James Bay

Grammy-nominated UK songwriter James Bay first formed a relationship with Australia back in 2015, and has consistently played to sold-out crowds ever since. Three years on and Bay still can’t enough; Frontier Touring are thrilled to confirm that he’ll be returning to our shores on his Electric Light World Tour to play two very special theatre shows in Melbourne and Sydney this July.

‘Bay's performance had a hint of attitude, a touch of swagger, and charisma in spades. The performance was polished, but not to the point it seemed choreographed. Raw talent made sure of that.’ – Sydney Morning Herald

‘James Bay and his band picked me up and shook me completely out of my critique’s headspace. Rather than being there for the expressed purpose of reviewing the show, I simply became a fan.’ – The AU Review

Bringing his much-loved live show to two of the country’s finest theatres, Bay will play Melbourne’s Hamer Hall (Tuesday 24 July) and Sydney’s State Theatre (Wednesday 25 July), as well as Byron Bay’s Splendour In The Grass festival.

Bay first caught the attention of fans and critics across the globe with the release of his debut album Chaos And The Calm in 2015, featuring breakthrough singles  ‘Let It Go’ and ‘Hold Back The River’.  The release was the year’s highest-selling debut, peaking at #1 on the UK album chart and #3 here in Australia, and earned Bay the BRIT Award for Best British Male Solo Artist and Grammy nominations for Best New Artist, Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song.

Furthering the bond between Bay and Australia, ‘Hold Back the River’ became the anthem of the Aussie Sevens women’s rugby team, inspiring a five-part documentary series shared this year.

The past few years have been busy for the artist, hard at work on forthcoming second album Electric Light, scheduled for release on 18 May 2018 (Universal Music Australia). Select cuts from the record, coming together in East London’s Baltic Studios, showcase a further polished sound. while retaining Bay’s signature emotive rawness. Bay’s recent single ‘Pink Lemonade’, picking up over 192,000 views in one day, has the songwriter tapping into childhood exasperation, while February’s ‘Wild Love’ is an anthem waiting to explode on the live stage.  Brand new single ‘Us’ pulls at the heart strings...check out this special acoustic version of ‘Us’.

The cinematic official music video for ‘Us’ stands out as his most emotionally charged and touching video to date. Intercutting subjects of all races and genders facing depression and strife, the visual proves poetic, poignant and raw. In between these shots, the camera focuses on Bay singing alone, sharing the same struggle exemplified by his overpowering, but vulnerable delivery.

Bay has cemented his reputation as an incredible live performer with TV appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, at festivals including Glastonbury and Pinkpop, and at countless headline tours across the globe. This was demonstrated in the USA when performing ‘Pink Lemonade’ and ‘Us’ on Late Night with Seth Meyers recently!  Here in Australia, east coast audiences first fell in love with the soul-stirrer during his 2015 debut shows, before celebrating his return the following year, backed by a full band, for an extensive Australian and New Zealand tour.

2018 looks to be another huge year for the musician, showing absolutely no signs of slowing down after two huge tours in the USA and UK. With a history of sold out shows on our shores, fans are encouraged to act quickly to secure their tickets to witness Bay’s phenomenal songwriting talent and enchanting stage presence on the Electric Light World Tour this July.