The Better Than That EP is announced for release on 10″ vinyl / CD / download on May 18th and the title track is premiered by Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music.
Category Archives: History
March 2018
As a warm up to the summer festivals and their upcoming album, James announce a short 7-venue tour. The ‘Better Than That’ tour focuses on smaller venues (less than 2,000) and sells out almost instantly.
February 2018
The band announce a series of summer festival dates in the UK and Spain. On Twitter Tim says that the new album will be released in July.
James issue the following statement to mark the passing of The Fall’s Mark E. Smith: “Not only musically inspiring a hunt for originality, where melody meets grit and ideas, but also a bloody minded, fuck-you Manc attitude. The Fall gave us so many support slots. It’s where we fumbled around trying to find our feet. In a parallel universe The Fall are quite rightly the biggest band on the planet. Immeasurable thanks and praise.”
December 2017
Five albums from the back-catalogue are re-released, all on double heavyweight vinyl. Gold Mother, Seven and Whiplash are all reissues although the first two have revised tracklistings, but it is the first time that Millionaires and Pleased To Meet You are available on vinyl.
On Twitter Tim indicates that he’s finished recording all the vocals for the band’s new album.
James top off their year with a stunning, two-set intimate gig at their home-town’s Albert Hall to benefit the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, the first featuring two new songs Mask and Many Faces with a string quartet arranged by long-term collaborator Joe Duddell.
Tim announces that Ron Yeadon is taking paternity leave from the band.
October 2017
James start recording new songs for the upcoming album including one called Mask that Tim references on Twitter. Composer and producer Beni Giles joins Charlie Andrews for the production.
The band announces a special concert to benefit the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund at the city’s Albert Hall. Tickets sell out in minutes.
August 2017
The end of the summer tour is marred by the chaotic Liverpool Hope and Glory Festival, where James headline the first day. A lack of preparation and oversight by the event promoter leads to crowd safety issues and the second day being cancelled including Tim’s planned performance of Moving On with the Hacienda Classical.
Tim, clearly frustrated on behalf of fans, gets into a Twitter spat with the tour promoter.
Between gigs the band works on new material for a 2018 album at Yellow Arch Studios in Sheffield.
July 2017
James release remastered versions of Stutter and Strip-mine as a double CD named Justhipper. It also contains non-album singles, B sides and different mixes.
The band starts their UK summer festival season with a warm-up gig in Leicester, where they premier two new songs, Busted and Overdose.
Their packed Castlefield Bowl gig is their first hometown performance since the terrorist attacks at Manchester Arena earlier in the year. For the gig the band produces a unique ‘Manchester Bee’ t-shirt, with each sale providing a donation to the Manchester Emergency Fund.
Further shows at Kew Gardens, Pennfest and Newcastle Times Square see them play two more new songs Backward Glances and Trouble. At Newcastle Tim and Jim join support act Peter Hook And The Light for a one-off version of the Joy Division classic Love Will Tear Us Apart.
April 2017
At the Roxy Fest in Guadalajara, James play second on the bill to their old friend Morrissey.
March 2017
James play their first gig of 2017 in El Plaza Condesa in Mexico City and debut a new song called Trouble.
Sit Down is used in the trailer for the seventh series of Game Of Thrones.
December 2016
In a return to Portugal James play Lisbon’s MEO Arena. The band then return to the UK for dates with The Slow Readers Club in Nottingham, Wolverhampton and Sheffield and with The Charlatans at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. Following the tour the band decamp to Sheffield to write songs for their fifteenth album.
Nothing But Love is featured in the Amazon Christmas adverts.
A July 2017 show at Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl is announced and sells out in under an hour.
November 2016
James play their first shows in Australia and New Zealand starting in Auckland and moving through Wellington, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne before finishing in Fremantle.
July 2016
Dear John is released as single, with a video.
James play a short series of European festival dates in Latvia, Greece, Spain, Romania and Portugal alongside a last-minute headline slot at the Beat Herder festival.