Category Archives: News
James Single – Melody Maker News
JAMES are set to return with a new single at the beginning of next month and an LP in the new year.
The single is called “Sound”and is set for a November 11 release by Phonogram. It’s backed by “Come Home”and a new song “All My Sons”.
Q Magazine Feature
James career should have ground to a resounding halt in 1988. They had left the Sire label after two singly unsuccessful albums and accumulated debts of £50,000. Instead they ploughed on, building a fanatical following in their native Manchester. The line-up expanded as James’ twisted, almost folky approach was married to a twisted almost dancey beat. “A&R people used to seeing crowds of 30 would see 2000 in our audiences and wonder why we weren’t signed,” remembers singer Tim Booth, once a Bez-type dancer. “They thought there was something wrong with us.”
After a live album, One Man Clapping, Fontana took the plunge. Three singles and the Gold Mother album charted in 1990, James audience extended beyond Greater Manchester and finally they looked poised for the big breakthrough in 1991. It came with Sit Down, a song from 1989, re-recorded and re-released. “The mechanism to reach the public wasn’t ready at the time,” says Booth. “It’s slower than James. We have to wait for it to catch up.”
Sit Down charged towards the top 5 as if making up for 9 lost years and Fontana had the seemingly quirky idea of re-pressing Gold Mother (including Sit Down) and giving purchasers the opportunity to replace it for free. It entered the chart at Number 2 to all-round hosannas, not least because of the precedent-setting marketing ploy.
James are headlining Saturday night at the Reading Festival, their own crowds are larger and possibly more fanatical than before (hence the live version of Sit Down where the song stops and the crowd take over for nigh on 15 minutes), and Tim Booth is confident: “We developed a theory that the longer it took, the bigger we’d be. It took us a long time getting here and now we won’t bloody leave.”
Secret One-Off Gig Is Off – Manchester Evening News
Whisper it if you dare – top Manchester band James have arranged a secret gig at the Hacienda tonight. Now say it loud from the rooftops – it’s been cancelled.
The city’s pop grapevine has been buzzing with the news that the band, whose last single was a top five smash hit, were to play a hush-hush warm-up gig before they headline the massive Reading Festival this weekend in front of 35,000 fans.
Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam, an old pal of the band’s singer Tim Booth, arranged the special one-off concert for around 1,500 in-the-know fans at the top nightclub, even though the band played to 20,000 fans at G-MEX earlier this year.
But Tim has returned from a gig in Austria last week with a sore throat – and Dave is now busy spreading the word that the gig that no-one supposedly knew about is off.
“It was hard enough publicising it through word-of-mouth,” says a disappointed Dave. “But it’s a bit difficult telling people it isn’t on when it wasn’t officially happening anyway. “Tim doesn’t want to give a half-baked show and wants to save his voice for Reading. He decided he couldn’t risk it.”
Sounds Tim and Miles Hunt Caption
James And Kylie Rereleases Stir Up Chart Row – Melody Maker
James Major Tour – Melody Maker News
JAMES, currently enjoying their first major hit with Sit Down, have lined up their biggest tour to date taking in 27 cities and including two nights at the Brixton Academy. The band are currently in the studio working on the follow-up to “Gold Mother”. It should be released in September.
The tour kicks off at Newcastle City Hall on October 1 and continues at Sheffield City Hall (2), Birmingham Aston Villa Leisure Centre (4), Hanley Victoria Hall (5), Nottingham Royal Centre (8), Leicester De Montfort Hall (9), Hull City Hall (10), Bradford St George’s Hall (12), Wolverhampton Civic Hall (13), Bristol Studio (15), Exeter University (16), St Austell Cornwall Coliseum (17), Oxford Apollo (20), Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall (21), Portsmouth Guildhall (22), Brixton Academy (24 and 25), Brighton Event (28), Cambridge Com Exchange (29), Norwich UEA (30), Newport Centre (November 1), Preston Guildhall (2), Middlesbrough Town Hall (3), Glasgow Barrowlands (5), Aberdeen Capitol (8), Edinburgh Playhouse (9) and Liverpool Royal Court (11).
Tickets are priced £8.50 in the provinces, £9.50 in London.
James Head Out On Massive UK Tour – NME News
JAMES head out on a massive UK Autumn tour.
This week’s cover stars play Carlisle Sands Centre (September 30), Newcastle City Hall (October 1), Sheffield City Hall (2), Birmingham Aston Villa Leisure Centre (4), Hanley VictoriaHall (5), Nottingham Royal Centre (8), Leicester De Montfort Han (9), Hull City Hall (10), Bradford St Georges Hall (12), Wolverhampton Civic Hall (13), Bristol Studio (15), Exeter University (16), St Austell Colisseum (17), Oxford Apollo (19), Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall (21), Portsmouth Guildhall (22), Brixton Academy (24 and 25), Brighton Event (28), Cambridge Corn Exchange (29), Norwich UEA (30), Newport Centre (November 1), Preston Guildhall (2), Middlesbrough Town Hall (3), Glasgow Barrowlands (5), Aberdeen Capitol (8), Edinburgh Playhouse (9) and Liverpool Royal Court (11).
Come Home James – Manchester Evening News
Fans of those Manchester homeboys James are looking forward to April 15.
That’s the date when the full-length, live video of their December G-Mex gig hits the shops.
While their single Sit Down goes up the chart, what are Tim Booth, Jim Glennie, Larry Got, Dave Bayton-Power, Sau Davis, Mark Hunter and Andy Diagram up to?
Well — the word is they are currently recording their new album and bracing themselves for a massive UK tour to co-incide with the autumn release. since they formed in 1983 the band have gone from strength to strength
More Settee Vicar – NME
James Mega Tour For September – Sounds News
JAMES play a massive 28-date tour later this year to coindde with the release of the follow-up to their album ‘Gold Mother’, which the band are currently working on.
The dates are at Carlisle Sands Centre on September 30 then Newcastle City Hall October 1, Sheffield City Hall 2, Birmingham Aston Villa Leisure Centre 4, Hanley Victoria Hall 5, Nottingham Royal Centre 8, Leicester De Montfort Hall 9, Hull City Hall 10, Bradford St George’s Hall 12, Wolverhampton Civic Hall 13, Bristol Studio 15, Exeter University 16, St Austell Cornwall Coliseum 17, Oxford Apollo 20, Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall 21, Portsmouth Gulldhall 22, London Brixton Academy 24 & 25, Brighton Event 28, Cambridge Com Exchange 29, Norwich UEA 30, Newport Centre November 1, Preston Guildhall 2, Middlesbrough Town Hall 3, Glasgow Barrowlands 5, Aberdeen Capitol 8, Edinburgh Playhouse 9, Liverpool Royal Court 11.
Tickets are priced £8.50 for all dates except the two London dates which are £9.50- and they’re on sale now,so get on down to those box-offices and usual agents.
James Album – Melody Maker News
JAMES re-release their “Gold Mother” album this week with a new track listing.
The current single, “Sit Down”, and the last single “Lose Control”, are now added in place of “HangOn”and”Crescendo”.
Anyone wishing to swap their original LP for the reissue can do so in any Our Price store before May 20.
The band are currently in the studio, recording a new album, due to be released in September.