James Bay @ Thetford Forest
I really can’t see smaller venues in his future
Taking place in seven different forests across the country, Forest Live is now in its 16th year. These events are designed to let a different audience enjoy the forest and raise revenue for the management of the woodlands. Every year some fantastic bands are involved, and hundreds of thousands of people get to enjoy some tunes in a cool location. Bring your own booze, pack a picnic and a chair, or snuggle up at the front to get up close and personal with some massive acts. It’s an evening I’d highly recommend to anyone – and I have never been anywhere with such lovely staff. Every steward, security guard, paramedic and car park attendant was super friendly and I feel like we’re all besties now.
The crowd was a mixed bag, from your classic ‘I’m definitely here to see James Bay’ types (hat optional but recommended), to screaming teens and young families. James Bay clearly has universal appeal from babies to grandmas and everyone in between.
Kicking off the evening were Joseph, a trio of sisters hailing from Oregon. With their beautiful harmonies, it’s no wonder they’ve scored some pretty ace support slots. There is something of The Staves about them. White Flag*, the lead single from their upcoming album is a rousing number and easy to join in with. The crowd loved it. Seek them out at Latitude if you’re heading there.
After a strong 30 minute set the girls had definitely warmed up the sizable crowd, everyone was in great spirits, and a little bit of drizzle wasn’t going to stop the festival mood. At 9pm when the sky was just beginning to darken, James Bay strolled onto the stage and instantly owned it, opening strong with Collide before moving on to album opener Craving. This was his biggest headline show to date, and he seemed a little awestruck by the backdrop. As the sun began to sink below the treeline it wasn’t hard to imagine why; the view from the stage must have been the best one going.
All of his singles made an appearance across the 90 minutes, some supported by James Bay’s band and some with just our boy, his guitar and his hat. Let It Go was beautiful, with an entire forest full of people singing along. I spotted a couple of stewards boogieing too.
Get Out While You Can was the perfect end to the main set, as people packed up the blankets and began the mass exodus to the car park. Those who stayed were treated to a CCR cover (Proud Mary) and James’s biggest song to date - Hold Back The River. The crowd did the phones in the air gimmick on the request of James Bay – he was concerned it might be his only opportunity. After selling out a forest of more than 8000, I really can’t see smaller venues in his future.
*Not the Dido one.
