Pop Reviews : James Band Exudes Warmth at Roxy

“James Suck,” proclaimed the shirt worn by singer Tim Booth during the sweaty encore by the British band with the boy’s name Tuesday at the Roxy. But the audience wasn’t buying. The disclaimer seemed only to spur the packed-in crowd to find new ways to express its adoration, ending with a good two dozen fans leaping up on stage during “Sit Down” to do just that, at Booth’s feet.

It was a fitting conclusion to the show, for the warmth Booth effortlessly exuded helped set the Manchester group apart from the scores of other psychedelia-steeped groups from England these days--along with the sharp playing the band has developed after a decade of touring and recording in relative obscurity.

With hardly any verbal acknowledgment of the audience, Booth established an almost palpable rapport with the crowd by spending much of the set on the floor among the dancers and never flinching when pawing hands threatened to drag him under. His rhythmic, rounded singing and fluid movements, even when the music reached the frenzy that seemed to end every other song, added to his comforting appeal.

If only the quality of the material matched Booth’s performing prowess. “Born of Frustration” is a better Simple Minds amalgam than anything Simple Minds has produced in a few years, and “Come Home” throbs with an impossible-to-ignore urgency. But many of the rest of the songs blended together, as disposable as the ticket stubs that littered the floor after the show.