James Bay Electrifies Crowd with Acoustic Performance

★★★★★ (5/5)

**JAMES BAY PERFORMING AT EDINBURGH'S LIQUID ROOMS**
**PHOTOCREDIT: FRANK MURPHY**

James Bay launches his latest album ‘Changes All the Time’ next week. To support the album, he kicked off a short launch tour in Dundee’s Church.

Singer-songwriter Bay took the stage at the packed venue wearing his trademark hat and toting two SJ200 Gibsons for a stripped-back acoustic set. For the next 50 minutes, he delivered a performance that reminded everyone why he's become one of the UK's most celebrated musicians. The Grammy-nominated artist seamlessly blended his folk-rock roots with new pop flavoured material, keeping the audience captivated throughout.

He was very relaxed and friendly with the Dundee crowd as he walked up to the mic.

Bay opened with the driving rhythms of ‘Up All Night’, the 2024 single from ‘Changes All the Time’ that he recorded with Noah Kahan and the Lumineers. Uplifting and up-tempo, the song immediately set the tone for the evening. His signature raspy vocals cut through the mix, filling the venue with the emotional intensity that's become his hallmark. His voice was emotive, capable of conveying deep feeling and vulnerability.

Bay’s next track came from his first album ‘Chaos and the Calm’. ‘If You Ever Want to Be in Love’ worked well, stripped back from its original. Spare and guitar-driven, the song showcased Bay’s guitar skills and raspy and slightly gritty vocal with its unique and distinctive texture.

Highlights included ‘Easy Distraction’, a song co-written by The Killers’ Brandon Flowers for the new album and the love song ‘Everburn’ which sounds like the next single. These songs are still so new that Bay had to glance down once or twice to check his handwritten lyrics.

Throughout the night, Bay demonstrated his versatility as both a vocalist and guitarist. During quieter moments, like the tender ‘Let It Go’ his voice took on a vulnerable quality that had the audience hanging on every word.

A particular highlight came when Bay performed a simple version of ‘Wild Love’. Armed with just his Gibson, he silenced the room with a hauntingly beautiful rendition that emphasised the raw emotion in his songwriting.

As the night drew to a close, the crowd erupted as he transitioned into his breakthrough hit "Hold Back the River," with nearly every voice joining in for the chorus leaving the crowd on a high note.

In an era of overproduced pop spectacles, James Bay's performance was a refreshing reminder of the power of genuine musicianship and emotive songwriting.

This paired back set showed that he's not just a singer with a distinctive voice, but an artist capable of connecting deeply with his audience. As the lights came up and the satisfied crowd filed out, it was clear that Bay had not just met expectations of this new album, but exceeded them, solidifying his reputation as one of the most compelling live performers of his generation.