(All photographs are my own unless otherwise stated)
Playing on Sunday 4th October
With support from Samm Henshaw and Elle King
*****
You never really understand the true age range of James Bay's fans until you enter one of his concerts. Youngsters, late teens and loved up older couples alike flocked at the small and intimate venue of the Cambridge Corn Exchange last night to witness a little piece of James' majestical wonder, with a whole heap of surprises.
Before I delve into the majestical wonder and the whole heap of surprises of the James Bay set, I need to mention the two incredible new talents James bought as his support acts. First up was Samm Henshaw who's voice, to put it quite simply, is astounding. His voice is packed with soul accompanied with an acoustic and relaxed vibe (and a lot of maracas shaking) His new EP "The Sound Experiment" really emphasises this, which is a must have for any good record collection,
American girl Elle King, the second support act of the evening, has one of those voices that strongly brings out her southern hillbilly accent, which is all part of her irresistible charm. Indie pop and alternative rock personified by a female powerhouse voice - a rare yet beautiful concoction.
Unlike most artists, James did not set aside a lot of time to bore the audience with pointless drabble. His speeches in between songs were short and sweet thanking the loud and energetic crowd for their participation. James and the 1,400 strong crowd made the room turn into an blissfield of strong acoustics and vocals. Small but mighty.
Whatever volume the gig started at was about to be dramatically raised the moment James' announced who was going to accompany him on stage for Let It Go. The audience holds a brief pause and a few "what the f***" are passed around as he announces none other than Ed Sheeran was seconds away from gracing the stage with his god-like presence. Who knew that in a little city in Eastern England in a small capacity venue that a multi-platinum global superstar would walk on the stage so casually. Hence the reason why Ed Sheeran is and always will be the king of grace and selflessness. The duet itself was stellar - their two voices combined are something we need to hear more often. Maybe a "remix" of the song could be on the cards? Just promise that you'll think about it James, okay?
Watch the Let It Go duet here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBrFkR2KnbQ
The lusty crowd simmered down to a hush when the first chord was strummed to welcome Scars to all listener's ears. And when I say silent, I mean can hear a pin drop kind of silence. Throughout the entire first verse of the song, the once vocal crowd stayed silent allowing James' voice and James' voice alone to fill the venue. The silence made the performance and song even more breathtaking than the studio version, and I never though that would ever be possible.
James announced halfway through the show that "we should do this again sometime Cambridge" and I feel like James is a man about his word, so I am expecting another remarkable show at my local venue very very soon. Ed Sheeran optional.
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