Folklore: The James Timeline

James concluded their North American co-headline tour with Johnny Marr. On later dates Tim performed Iggy Pop’s The Passenger with Johnny and his band.

James performed a medley of She’s A Star and Life’s A Shocking Miracle at Manchester AO Arena as part of the official welcome home to Great Britain’s Olympic team.

They also headlined festivals in Devon and Dublin as well as two Portuguese shows in Crato and Vila Nova De Paiva.

James perform at Glastonbury Festival after an eight-date UK tour including a sold-out show at Manchester’s new COOP Live arena and their first ever show at the O2 in London.

As part of a session for Radio 2 at Glastonbury, they do a cover of headliner Dua Lipa’s song Be The One.

James release their eighteenth studio album Yummy and it debuts at number one in the first week, as well as topping the physical and vinyl charts.

They perform sessions for Virgin Radio and BBC Radio 2, covering Coldplay’s Fix You, as well as performing acoustically at HMV London Oxford St as part of a signing session. They also held signing sessions at HMV Manchester and Liverpool Jacaranda.

Tim, Jim, Saul, Dave and Andy headline Music Feeds with an orchestra conducted by Joe Duddell at Manchester Apollo to raise funds for the Trussell Trust. Rowetta accompanied them on stage with backing vocals.

Our World was released as the second single from Yummy and was named BBC Radio 2’s Track Of The Week

James announce their next studio album for release in April 2024 alongside a June 2024 UK arena tour with Razorlight and two headline orchestral shows with Orca 22 and The Manchester Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir at Bedford Summer Sessions and Lytham Festival for July 2024.

James perform an orchestral set with Orca 22 and the Manchester Inspirational Voices Choir at the Acropolis in Greece as well as at Latitude Festival and Leicester De Montfort Hall.

They headline outdoor shows in Liverpool, Halifax (x2), Thessaloniki and Dundee as well as headlining Forest Fest in Co Laois, Ireland and performing at Y Not Festival.

1990 James Singles, the first of a digital streaming series of b-sides from their years with Mercury Records, is released featuring tracks taken from the How Was It For You?, Come Home and Lose Control singles.

James are awarded an Ivor Novello Icon award for songwriting. Tim, Jim, Mark and Saul were reunited with Larry for the ceremony in London where they were presented the award by Jo Whiley.

James finish off their orchestral tour with shows in Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester (x2), Blackpool and London. Shows in Nottingham and Bath are postponed due to illness.

James announce the release of their orchestral album Be Opened By The Wonderful and preview it with a reworking of their 1997 single She’s A Star.

James announce a fifteen date show with the Orca 22 orchestra and Manchester Inspirational Voices choir for Spring 2023. All dates sell out in day.

James play a series of outdoor shows at Bath Racecourse, London Kenwood House, Edinburgh Highland Centre Big Top (replicating the 1998 Barrowlands set) and Black Deer Festival. They finish the month with a War Child gig at Warrington Parr Hall.

James complete their UK and Ireland tour with shows in Dublin, Manchester and London. Their Portuguese tour is postponed to April 2022 after two members contract COVID at the end of the UK tour.

James headline Lancaster’s Highest Point, Warrington Neighbourhood festivals as well as playing Isle Of Wight and Playground festivals and headline shows in Scarborough, Newcastle and Margate.

All The Colours Of You is released on June 6 and reaches number 3 in the UK album charts.

A video for Getting Myself Into, recorded at Broughton Hall in Skipton the previous month featuring the band wearing animal masks, is released.

A major show at Kenwood House in London to celebrate the post-COVID return of live music is postponed as restrictions are extended.

Tim Booth appears on Channel 4 news and BBC Breakfast to talk about the impact of the restrictions on the band.

James release the lead track Beautiful Beaches from their All The Colours Of You album.

They perform the track, All The Colours Of You, Say Something and a cover of I’m A Believer, recorded in isolation, for Jo Whiley’s BBC Radio 2 Sofa Sessions

Two James tracks are featured on the Music Feeds online festival curated by Saul’s Everybody Belongs Here initiative. The first is a soundcheck recording of I Wanna Go Home from Philadelphia in 2018 and the second is the first reveal of a track called Recover from the All The Colours Of You album, recorded in Costa Rica, Scotland, Portugal and London and edited together exclusively for the festival.

Jim bucks the trend of artists performing live from home by reading bedtime stories from his armchair on Facebook Live.

James round off their UK festival season headlining Bingley Live before heading to Iberia for a headline set broadcast live from Lisbon’s Rock In Rio anniversary celebrations and shows at Madrid’s La Riviera and Porto’s Parque Pastelaria. A scheduled performance at the Visor Festival in Benidorm is cancelled due to storms.

They announce that the band will go on a hiatus before regrouping to complete the studio album that were in the middle of writing.

James head to North America for a 24-date co-headline tour with The Psychedelic Furs that runs into August culminating at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

James play two intimate sold-out Portuguese shows in the coliseums of Porto and Lisbon.

James finish off the year with four arena shows at Glasgow SECC, London Wembley Arena, Manchester Arena and Leeds First Direct Arena supported by The Charlatans.  Both Tim and Andy make guest appearances during The Charlatans set at the London and Manchester shows.

Acoustic versions of Many Faces and Backwards Glances are released.

James’ fifteenth studio album Living In Extraordinary Times is released on CD, deluxe CD, cassette, standard black vinyl, webstore only white vinyl, independent store only magenta vinyl and white label test pressing. It reaches number 6 in the UK charts.

They celebrate the release with an acoustic set and signing at Manchester’s HMV store as well as radio sessions for BBC Radio 2, BBC 5 Live and Absolute Radio as well as appearing on Zoe Ball’s ITV show.

They play festival sets at Grande Monte Verde in the Azores, Linlithgow Party In The Park, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Festival de Vilar de Mouros in Caminha, Spain and Electric Fields in Scotland.

James appear on Later With Jools Holland on BBC2 performing Many Faces, Hank, Coming Home (Pt 2) and Sit Down across two episodes.

Coming Home (Pt 2) is released a single with an accompanying video shot by Leif Tilden at Tim’s home in California.  A live video for Better Than That, recorded at their show in Halifax in May, is also revealed.

They play at Rock In Rio Festival in Lisbon, Portugal.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

James open the 2016 Glastonbury Festival with a set on the Friday morning on The Other Stage, their first performance at the festival for eighteen years.

They precede this with their first headline shows in Paris since 1993 and Amsterdam and Berlin since 1992 as part of a short European tour which also includes a live webcast radio concert in Paris. They also perform a session for Radio 2’s Jo Whiley including a cover of Neil Young’s Heart Of Gold, before finishing the month off with a headline show in Sheffield’s Botanical Gardens.

The Greenpeace Palace Concert is released as part of Record Store Day limited to 1,600 copies worldwide on double clear vinyl.

James perform a session for BBC Radio 2’s Dermot O’Leary show.

Prior to the UK tour kicking off the band invite twenty lucky fans to join them at an open rehearsal in the London studio where they have been preparing for the tour.

James play two intimate shows at Manchester Academy 2 and London Scala where they reveal the majority of tracks from Girl At The End Of The World for the first time live before heading to Dubai Jazz Festival for their first show in that country.

The first “proper” single from the album, Nothing But Love, is released.

James headline Bingley Live with Mike Vennart on guitar duties as Adrian Oxaal had prior commitments.

They then head to Portmeirion for Festival Number 6 where Tim, Saul and Jim are reunited with Joe Duddell for a half-hour set with a classical ensemble in the Town Hall on the Saturday before co-headlining the festival with a full-band set on the Sunday.

James play a sold-out and long-awaited headline slot at Delamere Forest for the Forestry Commission as well as sets at Nottingham’s Splendour Festival, a Thursday night Kendal Calling headline and Festa do Albariño in Cambados, Spain.

James open their 2015 festival season with two headline slots at Scarborough Open Air Theatre and Bearded Theory Festival. They debut Nothing But Love in Scarborough, the only time a Girl At The End Of The World song is played live before the album is recorded.

Universal release a 4-disc Super Deluxe version of the Laid / Wah Wah albums as well as an abbreviated 2-disc deluxe version both featuring b-sides and a number of unreleased demos, jams and radio sessions. Both albums are also reissued on double 180g black vinyl with the Universal store also selling limited edition of 500 clear vinyl versions.

James’ UK tour starts with an intimate warm-up show at Stirling’s Albert Halls before heading to Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Liverpool, Glasgow, Newcastle, London’s Royal Albert Hall and Brixton Academy, Birmingham and Leeds. Support comes from Starsailor other than Blossoms in Oxford.

They then head to Portugal where they perform an afternoon guerilla gig in Porto’s Sao Bento station where 3,000 fans turned up to a gig announced in the morning before headline shows in Guimaraes, where they are accompanied by Nicolinos drummers, and Lisbon.

Moving On wins Best Animation In A Video at the UK Music Video Awards.

A radio edit of All I’m Saying is released a single with an exclusive b-side Let Us Die.

La Petite Mort is released in the US and Canada.

The album wins a poll on BBC 6 Music of albums overlooked by the Mercury Music Prize judging panel.

The winner of the Curse Curse remix competition – the RNZ Procrasination Remix – is announced. It is played at some shows on the November tour and is released on the Curse Curse 12″ Record Store Day single in April 2015.

James head to Berlin for a Meet The Musician session at the Apple Store involving a Q and A session and a short set.

They then travel to Ireland for two shows at Bray’s Groove and Waterford’s Daytripper festivals.

A warm-up show at Oxford’s Academy is cancelled due to Tim having a throat infection which puts the Manchester Castlefield Bowl slot in doubt until the last minute. Support at the show comes from Blossoms.

The T In The Park is webcast live around the world before the band head to Europe for shows at Vrachon Theatre in Athens, Benicassim Festival in Spain and the Mares Vivas Festival in Vila Nova da Gaia in Portugal. The latter show is performed in a torrential downpour and is filmed for the Curse Curse single video.

The band’s planned return to the UK is delayed by plane problems at Porto Airport so they miss their planned Saturday set at Latitude Festival. After frantic conversations the band open the 6 Music tent at noon on the Sunday.

A remixed version of Curse Curse is released to radio as a single.

DJ Mag announce a competition in conjunction with the band for a fan remix of Curse Curse to be included on an upcoming 12″ single release. Stems are provided for budding remixers to do their magic on the song and close to 100 entries are made.

The La Petite Mort tour of the UK and Portugal is announced for November.

The video to Moving On is released, directed by BAFTA award winning animator Ainslie Henderson.

James perform four songs – including a cover of Neil Young’s Heart Of Gold – on BBC Radio 2’s Chris Evans show.

They perform Sit Down live on BBC 1 TV ahead of a launch gig at Camden’s Electric Ballroom where they performed eight of the ten songs off the album.

James open the month with a live session on Lauren Laverne’s BBC 6 Music show.

They also finally enter the 21st Century and set up an official @wearejames twitter account.

James complete their summer season with gigs in Kastoria (Greece), Belladrum Festival, Feldkirch Poolbar (Austria), Haldern Festival (Germany), the Chelmsford and Stafford legs of the V Festival before heading to Ireland for shows in Dublin and their first Belfast show in over 20 years.

James headline a Forestry Commission show at Thetford Forest High Lodge supported by the magnificent Frazer King. The show saw them debut Curse Curse and Let Us Die.

They support The Killers at Wembley Stadium but their performance in Riga, Latvia is cancelled as there were significant concerns about the venue’s safety that delayed The Killers’ set for hours and meant James were unable to play.

James return to a London studio to record Moving On and Gone Baby Gone for a planned Record Store Day release in April 2013. Schedules mean that the single is not completed in time to meet the production deadline.

A video of Sit Down featuring Peter Kay and the band on the streets of Bolton was aired as part of the Comic Relief charity event on BBC1.

James announce The Gathering Sound tour of the UK for April 2013.

The release date for the boxset of the same name is set for December 10th. No one believes it until they actually have it in their hand.

James play a double-header weekend at the end of the month, headlining Margate Quex Park’s Sound Island Festival on the Saturday and Kendal Calling on the Sunday.

Multiple updates on the ongoing The Gathering Sound boxset saga have September, October and then November dates in the schedule.

James conclude their tour of the Americas with a first-ever performance in Argentina before returning home to play the rain-sodden Big Stooshie festival in Fife to raise funds for Help For Heroes.

Tim Booth plays “three new songs” at Molly Malone’s in Los Angeles supporting friend Julia Fordham.

James headline three shows in Zaragoza, Thessaloniki and Istanbul as well as playing an impromptu set in a Thessaloniki bar near the infamous White Tower, before returning to the UK for the start of the orchestra tour with The Orchestra Of The Swan and the Manchester Consort Choir playing dates in Cardiff, Birmingham, Glasgow, Nottingham, Liverpool and Manchester.

James headline three shows in Portugal – in Cascais (where they open the set playing Lose Control on a boat in the harbour), Viseu and Funchal (Madeira).

The band, after a year of it appearing in listings, announce the release of The Gathering Sound boxset for October although we do have to eventually wait another 14 months for it.

James announce an October / November tour with Orchestra Of The Swan and the Manchester Consort Choir conducted by Joe Duddell.

They played a five-song set with a Portuguese orchestra as part of Rádio Renascença’s 75th anniversary at Porto’s Estadio do Bessa and supported The Killers in Hyde Park, London.

James play their first shows in South America – a 15,000 sell out show in Lima, Peru and third on the bill at the Lollapalooza festival in Santiago, Chile.

Tim’s second solo album Love Life is released, along with a radio single As Far As I Can See. He starts a UK tour in support of the album including sold-out gigs in Manchester, Glasgow and Leeds.

Tim Booth announces the April release of his solo album Love Life, including a special edition vinyl with extra tracks, and a tour of the UK and Greece to coincide with it.

Track-listings appear on music sites for The Gathering Sound boxset – however, due to manufacturing issues, the release is put back until 2011 at the earliest. James announce that they will offer the VIP package that had been so successful in the US on their upcoming UK tour.

James release the second mini-album The Morning After, which reaches number 19 in the UK charts. James release a 2 CD collection featuring the two UK mini-albums entitled “The Morning After The Night Before” in the US. James headline the Bingley Music Live festival, before heading off to North America for a 21 date tour, taking in the US, Canada and Mexico, supported by Ed Harcourt. James offer fans the opportunity to purchase a VIP package on their North American tour, including access to the sound-check and priority access to the venue.

James make their debut at the Latitude Festival. However, plans to play with an orchestra and choir in the famous Sunday lunchtime slot are thwarted by the organizers. Tim makes his public reading debut in the Poetry Tent with short stories and poems he had written in the previous year. James return to Greece for two massive outdoor shows in Ioannina and Heraklion.

The Night Before mini-album is released and reaches number 20 in the UK charts. James go out on the road for the Mirrorball tour playing shows in Edinburgh, Newcastle, Sheffield, Preston, Cambridge, Southend, Bournemouth, Bristol and Liverpool and a sold out show at the Royal Albert Hall in London. They then head off to Greece to play in Patras and Athens. Between the UK and Greek dates, James record the follow-up mini-album The Morning After in five days, trying to capture a spontaneous live feel to the recordings. A December UK tour is announced entitled “The Morning After The Night Before” tour.

James headline the Versus Cancer gig at Manchester’s MEN Arena, backed by an orchestra. They are joined on stage by Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order and Rowetta for cover versions of Joy Division classics Atmosphere and Transmission.

James head out on a short festival tour, taking in Dublin Academy and Oxegen in Ireland and Scotland’s T In The Park before playing three sweltering nights at the outdoor Earth Theatre in Thessaloniki, Greece.

James perform their first North American tour for 11 years. They play two shows in Boston and then move onto Philadelphia, Washington, New York, Asbury Park, Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Anaheim, Mexico City and Guadalajara.

James headline three further Portuguese festivals in Crato, Agueda and Sao Miguel (Azores).

James appear as a five-piece on the legendary KCRW show Morning Becomes Eclectic in Santa Monica, CA. The following night, they play a low-key acoustic show at Los Angeles Spaceland, their first US show for eleven years. James play the main stage of the Isle of Wight Festival. Manchester band, The Courteeners, who had been segueing a section of Tomorrow into their hit What Took You So Long live, release a cover of Out To Get You as the b-side to their single No You Didn’t, No You Don’t.

Hey Ma is released. James promote it with a lunchtime in-store show in Manchester’s HMV store. The album charted at number 10 in the UK and number 3 in Greece. James perform a sell-out UK tour featuring shows in Bradford, Derby, Lincoln, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, London, Norwich, Oxford, Bristol, Blackpool, Edinburgh and Aberdeen and announce a December arena tour. James are the main act on BBC2’s Later With Jools show on 28th April.

James retire to Chateau de Warsy in France with Lee Muddy Baker and record the album Hey Ma.

James perform at festivals throughout the summer in Latvia, Portugal, Turkey, Greece Spain and Ireland as well as the T In The Park, Belladrum and V Festivals in the UK.

The Best Of compilation Fresh As A Daisy – The Singles – is released. James perform a triumphant sold-out tour of the UK taking in shows in Glasgow, Newcastle, Birmingham, London and Manchester. James perform two secret gigs – in Manchester HMV’s basement store and at the Club Academy where they first met.

James announce that they will be reforming for shows later in the year. Seven UK shows sell out on the day tickets go on sale, 35,000 tickets being shifted in a matter of hours.

Tim Booth plays Judas and performs Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now and Blue Monday as part of BBC’s Manchester Passion reworking of the Easter story.

James release Seven – The Live DVD featuring the 1991 video release with additional bonus videos.

Tim Booth does a short radio tour of the US.

James The Collection is released.

Tim Booth tours the UK playing at the Move Festival, T In The Park, Bristol, Oxford, London, Brighton, Guilfest, Birmingham and Norwich.

Tim Booth and the Individuals play their first UK tour in Portsmouth, Liverpool, Cardiff and London.

Tim Booth plays first solo shows supporting The LoveGods in Brighton, as part of Manchester In The City festival and supporting The Music at the ICA in London as part of an Amnesty International festival.

James play their final UK shows with Tim Booth taking in Brighton, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and London. Former band members Larry Gott and Andy Diagram are slated to join the band for those shows. They are joined on stage by Brian Eno for Sometimes at the “final” show at Wembley Arena.

Mercury Records reissue four James albums – Gold Mother, Laid, Seven and Whiplash – with extra live and remix tracks plus B-Sides Ultra. All fail to chart.

  Tim Booth announces through the James official website that he intends to leave the band after the December UK tour to pursue other interests.

Rumours surface that James and Mercury Records are to part company after the Pleased To Meet You album. This was confirmed two weeks later by the band. James headline the Benicassim Festival in Spain and the Guildford Festival in England on consecutive nights before heading to Ireland for the Witnness Festival before enduring the stigma of supporting Bryan Adams at Nottingham’s Cities in the Park event.

James release the only single from the Pleased To Meet You album – Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) – it peaks at Number 22. James play a special one-off gig for XFM at the Sound nightclub in Leicester Square, London.

James play at Jacques Villeneuve’s charity ski event near Geneva in Switzerland.

James – Folklore: The Official History by Stuart Maconie is release by Virgin Books 9th November. James support Smashing Pumpkins at the Centurion Supersport Park in South Africa – their first ever gig in that country.

James headline several Portuguese festivals, an MTV Five Night Stand concert in London (supported by Coldplay) and become one of the first Western bands to play China.

We’re Going To Miss You single released. James, supported by Cast, play an seven-date arena tour of the UK.

Millionaires album and Just Like Fred Astaire single released. James play two secret shows at Norwich UEA and London’s Embassy Rooms to coincide with the release of the Millionaires album.

I Know What I’m Here For single released. James play a warm-up show at Liverpool L2 and then steal the show at the second day of T In The Park. James play a spectacular one-off show at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool with Mark entering from the floor playing the Wurlitzer and the band backed with PVC-clad dancing girls. James headline the Guildford Festival.

James embark on an arena tour of nine dates including sold out dates at Wembley Arena and Manchester Nynex, supported by Stereophonics and Gene. Eight new songs are unveiled during the tour.

James play a warm-up show in Carlisle ahead of two performances at the V98 festival in Leeds and Chelmsford.

James headline the Finsbury Park Fleadh. James almost cancel Glastonbury Festival appearance due to a clash with the England vs Columbia World Cup match.

James spend two weeks at Bath’s Real World Studios rehearsing for the tour and writing new material. James play a six-date sold-out Greatest Hits tour in Manchester, Glasgow, Doncaster and Brixton.

James play invitation-only secret acoustic gig at London Whitfield Street Studios which is recorded for the Unhinged bonus CD given away with early copies of the Best Of.

James return to the UK to play Reading Festival. James cancel V97 appearance due to Lollapolooza commitments. .

Waltzing Along single released. Dance offshoot Money make their only ever live appearance at the Toronto WXNE Festival. James cancel Glastonbury appearance due to Lollapolooza commitments. .

Tomorrow single released.

Whiplash album and She’s A Star single released. A friend of Saul’s in Toronto, Michael Kulas, is drafted in to add backing vocals.

I Believe is released. Tim’s Booth’s side project album Booth and the Bad Angel is released with a single. James act as the backing band for Booth and the Bad Angel on BBC’s Later With Jools Holland show.

The Booth and the Bad Angel album is finished in Liverpool with the assistance of Bernard Butler who tried to convince Tim to leave James and form a band with him.

James spent two weeks in Westside Studios with Brian Eno.

Wah Wah album released.

James return to the UK to play the Glastonbury Festival, Larry’s last UK gig in his first stint in the band.

Martine resigns as James manager, Peter Rudge takes over worldwide representation.

James start an extensive tour of the US.

James tour the UK again supported by Radiohead. Andy Diagram makes a one-off reappearance at the Manchester show.

After a full-scale US tour is cancelled due to marketing disagreements, James play two low-key shows in California.

Sometimes single released. James headline the WOMAD Festival in Carlylon Bay, Cornwall.

James play a one-off gig at Bath Moles Club as an attempt to record a live album and roadtest the new songs.

James play six dates in Japan with The Soup Dragons. Returning to the UK, James play five acoustic shows in Leeds, Glasgow, Bristol, Manchester and London, the latter being recorded for a Radio 1 In Concert broadcast.

Seven EP single released. James headline their own triumphant show at Alton Towers supported by PIL in front of 30,000 people. The gig was broadcast live on Radio 1 and almost had to be cancelled as high winds blew the stage roof off earlier in the day. After playing the Fort Le Neuilay festival in Calais, a couple of members of the band and the crew are attacked in a nightclub in Calais as the festival degenerates into violence. James are offered an acoustic support slot for Neil Young’s US tour and are contacted by Brian Eno with a view to him producing James next album.

James follow their US tour with dates in France, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy and Portugal.

Seven album and Live Video released. James return and play their first US gig – an outdoor rain-soaked free show in San Francisco’s Union Square.

James play a pre-Christmas fan-club show at Warrington Parr Hall previewing all 11 tracks from the Seven album, the show being filmed for subsequent release as the Seven Live Video.

James complete recording of the Seven album with Youth at Olympic Studios in London. James embark on their biggest ever tour, 31 sold out dates previewing most of the Seven album, which should have been ready to coincide with the tour.

James preview three new songs – Heavens, Protect Me and Born of Frustration – live on Channel 4’s Friday Night At The Dome.

Come Home live video released.

Three weeks before the single release, James perform Sit Down on Terry Wogan’s primetime BBC chat show.

They head to Paris and play a secret show at the Locomotive Club where they reveal ten songs from the recording sessions for Seven that they are in the middle of.

Lose Control single released. James sell out a mini tour taking in Newcastle, Glasgow and Brixton, completed with two triumphant nights at Manchester’s 10,000 capacity G-Mex. The second night is filmed for later release on the Come Home live video. A proposed mini-tour of the Soviet Union is cancelled at the last moment.

Gold Mother album released. Come Home single released. James tour the UK on their World Cup tour taking days off when England have matches. At the end of the tour, they play a triumphant show at Glastonbury.

How Was It For You? single released.

Come Home single released. James perform a triumphant UK tour despite being flu-ridden for most of it. Audiences take to stage invasions and mass sit-downs when Sit Down is played.

Andy Diagram joins James and he and Mark play their first gig with the band in Liverpool. Sit Down single is released and reaches #77 in the UK charts.

Saul and Dave join the James and have their first gig at Newcastle Riverside. One Man Clapping is released.

Ya Ho single released. Strip-mine album released. Using a loophole in their record contract stating that Sire must inform the band in writing six months after delivery of the second album that they wanted to take up the option of five more albums, James break free from Sire.

What For single released. James play a small UK tour to promote the release of What For.

James play two nights at Manchester Green Rooms including an acoustic set.

James play two live shows at London ULU, broadcast by GLR, and Northampton Ring The Bells as preparation for their upcoming recording sessions.

James play a series of UK dates including a three-night residency at the London ICA.

So Many Ways single released.James play a series of UK dates to coincide with the release of the Stutter album.

James record their debut album Stutter with Lenny Kaye at Amazon Studios in Liverpool.

James play a series of shows including the Manchester Platt Fields Festival and Bristol Aston Court Festival.

James announce to Factory Records that they want to leave the label and record for a major label.

James tour the UK as special guests of The Smiths on their Meat Is Murder tour from February to April, fuelling still further press comparisons of the two bands.

The James II EP is recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport.

Jim marries Jennie Ingram.

December: James support New Order at Brixton Academy, their first major London show

James play their first John Peel session for Radio One.

James support Big Country at the Hacienda in a show recorded for A Factory Outing video.

James record a four-track demo – Hymn From A Village, If Things Were Perfect, Withdrawn and What’s The World – with Nick Garside at Out Of The Blue – Tim’s first recorded work with the band.

Model Team International record their first real demos in Hulme with Jenny Ingram on vocals.

James, or Venereal and The Diseases as they were then known, play their first ever show at Eccles British Legion.