James, the Manchester band with the Boston Spa lead singer bade farewell too soon and have since made their return more than once, this year recording their first full-length album in six years, La Petite Mort, which is as much a rebirth as a reflection on death and Tim Booth's continuing fixation with sexual matters.

Leeds was the last night of a triumphant tour, with the audience stirred up by Starsailor's opening set, and such is James's stage brio that they could open with a discarded "D side" from the Millionaires recording sessions of 1999: All Good Boys, a tender song about fathers and sons that is a beautiful re-discovery.

James don't pull a full house, the upstairs curtained from view, but nevertheless Booth and co work the space magnificently. Twice he goes crowd surfing, or swimming as he calls it; and later he hand-picks a dozen from the standing zone to dance in Booth's trademark loose-limbed style in Gone Baby Gone, one of the new songs that has so quickly become a crowd favourite.

There is no need for distracting film projections; the magic of playing live filled the hall, never more so than when Booth and trumpet player Andy Diagram emerge high up in the seats for Sound.

Go To The Bank, from 1997's Whiplash, is aired live for the first time; Jam J is seriously hot funk;and this year's Moving On the most moving reflection on the light shining on after death.

They don't play Sit Down and no one misses it. James were that good.