More about: James Blake

‘I called this tour the Friends That Break Your Heart tour, which I immediately regretted,’ quips James Blake between songs. ‘I actually just wanted to play everything. So that’s what I’m gonna do.’

In the spacious hall of Ally Pally, fans were treated to a wide retrospective of the revered musician’s career – stretching back to his early EP days to the debut of a new song, ‘The Death of Love’. But tonight wasn’t just self-indulgent peacocking; it turned out to be a rather heartwarming affair for the musician and fans alike.

At first glance, not much has changed – the stage design and lighting is similar, with guitarist Rob McAndrews and drummer Ben Assister accompanying Blake on stage. But it’s clear that tonight wasn’t just a boring run-through of songs. Blake had spent careful time tweaking old favourites such as ‘Life Round Here’ to be even more exciting, spotlighting his bandmates with new cello solos and drum breaks as well.

As a musician whose background began with the post-dubstep scene, Blake’s set sometimes leaned towards a clubbier experience, which was well-received by the audience. His remix of Untold’s ‘Stop What You’re Doing’ made a surprising appearance, as well as multiple tracks off his Before EP. For a venue such as Ally Pally where everyone is standing, it feels like an intimate festival, so everyone being able to dance and respond to Blake’s music in real time made for an incredible experience.

Blake is a singer-songwriter at heart, pairing achingly minimalist lyrics with his soulful voice, and that was on full display tonight. One of the most touching performances was his rework of ‘Are You In Love’ – with the help of McAndrews, it was transformed into some long-lost Western ballad. Other classics such as ‘Limit To Your Love’ and ‘Retrograde’ still hit as hard as the last time I saw him in 2019 – if anything, the cavernous palace made the drops even more terrifying.

It felt like Blake had made an extra effort for London tonight, even pulling out surprise guest Slowthai to perform ‘feel away’. Blake himself was also completely on form: willing to engage in Blakeian banter with the audience one moment, then strip away any sort of ego and lay his soul bare with a cover of ‘Godspeed’. But Blake grew up in nearby Edmonton, had congregated at Ally Pally in adolescence ‘doing legal things… behaving myself’, with his band, schoolmates who had supported him since before his career was even officially established. If there was any night to pull out all the stops, it was tonight.

See photos by Alex Young below:

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More about: James Blake