News

The band have been invited to join The Killers as special guests at their largest show to date – capacity 90,000 – at Wembley Stadium this summer.

Tickets are available now from gigsandtours.com, ticketline.co.uk, and a variety of other vendors – see the Live page for a range of links.

We’re pleased to announce that James will be returning to the magnificent Belladrum Estate in the Highlands this summer, to headline the 10th Anniversary of the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.

Their previous performance at the festival in 2007 has been acclaimed as one of the most celebrated moments in Bella history; naturally the band were delighted to accept the invitation to help make their 10th birthday bash a night to remember.

This independent, multi-award-winning festival is known for eclectic line-ups featuring plenty of Scottish talent, offbeat non-musical entertainments, and a family-friendly, all-ages atmosphere. Belladrum is set in a spectacular wooded Highland location, with the stage overlooking the ruined Italianate gardens of the country house.

James will close the festival, taking the stage on Saturday 3 August.

Full weekend, child (12 & unders are free but do require booking), campervan/caravan and electrical hook-up e-tickets can be purchased via the festival’s website, and you’ll find details of a variety of outlets from which you can buy in person or over the phone, as well as a breakdown of booking fees for each vendor (shop around, you may save a few pounds) on their ticketing page.

In an effort to offer great value for money in these rather austere times, prices have been held at 2012 levels, booking fees have been reduced on e-tickets, and a new ticket deposit scheme has been introduced for customers wishing to buy full weekend tickets in installments. Bella has sold out each of the last four years (often months in advance), so fans are urged to buy early to avoid disappointment.

The 2013 theme is ‘Carnival’, in keeping with the birthday party atmosphere the milestone event is bound to create. Hope you’ll be joining us.

Andy Diagram – trumpeter extraordinaire – and his band Spaceheads have a brand new EP out today.

Sun Radar is available on heavyweight vinyl LP (£6.99), CD (£2.99) or download, directly from their official site. Both physical formats include a free instant download of all 4 tracks in your choice of FLAC or MP3.

They’ve also made two new music videos to accompany the release.  You can watch the title track Sun Radar, and Atomic Clock on the SpaceheadsTV channel on YouTube.

For regular news and updates on Andy’s various side projects, you may wish to become a fan of the Andy Diagram Trumpet page on Facebook.  He’s got his hands full with The Gathering Sound Tour until the end of April, but there will be an EP launch party in London (Stoke Newington) on 10 May – for more info check out the Spaceheads Facebook page.

For those who’ve been longing for an opportunity to see the band in a more intimate setting, here’s your chance.

James will be playing a special low key warm up gig in a cracking but teeny venue, the Tolbooth in Stirling, the night before the tour proper kicks off down the road at the SECC.

The Tolbooth holds just 200, so you’ll have to be fleet of finger and have luck on your side to secure a ticket. They’re on sale tomorrow morning – Thursday 21 March – at 10am, and will be available online via Ticketweb, in person or over the phone from the Tolbooth box office (01786 27 4000), the Albert Halls on Dumbarton Road (01786 47 3544), and macrobert at the University (01786 46 6666).

Update:  This gig is now sold out – in a speedy 6 minutes – congratulations to those who managed to snag a ticket, and commiserations to those who weren’t so lucky.  If you missed out, try asking nicely on our forum, someone may have a spare now or nearer the time they’re willing to pass on at face value.

As viewers the length and breadth of the country discovered tonight, comedian and longtime James fan Peter Kay has just undertaken “one of the most gruelling Comic Relief challenges to date” – travelling by sofa from Belfast to London, to raise funds for the charity as part of the Comic Relief – Funny for Money campaign.

Peter made a triumphant arrival live at BBC Television Centre just before 9pm, with highlights of the highs and lows of his extraordinary journey shown on the programme. To accompany the sketch, he also recorded a brand new music video for the classic James track Sit Down, featuring six of our lot out and about on the streets of Stockport.

We encourage all of you to download this entertaining and moving rendition of an old favourite, as the proceeds will go to a very worthy cause. Comic Relief was launched on Christmas Day 1985, and has been raising funds – over £800 million to date – to help change the lives of poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged people across both the UK and Africa.

Let’s all do our bit to support this great cause – the Peter Kay ‘Sit Down’ video featuring the band (along with the full sketch) is available to download in standard or HD right now, exclusively from iTunes, with proceeds going to Comic Relief.

The band had a blast filming with Peter and the local flora and fauna, we hope you have as much fun watching it.

You can also donate directly to Comic Relief here.

Thanks for your support.

P.S. To all you newcomers who’ve been dropping by tonight, welcome! It may be of interest that Mercury Records have reduced the price of the band’s ‘Best Of’ collection on iTunes (to £4.99), to mark the band’s Comic Relief appearance and give you an easy way in. For the more adventurous, you’ll find plenty of choice in the wearejames.com discography, and CD bargains to be had on Amazon and elsewhere too – head here for info on all the albums and where to find them online. If you’re after a compilation, Fresh As A Daisy – The Singles (the 2 disc version) is a belter.

Be sure to tune in to Comic Relief on BBC One tonight between 7-10pm, you may see a few familiar faces…

The band are thrilled to be playing their first ever Forest Live concert this summer, on Thursday 13 June in Thetford Forest.

Forest Live is an independent programme organised by the Forestry Commission, which aims to bring music to new audiences without commercial branding or sponsorship. Income generated from ticket sales is spent on improving the local forests for both people and wildlife. These concerts are renowned for their safe and relaxed atmosphere in fantastic woodland settings. Terrific cause, wonderful location – this is one not to miss!

Tickets will be priced at £38 (plus booking fees) and available from 9am this Friday, 15 March. You can buy online or over the telephone from the Forestry Commission box office on 03000 680400.

Exciting news on the music front. Following on from Tim, Jim and Larry’s writing sessions in Porto, Athens, Manchester and the Highlands last year, the band are presently in the studio in London recording.

Tim referred to one of the tracks as their “probable next single”, and Larry let slip that they were recording two tracks – working titles ‘Gone Baby Gone’ and ‘Moving On’ – with producer Max Dingel (Muse, The Killers, White Lies, Glasvegas, John Cale, Goldfrapp, The Music), for “imminent release”…

First festival of the season confirmed today – James will be playing at V Chelmsford and Stafford the weekend of 17th and 18th August.

Tickets go on sale this Friday 1st March at 9am, and will be available from gigsandtours.com (0844 871 8816), Ticketline (0844 888 9991), and various other official outlets. There will be both Weekend (with and without camping) and Day tickets available, as well as campervan passes and a selection coach-inclusive packages. Visit the V site for more information on prices and vendors.

Jim and Larry will be stopping by the 6 Music studio for a chat with Radcliffe and Maconie next Tuesday, 15 January. Tune in between 1-4pm; you can listen online here via the BBC iPlayer.