JAMES MARRIOTT: LONDON, UK
James Marriott with support from Esme Emerson
at The Roundhouse in London, UK
words and photos by Schuyler “Sky” Aldridge
December 11th marked the end of one of the most anticipated tours brought on by an album that dominated the charts and reached number 1 status. ‘Don’t Tell the Dog’ by Brighton-based creator turned musician, James Marriott, has been a huge success for the artist, bringing him into the limelight accompanied by an impressive UK + EU tour, selling out almost all dates, among which were two nights at London’s Roundhouse.
The tour was initially set to end with its last date in Amsterdam on December 9, but to the excitement of fans, James announced a second London ‘homecoming’ date at the Roundhouse - selling out almost immediately. As a James Marriott fan myself, I knew this show was going to be a special one, marking the end of a tour which had completely changed James’ career.
Music duo siblings, Esme Emerson (Esme Lee-Scott & Emerson Lee-Scott) came onstage to a roar of cheers from fans, many of whom at the front had been to multiple shows over the tour, so knew what they were in for. Their charm onstage is truly captivating, as well as their wholesome energy; the constant smiling toward the crowd and each other onstage is warming.
When the lights dimmed for James Marriott’s appearance onstage, you could sense the drop of excitement and thrill in the hearts of fans as the repeating synth in ‘Ventriloquist’ fades in. With the flashing lights, James Marriott came onstage, truly giving it all his in his theoretical performance. Knowing it was the last time I would be hearing this setlist with this stage production was quite emotional, as someone who has been keeping up with the tour online.
Moving into the second song ‘Something’s Wrong’, it gave a track which everybody could scream to while James embraces his performing arts, enacting a breakdown onstage while repeating the line “Does it feel like something’s wrong?”. ‘Plasticine’ is arguably one of the best tracks on ‘Don’t Tell the Dog’, and it always goes down so well in a live setting with its groovy chorus, which inspires the crowd to start dancing along.
A rarity for the tour was hearing ‘How Could I Say No?’, a track usually left out of the setlist, but James, wanting to make this show special, decided to bring it out to give the fans a chance to hear it live and I’ve got to say, it really does hit well live, especially being a slower track.
Currently being teased with a live version and a few snippets released on platforms, ‘California Rain’ has been a big song for short-form content made by James and his community, with fans desperate for him to release a full studio version of the track. To the fans' delight, before playing ‘California Rain’, he debuted the release date for the track, being January 2nd. When the song kicked in, confetti covered the room, with each piece having a QR code to pre-save the song, which was a super exciting touch, giving it was the first time James had had confetti in one of his shows.
The greatest thing about a James Marriott show is how both fans of crazy mosh pits and fans of calmer chill tracks can enjoy, an iconic moment of the set is the ‘Sleeping on Trains’ mosh pit, a much earlier track from James’ discography but adored, usually resulting in an impressively large mosh pit which always goes hard, especially at festival appearances. The mosh pits didn’t stop there, though, when James played the final song of his set and his most iconic, ‘Grapes’. The pits once again opened up, and the number of people joining in was amazing. It was one of those moments where you go for it, knowing it’s the absolute finale of not only the night but the entire tour; it truly was a highlight in James’ music career.
ESME EMERSON
JAMES MARRIOTT
