Starsailor frontman James Walsh charms Opderschmelz with music and banter

In the intimate concert hall of Opderschmelz Cultural Centre in Dudelange, one man and his guitar stands on stage and speaks to a captive crowd. He immediately endears himself by thanking everyone in both German and French, a delightful contrast to the "Cheers" he'd end each song with. A singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist known both for his solo work and as the frontman of British indie-rock band Starsailor, James Walsh travelled by train from London to Brussels and then onward to Luxembourg for this special evening.   

"It's a beautiful venue," said Walsh, speaking to RTL Today before the performance. "It's a part of Luxembourg that I've never been to before." 

The singer-songwriter has previously performed in Luxembourg numerous times solo and with the band, and in various locations such as Den Atelier, Kulturfabrik, and Rockhal. Since Starsailor first formed in 2000, Walsh has continued to massively expand his repertoire, from solo work to new music with the band. It is a collection of all this and more he has come to perform.  

"I'm excited because I released a new EP at the beginning of last year, but obviously, I haven't had a chance to share with the people of Luxembourg yet or the crowd that's coming tonight," he said. "So I'm looking forward to playing those songs, and hopefully putting on an even better show than I did the last time I came here."

One song in and Walsh had the crowd amused as he searched his pockets hopelessly – his capo is missing, and needed for the next song. "That's the problem with being on your own," he jokes. "You have no one else to blame!"

© Ville de Dudelange / Marc Lazzarini

It is exactly this honest and personal connection that kept the audience close throughout the evening. From previews of soon-to-be-released songs to old favourites such as Lullaby from 2001's Love is Here ("I hope you don’t mind it’s a bit slower than on the record, after 20-odd years!") and stunning covers of classics such as The Beatles' In My Life and Bob Dylan's Just Like a Woman ("Hope I don’t f*** it up!") Walsh demonstrated his command of the guitar, the strength of his vocals, his ease on stage and his penchant for having fun with the audience throughout. 

Made in lockdown 

The father of a three-year-old COVID baby, Walsh shared his lockdown experience with RTL Today: "It's definitely one of those things that had a huge negative impact in terms of being able to play live and get together and collaborate with musicians," Walsh recalled. "We tried doing the Zoom thing, and it just wasn't working. No one had a good enough internet connection, so you're just always a few seconds behind. The only thing you can do to kind of keep yourself sane is to just keep creating and doing as much as you can on your own."

And create he did, culminating in two albums Small Illusions and Everything Will Be Ok, both released in 2021, alongside numerous EPs and singles. With all that Walsh has worked on and grown from during lockdown, his hope for the evening was to share some of that with Luxembourg. 

© Ville de Dudelange / Marc Lazzarini

"With lockdown, and having had a bit more time, and putting a lot of effort into developing as an artist, between the last time I played here and tonight, there's been loads and loads of shows. So, hopefully that will show in my stagecraft," he said.  

Closing the show with a Starsailor favourite Silence is Easy, Walsh's hopes were ultimately realised, as narrated by an enthusiastic table who described themselves as "groupies overcome with joy".  

"The guy is great," one declared as the lights came on and the stage was cleared. "It was emotional!" Another added: "He has one of my top favourite voices. It's always amazing to see James again in Luxembourg, and he should come again, many times!"