It’s Only Love in London for JAMES MARRIOTT.
words + photography by NICOLA O'CONNELLScottish singer-songwriter Calum Bowie opened the night with the kind of energy that immediately pulled the crowd in. By the fourth song he already had everyone waving their phone torches, lighting up the venue in a way that felt surprisingly intimate for an opener. His cover of Chappell Roan’s ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ went down especially well, showing off both his vocals and his ability to read the room. ‘Dancing In The Sun’ became a full-on moment with the whole room clapping along. With the level of crowd participation Calum lead, it wasn’t a surprise he was met with cheers of excitement as he spoke that he would be returning to play his own headline show in Islington next year in March.
Up next was Esme Emerson who brought a quirky, charismatic charm to the stage. Consisting of siblings Esme Lee-Scott and Emerson Lee-Scott, they are an alternative/indie pop duo from Ipswich with a cool, kicked back kind of vibe. At one point, Emerson joked that Esme had drawn their merch which portrayed the two as worms, Esme interjected, “I was an iPad baby for like a month” to the amusement of the crowd. Musically tight and just as entertaining between songs, they managed to build the hype even further. Before the main act, Esme led a call-and-response chant with her shouting “James” and the crowd shouting “Marriott” setting the perfect tone for his entrance.
As the house lights dimmed and music began to play through the venue, fans screamed in excitement ready for James Marriott to step on stage. When he did, he launched straight into ‘Ventriloquist’, a personal favourite of mine. To me, I find it reminiscent of The 1975, and funnily enough I once met James in the queue for their London show back in 2020. During his performance of ‘Ventriloquist’ he moved and posed in puppet-like motions. I enjoyed the clever nod to the song title.
Throughout the night the crowd’s enthusiasm never wavered. During ‘Food Poisoning’ fans belted out the “don’t wanna, don’t wanna know” refrains with such volume and unity. At one point, Marriott handed control to the audience, offering a choice between ‘The Other Side’, ‘Going Postal at the Party’ and ‘So Long’. With the crowd cheering heavily for ‘The Other Side’, it won the vote but “London, we’re going to play it anyway” James declared before he launched into ‘Going Postal at the Party’ afterward.
The setlist ranged between high energy and softer, emotional moments. He treated the crowd to ‘California Rain’, an unreleased track, as well as ‘It’s Only Love’. During ‘Sleeping On Trains’ he screamed “are you with me London?”, a fierce contrast to the quiet vulnerability that followed in ‘Limbs’, performed solo with just an acoustic guitar.
To close the night, he delivered ‘Toothache’ before diving into the fan favourite and his most known song, ‘Grapes’. The crowd who were nothing but engaged the whole evening gave everything they had left for this final song. James Marriott has become a genuinely impressive live performer. His stage presence is magnetic, his growth undeniable, and watching him continue to evolve is something I look forward to carry on witnessing. Following the release his ‘Don’t Tell The Dog’ in June of this year, James has gone on to win Rock Sound’s ‘Breakthrough Artist’ Award, and his album reached number 1 on the Official Charts in the UK. Marriott is an artist whom I cannot wait to see where his journey takes him over the next, however many years. He truly deserves the love and recognition he’s getting.
All photography property of
Nicola O’Connell.
Find Nicola on Instagram HERE.