Gig review: James Bay at O2 Academy Leeds

Fortunately, this was closely followed with a follow-up message saying, ‘Luckily, we’ve been able to move the show only a couple of weeks’. This had all the hallmarks of being an early Christmas present for a packed O2 Academy Leeds crowd who had managed to re-arrange their plans.

Bay took to the stage, sporting his familiar wide-brimmed hat, and launched into Best Fake Smile. The crowd-pleasing opener taken from his debut Chaos And The Calm album is greeted by those in attendance singing along to every word. A rousing reception is given as the song draws to a close.

The new album tour is a tricky thing to curate, a fact not lost on Bay. He greets the Leeds crowd with an apology for the delayed date and telling the crowd that he was going to play loads of new stuff, then loads of ‘Track 7&8s’ and finish up with loads of old stuff.

The new album Leap has been around a few months, and he didn’t need to worry. Endless Summer Nights and Give Me The Reason, from the new album, slotted neatly into the growing collection of anthemic tunes and rousing ballads that Bay has crafted. The crowd did not miss a word during the first two songs from this most recent release.

Bay spends his time front and central on vocal and guitar duties during songs, with chats in-between. There is clearly a tight bond with his fanbase and he obviously enjoys the singalong nature of his performance. If You Ever Want To Be In Love receives a between-song reprise as he gets the crowd to re-sing the chorus as he ‘loved it so much’. These small interludes led to a small detour from the planned set-list with an acoustic version of Wild Love in response to a shouted request.

The middle of the set is largely drawn from his new Leap album, and it’s predecessor Electric Light. The only song that isn’t joined greeted with a singalong is Stay After The Summer. Bay introduced this as a new song, and informs everyone if he mucks it up then no-one will know. The audience listen attentively and the applause at its close suggests it will be a future favourite. Save Your Love saw Kevin Garret, who opened this evening, reappear. The opportunity was taken to recognise and thank all the supports.

The promise of loads of old stuff was kept with the set closing with Get Out While You Can and Craving. These two songs bring the tempo back up.

As the band leave the stage there is a cacophony of screams and shouts for more. It is only a short wait before they inevitably reappear to play Scars and Hold Back The River. This pair of songs tell you most of what you need to know about James Bay’s music. He has a great talent for writing ballads and anthems which build to an exciting climax.

The fears raised by the cancellation tweets of November are all a long distant memory as the crowd head out into the chilly December night.