Starsailor at the Forum
As part of their 25-year celebration – marking the release of their debut album Love Is Here in 2001 – Starsailor return to the O2 Forum Kentish Town after a 24-year gap. Die-hard fans of the post-Britpop quartet are treated to a set that delivers most of what they could have hoped for.
Arriving right on time, they waste little energy before diving straight into the opener, Alcoholic. A smart choice: originally released as a single from Love Is Here, it remains one of their most cinematic tracks. Its direct, no-frills lyricism (“Don’t you know you’ve got your daddy’s eyes / Your daddy was an alcoholic”) handles the dark subject matter – alcoholism, family dysfunction – with stark simplicity, painting a vividly tragic picture.
Frontman James Walsh’s voice still holds the earnest, slightly trembling delivery that defined their debut era. He isn’t much of a talker between songs, seeming more comfortable when fully immersed in the music than when interacting with the crowd. From a live-show perspective, the performance sags in places. For those less familiar with their repertoire, several tracks risk blurring into one another, with similarly paced arrangements and lyrics that strive for emotional depths without always reaching them.
But Best of Me arrives at just the right moment. More propulsive and rhythmically lively, it breaks the mid-set lull. The audience responds instinctively, swaying, singing, and briefly pulling the band into a more electrifying space. Another highlight comes with In the Crossfire. At the time, it marked a shift from their introspective balladry, heading towards political territory. Written during the Iraq War, it denounced the UK-US alliance, channelling frustration and disillusionment. Musically, its heavier guitar tone and urgent rhythm section stand in contrast to the gentler textures of Love Is Here. “I don’t see myself when I look in the mirror,” Walsh sings. Yet when introducing the song, he stops short of making any present-day parallels, avoiding a direct statement about the culprits of that still-simmering anger.
Ultimately, this is a show tailored for long-standing fans. A night to reminisce, to slip back into the early-2000s melancholia that first defined Starsailor, without the expectation of reinvention. It doesn’t strive to be more than that.
Benedetta Mancusi
Photos: Guifre de Peray
For further information and future events, visit Starsailor’s website here.
Watch the video for Alcoholic here:
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