Starsailor

Norwich UEA – Saturday November 15th

Another gig with Jimmy, another adventure derailed by public transport. Tickets were booked, trains booked, plans made… and then the dreaded Rail Replacement announcement. The rattler from Felixstowe rolled into Ipswich a full ten minutes after the coach to Norwich had departed, which meant only one thing: two pints in The Station Hotel, a place that hasn’t troubled the Michelin Guide any time recently. Nearly sixteen quid for two drinks. Daylight robbery.

We eventually boarded the replacement coach for the 90-minute crawl to Norwich, already agreeing that we’d be getting a taxi home later rather than repeating that experience. Norwich greeted us a little after 4pm, so we headed straight to the Compleat Angler for a couple more pints and the tail end of the rugby. Norwich really is superior to Ipswich in most things… except football.

Then came the hunt for food and it became farcical. The Indian was closed. Cosy Club was rammed. Pizza Express had a booking for 158 people. We drifted to a pub with a jacket potato stall outside. Perfect… except they’d run out and needed to cook more. So, the glamorous rock-and-roll pre-gig meal became an overpriced, nearly stale garage sandwich. Back to the pub to wash it down while waiting for the Uber.

By the time we arrived at UEA, the support were already mid-set. They were Suffolk based indie rock band, Youth Killed It. They sounded superb, full of energy and far better than the average warm-up act. Jimmy tracked them down afterwards, chatted, and has already tried to lure them to Felixstowe Radio and yes, we bought tickets for their next show.

With the venue packed and space tight, we took up a position near the back by the bar where I could lean and actually see the stage without being rammed into a barrier.

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The Gig

Starsailor are one of those bands you’d struggle to name five songs from off the top of your head, but the second you hear them you realise you know every chorus. That’s their strength, quietly iconic tunes that have been woven into the last twenty-five years without shouting for attention.

They came out to Alcoholic Strings Intro, and from that point the night was theirs. No fuss, no theatrics. Just a band confident in their catalogue and a crowd who knew every word.

SETLIST

• Alcoholic Strings intro
• Alcoholic
• Poor Misguided Fool
• Crossfire
• Where the Wild Things Grow
• Way to Fall
• Fever
• Best of Me
• Lullaby
• Neon Sky
• Jealous Guy (John Lennon cover)
• Born Again
• Tie Up My Hands
• Tell Me It’s Not Over
• Four to the Floor

Encore:

• Love Is Here
• Silence Is Easy
• Good Souls

James Walsh was in excellent voice all night. Strong, clear, and completely locked into the crowd. Way to Fall drew a huge reaction, with half the room singing louder than the PA. Best of Me and Lullaby reminded everyone why Starsailor carved out such a distinctive space in the early 2000s: emotional without being overwrought, melodic without being soft and of course they started with my two favourites.

Their cover of Jealous Guy was the unexpected highlight: Stripped back, honest, and handled with just the right amount of restraint.

The back end of the set turned into a full-venue singalong. Tell Me It’s Not Over and Four to the Floor still hit with the same weight they did all those ago, and the encore hammered it home. Silence Is Easy got the biggest roar of the night, but Good Souls was the perfect closer: uplifting, nostalgic, and delivered with a band-who-still-care level of energy.

Starsailor didn’t just roll out the hits; they played like a group who genuinely enjoy being onstage together again.

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The Trip Home

Griff picked us up afterwards and endured our slightly-sloshed post-gig analysis all the way back. But we were home and in bed just after midnight rather than sitting on a coach until 2am. That alone felt like a victory.

That’s me done for 2025 — Cast is cancelled due to attending a funeral — so roll on the 2026 gigs.