THERE'S no getting around it, you don't half feel your age at a James gig nowadays.

Hardly surprising when you consider they formed back in the mists of time in 1982, enjoying their commercial heyday in the late 80s and early 90s when the likes of Come Home and Sit Down became household singalong tunes.

But make no doubt about it - of the 2,000-plus 40- and 50-somethings packed into Wolverhampton's refurbished Civic Hall, few, if any, will have seen a better show in their lives.

James' appeal and longevity is down in no small part to the timeless appeal of their harmonious, uplifting arrangements, barbed with that trademark edginess which in turn makes for unforgettable live shows. That and the fact they have, in Tim Booth, undoubtedly the coolest frontman on the planet.

Opening to the strains of 1997's anthemic Waltzing Along, it doesn't take the iconic Booth long to have his adoring faithful eating out of the palm of his hand - and it's not long before he's giving the security guards palpitations as he descends into the photo pit to clamber up precariously on to the crowd control railings, swaying in time with both rhythm and audience to belt out material from new release Girl At The End Of The World.

But it's the classics which really get the disciples on their feet - Ring The Bells almost took the roof off the recently reopened Civic, Born Of Frustration saw trumpet virtuoso Andy Diagram vanish and suddenly reappear on the balcony just in time to belt out his solo, and by contrast, a stripped-back semi-acoustic take on She's A Star was treated to a reverential silence, such was its unexpected beauty.

Booth's soon back in full-on Action Man mode, diving headlong into the crowd for the chorus to Come Home, then rejoining the band to create a stunning reinvention of Sit Down, which began a capella before building to its oh-so-familiar crescendo.

Booth himself pops up on the balcony at the beginning of first encore Just Like Fred Astaire, dancing his way along the rows of dumbstruck fans, then it's back centre stage for a quite sublime extended version of Sometimes; building, falling away to just a crowd chorus singalong with Booth taking on the role of enthusiastic conductor (Sometimes... when I look in your eyes... I can see your soul...), then mounting again to a thunderous climactic ending.

There's just time to drop in new track Nothing But Love (yep, the one on the Amazon book of baby names Christmas advert) and it's goodbye.

The near two-hour masterclass in stagecraft seems to have flown by in an instant.

But then, they do say time seems to go so quickly the older you get...

Pete Wallace