PHOTOS: James Bay – O2 Apollo, Manchester – 07/02/2025

It’s probably been a while since you properly thought about James Bay, but evidently his momentum hasn’t dwindled. Whether it’s residual from striking upon Hold Back The River and Let It Go early on, or easing back into older, album-oriented work, the fact his current UK run culminates in a Wembley Arena headline show is massively impressive. And keep in mind, he never gave off vibes of an overblown showman. He was moreso lodged in the world of post-Mumford And Sons folk-rock, now metastasising into all-encompassing singer-songwriterdom, and clearly seeing sustained success. Just on his last two albums—which were easily his least commercial, keep in mind—Bay has picked up credits from Noah Kahan and The Lumineers, to Holly Humberstone, to even Dave Cobb and Finneas.

Thus, a stop in Manchester’s O2 Apollo makes sense for this point in Bay’s career. A more lavish, sophisticated venue is very up the alley of this older, more wizened career turn, and bringing Canadian indie-folker Leif Vollebekk in support fits just as neatly. With all of that in mind, our photographer Ben Whitehurst headed over to check it out.

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Leif Vollebekk

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James Bay

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Photos by Ben Whitehurst (Instagram)