James Johnston review: ‘The face leading Australian country music’

After previously competing as a contestant on Australian Idol and X-Factor Australia, Johnston, who'd sang country music up until the age of 16, launched his country music career with the release of ‘Raised Like That’ in 2021 – one of 250 songs he’d written at the time. The single was a massive success for Johnston. It has accumulated 43.4 million streams on Spotify alone and also became the fastest single from an Australian-based country artist to hit one million streams.

So much so, it was the most fitting way to begin Johnston’s show in Manchester. A barn-storming rendition of ‘Raised Like That’ sparked an early singalong, with Rachel Bostock’s fiddle work further enriching the sound in a live setting.

“I’ve got a feeling we’re going to have a good night,” an excitable Johnston declared before leading into a rowdy ‘Old Country Barn’ that saw Johnston, Bostock and guitarist Dave Webster begin dancing, which truly epitomised the excitement of band and crowd alike. The steady, driving drumming of Troy Wright and Webster’s overdriven guitar were highlights in ‘Small Town’, a track that references Johnston growing up in the tight-knit community of Wingham, New South Wales. ‘Takes Me Back’ was complemented by Wright’s powerhouse drumming and a punchy guitar from Webster.

“Welcome to the party,” Johnston declared after asking who was seeing the four for the first time. It was a fitting statement from Johnston, especially when considering the mood inside the Academy 2 was very party-like. The excitement to see Johnston perform was already high in the lead-up to the event, so much so that Johnston and co. upgraded from the Academy 3 due to the phenomenal demand for tickets.

‘Country Boys’ saw the four seamlessly ad-lib into a snippet of Avicii’s ‘Wake Me Up', with Bostock’s frantic fiddle line and Johnston’s bright acoustic guitar, particularly notable highlights. The fun continued on ‘Country Is For Me’ as Johnston invited a “singing competition”, splitting the floor into two sides to represent Team Dave on the left and Team Rachel on the right. A little bit unexpected, perhaps, but thoroughly entertaining nonetheless, for both performers and audience alike.

Soon after, Johnston invited Jake O’Neill, last night’s opener, back out to take over lead vocals on a cover of Darius Rucker’s ‘Wagon Wheel’ and saw Webster perform a snippet of ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ following an acoustic-driven snippet of ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ from the 35-year-old. ‘I Oughta Know Better’ was a honky-tonk thrill ride, ‘Blame’ featured flawless harmonica punches from Johnston, ‘Keepin’ It Country’ featured a heavy dose of hi-hat from Wright and a driving fiddle part from Bostock, who additionally harmonised with Johnston on ‘Same Songs’, filling Kaylee Bell’s parts impeccably.

‘One More’ was the lights-out moment that left everyone in collective awe; ‘Country Song’ saw Johnston pass the microphone to a lucky fan in attendance, allowing said fan to sing. A reprise of ‘Raised Like That’, which saw a number of fans invited onto the stage to line dance, capped off the evening with Johnston and co in fine form. Johnston’s lyrics, “I wind up wishing for one more night like this,” felt like a fitting reflection of the evening in the Academy 2. It’s without doubt Johnston’s people will be waiting for him to return and hopefully very soon.