James Bay
Showbox // Seattle, WA // March 25th, 2018
Photos and Review by Rachael Dowd
For those lucky enough to get their hands on a ticket to the sold out James Bay show in Seattle this weekend, they were treated to a performance unlike anything the singer-songwriter has done before.
With his sophomore album, Electric Light, set to be released on May 18th, fans were treated to brand new, never before heard material from the buzzed about album that showcased James Bay’s new, upbeat, and radio-friendly sound.
Opening up the night with “Wasted on Each Other,” an unreleased track from Electric Light, it was inevitably clear that while his music style has evolved since the release of 2015’s Chaos and the Calm, his signature vocals and musicianship that helped him gain such a loyal following over the years have yet to falter.
The overly infectious song “Pink Lemonade,” off of Electric Light, came second in the set list and showed how James Bay has moved away from his signature acoustic guitar ballads, injecting amplified guitar notes and foot tapping percussion beats into this new sound of his.
Debuting other songs throughout the night including “Us,” “Slide,” and “Just For Tonight,” his performance of “Wild Love,” the lead single off of Electric Light, received a warm reception from the fans that packed into Seattle’s Showbox as they sang along with James while the familiar synths of the single rang through the speakers.
Although his current tour is in promotion of his forthcoming album, James performed many fan favorites off of Chaos and the Calm including “Best Fake Smile,” “Let It Go,” and “Hold Back The River.” Played at the very end of the night, those particular moments in his set proved to be the most energetic and memorable, the crowd’s voices ringing throughout the venue as if they had been waiting a very long time to see and hear those songs live.
Closing out the night with the emotional “Need The Sun To Break,” the performance stood as a reminder to all in attendance that while James Bay is taking a leap with his newly evolved sound on Electric Light, his passionate and relatable songwriting will always be something fans can come back to.
Described by Bay as an experiment of “cosmic electric sounds smashed together” with acoustic elements from Chaos and the Calm, Electric Light is already shaping up as one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year. And if history is any indication on what is to come for James Bay, it won’t be surprising if next time he returns stateside, his sold out club venues turn into sold out arenas.
