumble across every now and again" was how Tim introduced the first new track Coffee And Toast. Reminiscent of Afro Lover as a shameless uptempo pop song, it makes no pretence of being a Five-O or PS, with Tim inviting the audience "if you come back to my house, I'll make some coffee and toast." An obvious single, it is destined to infuriate further those who were unimpressed by Tim's lyrics on Millionaires.

Stutter followed and was probably the highlight of the set - again.  The strings merely augmented the sound, particularly in the frenetic ending.  Considering the song was probably new to most of the audience, it received a rapturous round of applause.

Out To Get You came next and induced an outbreak of arm-waving.  The song remains as touching and poignant as ever, but does tend to get a little lost in the open air.  The slowed down tempo continued with Someone's Got It In For Me, one of Tim's personal favourites.  The emotion he was putting into the song was evident in the close-ups on the large screen.

The expected return to the hits to finish off the set was delayed even further by another new song Senorita, which was debuted at Shepherds Bush in May.  Saul apologised in advance for them probably messing it up and it did sound a little clumsier than before, but the basic beauty of the song still shone through.

Johnny Yen came next and was recognised by more of the crowd than I had expected it to.  Tim used the improvised section to question the purpose of men and what success (in the music business) has to do with the song.  He dedicated the song to suicidal tortured artists.

Tomorrow started off a trio of hits to round off the set.  The middle section again showed that the band had put work in on the arrangements, admirable given the lack of gigs recently and the inevitable focus in the studio on the new album.  Sound was curtailed after about six minutes which was probably a good thing in the circumstances as the extended version works in a hour and three-quarter James set, but not in a fifty-five minute festival set. The set ended surprisingly with Ring The Bells, the crowdsurfers took advantage of the frenetic elongated ending to make their last exit.

So what was the overall verdict? The band were on top form, the string section fitted in perfectly, the songs sounded noticeably different in the arrangements.

Was it a success?  The setlist was far more adventurous that I had expected, which personally was not a bad thing.  For the general public, there were probably too few hits - no Sit Down, Come Home, How Was It For You?, Destiny Calling, Say Something, Waltzing Along ...... still, how many bands boast that sort of repetoire you could leave out of a festival line up.

Julian Marszalek, Music365

They still have the same T-shirts that have been hawked around for the last 10 years or so. But then, given that James have hardly bothered to update their sound, is this any surprise?

Since hitting their peak riding the coat-tails of Madchester, James have struggled to maintain the heady heights of 1990.

They do, at least, make some concessions in the way of crowd pleasing by playing songs that your average punter might recognize and so, 'Laid', 'Star' and 'Born Of Confusion' are all wheeled out to say hello. But quite why James continue to carry on is a mystery. Tim Booth still looks like he'd be happier writing a vegetarian cook book while the rest of the band seem to be thinking about that next mortgage repayment.

While this may not be the anticipated musical triumph some had hoped for, James do make the prospect of queueing for tasteless American beer positively mouthwatering. 5/10

Eyewitness report: Following Barenaked Ladies’ earlier sartorial crimes, Tim Booth delivers another fashion boo-boo. Sporting a rather fetching short-sleeved white shirt and smart slacks, the effect is totally negated by Tim's insistance of topping it off with a camouflaged cap. Ooh... doesn’t suit you, sir. At all.