JAMES K

It has been difficult to find the words to describe seeing James K live, I’ve been struggling to make sense of everything I scribbled down - but I wanted to make sure I got something out before I get too busy.

**I got too busy**

Having listened to her without really realising over the last couple of years, I first got to witness James K at Waking Life earlier this year. I’ve mentioned my time in Portugal before and how vital it was to me, and this was a particular turning point. The whole crowd was sat or lay down as the sun was getting ready to set over the lake. We had rushed around the lake to get there and made it just in time - rushed maybe not the best word to describe us in this case but we were quick compared to the pace we’d been moving for the rest of the festival. She hadn’t released her new album ‘Friend’ by this point so it felt like a more ambient set, but the crowd was engulfed in the sound, hypnotised by the siren-like vocals and the occasional chimey guitar. In short, I loved it, it was exactly what I had been craving - it was intense but easy to digest and I have to say it made me quite emotional.

After the release of ‘Friend’ I listened much more intentionally, the singles ‘Doom Bikini’ and ‘On God’ I was surprised at. They were different to anything I’d heard from her before. I found that they followed more of an obvious structure, less electronic, faster, more confident. They sounded like she wanted her voice to be heard, which I didn’t feel like was a quality in her previous releases. You might have noticed that James K has appeared in 3/4 of my Taking It All In playlists so safe to say I was excited when I managed to get a ticket the week before.

It was at The White Hotel, somewhere I’ve been wanting to go for a while, in an old garage out in Salford. The air was wet and cold outside, felt like one of the first proper winter nights this year. I couldn’t even find the door when I arrived, all the doors were closed - I felt so embarrassed asking someone how I get in. Inside I immediately saw her on the left, packing up her merch (sad I didn’t manage to get anything) that she had been selling herself. She was on in ten minutes so I grabbed a beer and headed into the main area. I can’t believe I’ve never been there before, what would’ve been such a cold and dingy space felt so warm and welcoming. I’m assuming this is mostly due to the people who make up the White Hotel, the staff who played Linger by The Cranberries before James K came on and the happy crowd that sang along to it. That was maybe the only time I wished I wasn’t on my own, otherwise I really like seeing live music solo, in fact I don’t really mind either way, but being on my own won’t stop me from going like it maybe used to.

Like I said, I’m not sure I have a good enough vocabulary to do the experience justice, in my notebook the only adjectives I had put down were mesmerising and hypnotic, which are definitely true but feel a bit basic. I was so fixated on her performance that at times I had to remind myself to blink, media at the moment is so oversaturated that it can be difficult to find anything that really pulls your focus, where you don’t feel like checking your phone or doing some other task at the same time (my vice is any type of puzzle). So when you stumble upon someone like James K that makes you feel present and aware that you’re alive, I feel obligated to share my thoughts and make sure others experience it too.

I feel completely fulfilled by what I get out of her music and performances, I don’t feel like I need a bigger catalogue, I don’t need to know her life story, where she’s from (NYC), I don’t need to watch or read every interview she’s ever done. She moved around like a silhouette in front of the pink lights, the only reason I knew what she looked like when I arrived was because she was the only one that seemed to exude the quality that you’d need to have to create and perform the way she does.

She has a laptop and one of those sound boards (I don’t think this is the correct term) and then occasionally picks up her guitar, the sound in the venue was crazy, hearing the clicking sounds coming from behind then the bass through the floor - got to go back there. ‘Doom Bikini’ live was absolutely incredible and made me have a new appreciation for the song, the eeeeeeees that I’d been subconsciously singing at home were possibly my favourite part of the show. Another song I began to appreciate more was her final song ‘Play’, it took me back to stuff my mum and dad used to play, like something that came out 10/20 years ago - the indie electronic sort of style, like Ladyhawke or Goldfrapp. Not that she sounds like either of those but it gave me a similar feeling.

Being there felt really special and the love in the room was palpable, I scribbled down as much as I could after and that has now become this. I had a peaceful night’s sleep and then listened to ‘Friend’ all the following day.

Somehow it has taken me nearly 2 weeks to write this, I’ve been busy on toooour, writing on the bus, in my bunk, side of the stage, adding and changing bits as I go. I also wanted to make sure I was proud of what I put out as it was a really important experience for me and wanted to portray that. I have more of a routine now so hopefully I’ll be posting more regularly.

Thank you for being patient <3<3