James Bay, ‘Hold Back the River,’ singer and ex-student of BIMM Institute, has announced that he will be live-streaming a show from The Shakespeare Globe later this month. The event will be available for viewers all over the world to take a look inside this historic venue with tickets for the one hour show starting at £15. A virtual meet and greet with the star will also be taking place with the artist and participation can be bought as part of a £95 deluxe ticket bundle which also includes bonus tracks and an event t-shirt.
The event will see James Bay reunited with his band for the first time since the covid outbreak where he was confined to recording alone with his phone, and performing as an ensemble in a unique and historical venue. This marks another case in the growing trend where artists are using modern technology to work around the coronavirus restrictions and continue to deliver live music in a different way. The event will stream at multiple times in order to be available at 8pm in various time zones including the East and West coasts of North America.
According to ABC News Radio Online, James Bay states that ‘I’m sad that I can’t have an actual audience in the Globe with me, but so excited that we get to create this show for people all around the world to see.‘ The increasing number of artists providing online events to fans still under heavy restrictions on their lives, and with many parts of the country still under local lockdowns, it is a promising sign that the industry is starting to respond with innovative ways to keep creating experiences. Still, with socially distanced gigs starting to be organised in venues such as the O2 arena which hopes to fill ‘an audience of just 4,700 in the 20,000-capacity venue.’
James Bay’s debut ‘ Chaos and the Calm,’ was released five years ago in 2015 and was a UK number 1 album. His follow up, ‘Electric Light,’ was released in 2018 and saw the singer reinvent his sound and image. Despite the more personal EP releases which he has made in the last two years, fans still await a third full length release and will likely be eagerly listening for any hints of a new album in his Livestream this month.
