News

The new date for Thessaloniki has now been confirmed – James will play at Paok Sports Arena on Tuesday 4th October.  Tickets will be on sale shortly from ticketarena.gr.

We’re very sorry to have to confirm that the second day of 2310 Festival in Thessaloniki, which the band were scheduled to headline this Thursday 7/7, has had to be cancelled due to general strike action in Greece.

James were very much looking forward to this show and we apologise on behalf of the band to all the fans who were planning to attend.

There is some good news though…  We’ll be announcing a new James date in Thessaloniki as soon as we have it confirmed – the show should be in October, so please keep an eye on the site for details.

Refunds for the 2310 tickets are available from point of purchase.

Due to the overwhelming demand for tickets this morning, an additional show has been added for Friday 28th October at the Liverpool Philharmonic – on sale now.  V.I.P. packages plus a small number of standard tickets available here.  Standard tickets priced from £22.50 – £45 available from gigsandtours.com and others.

The general sale for the very special tour this autumn ~ with Orchestra of the Swan & the choir from The Manchester Consort, conducted & arranged by UK composer Joe Duddell ~ commences today at 9:30am.

You can read all about the tour, and check out some great photos of James and Joe from their first collaboration, in the mailer we sent out earlier this week – if you’re not on the list you can view it online here.  Sign up on the home page if you want to be the first to know next time.

Please see the Live page for the full itinerary as well as a range of ticketing links and telephone numbers for each show.  Good luck.

This autumn, an idea and creative ambition the band have long harboured is finally coming to fruition. James will be touring the UK, playing at many of the country’s most beautiful and prestigious classical venues, with a full orchestra and choir.

‘Do something out of character…’

With the help of renowned UK composer & conductor Joe Duddell, the band are enthusiastically delving deep into the back catalogue selecting songs to adapt for orchestra and choir, many of which they haven’t performed in years.

‘…Something you’ve never done before’

The idea of touring with a full orchestra was conceived in 2009 when the band collaborated to magnificent effect with Duddell & the BBC Philharmonic for the Manchester Versus Cancer benefit concert at M.E.N. Arena.

Unfinished business

The band had a ball (as anyone who witnessed the ear to ear smiles all ‘round will attest) and the set, which included both oldies and goldies – from Fairground and Hymn From A Village, to Don’t Wait That Long, Waltzing Along, and She’s a Star, as well as a simply stunning cover of Joy Division’s Atmosphere — went down a storm. The seeds were sown.

It’s all about translation

Speaking of their progress with fellow Mancunian Duddell, the band revealed, “It’s a bit more gritty than you would expect from a classical collaboration and it has a Northern edge!” Booth adds, “The arrangements are really different, our songs are open-ended which is anathema to an orchestra.” Duddell remarks, “James never play the same song twice so the orchestra has had to adjust.” What makes it work is that James have become part of the orchestra itself.

We proudly present

Organising a tour of this nature is not for the faint of heart, and at times we feared it would never come together. But the band were passionate about the idea and persevered, and we are thrilled to finally be able to announce that this October James will hit the road accompanied by Joe Duddell, the highly acclaimed 22-piece Orchestra of the Swan, and a 16-piece choir from The Manchester Consort, for nine very special concerts across mainland Britain:

• Sun 23 Oct ~ Cardiff ~ Wales Millennium Centre
• Mon 24 Oct ~ Birmingham ~ Symphony Hall
• Tue 25 Oct ~ Glasgow ~ Royal Concert Hall
• Thu 27 Oct ~ Nottingham ~ Royal Concert Hall
• Sat 29 Oct ~ Liverpool ~ Philharmonic Hall
• Mon 31 Oct ~ Manchester ~ Bridgewater Hall
• Tue 1 Nov ~ Manchester ~ Bridgewater Hall
• Wed 2 Nov ~ Gateshead ~ The Sage
• Fri 4 Nov ~ London ~ Royal Albert Hall

There is an exclusive fan pre-sale for subscribers to the wearejames.com mailing list beginning at 9:30am on this Wednesday (29th) – if you subscribe please check  our most recent communique for the link.

We will again be offering a very limited number of V.I.P. packages, which include access to a portion of the soundcheck and a short Q&A session with the band, Joe Duddell, and the musical participants. These will be available through our own ticketing shop on Friday morning if they haven’t sold out during the pre-sale.

Sale to the general public begins on Friday 1st July at 9:30am and tickets will be available from gigsandtours.com and other vendors.

The tour this October is quite likely a once in a lifetime experience – for band and fan alike – and we hope you will be there to share and enjoy it with us.

Longtime James supporters Absolute Radio are set up in Hyde Park for the weekend and will be broadcasting live throughout the festival.  We’ve been advised James will definitely feature on the two hour highlights program on Sunday night from 8 – 10pm, and possibly the Saturday night round-up after Bon Jovi’s set too (latter end of 7 – 11pm).  

There will also be an interview with the whole band on the Hometime Show this evening between 5:30 and 6pm.

Tune in on 105.8FM in London, DAB and 1215AM Nationwide, or you can listen online from further afield.

Please note, the stage time for tonight has been moved forward slightly and the band will now take the stage at 5:45pm for a one hour set.

We are pleased to announce we have now confirmed the band’s only Scottish festival appearance for 2011, a headline performance at the tenth annual Wickerman Festival, held near Dundrennan in the southwest of the country.

This alternative festival, often likened to a mini-Glastonbury, is set in a natural amphitheatre amongst the rolling hills of Dumfries and Galloway.  It is a particularly family-friendly event, and offers regular camping facilities as well as luxury tipis for hire, and excellent access for campervans (including electrical hookup for an additional fee) so you can bring the family and be sure of a comfortable weekend whatever Mother Nature decides to throw at you.

The festival takes place over two days, with James closing the Friday night (22nd July), with support over the course of the weekend from a diverse range of bands including The Coral, Echo & The Bunnymen, the Noisettes, The Damned, and hotly tipped singer-songwriter Nathaniel Rateliff, rounded off by a set from Feeder on the Saturday. 

There will also be a giant wicker man set alight at midnight, reenacting the infamous scene in the 1973 horror movie which lent its title to the festival and was filmed in the area.

Jim had this to say of the event: “We’ve heard great things about Wickerman and it’s a joy and a privilege to be playing the festival on its 10th Anniversary. Over the years we have enjoyed incredible support from the Scots and have shared in some unforgettable concerts. As our only festival appearance north of the border this year, we expect a party!”

Tickets are on sale now – see the live page for ticketing links – priced at £90 for the weekend for adults 16 and over, and £45 for 13 – 15 year olds, with those 12 and under (accompanied by a paying adult) going FREE of charge.  For those of you who prefer to maintain a certain degree of comfort and hygiene over camping weekends, you can pre-book unlimited access to hot showers for £8, but you’re advised to book early as numbers are limited.

Hope to see you there!

The band will play a very special 5-song set with the acclaimed Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras (Beiras Philharmonic Orchestra) in Porto tonight to help Portugal’s Rádio Renascença celebrate their 75th birthday.

We are very pleased to confirm that the renowned composer Joe Duddell has travelled over with the band and will be conducting the performance.  They have collaborated previously, most notably at the Manchester Versus Cancer concert in December 2009 when James played with the BBC Philharmonic.

The concert tonight will be filmed for broadcast on Portuguese television later this summer (date TBA) and you will be able to listen in live on local radio, or worldwide via the station’s website.

Broadcast and stream begins at 9:30pm in both the UK & Portugal (11:30pm Greece, 4:30pm East Coast of the US). James are first on, followed by 5 songs each from two Portuguese superstars.

You can access the live stream via the Rádio Renascença website or directly here.

Update: You can watch the performance of Sit Down here, and a brief but interesting interview with soundcheck footage is available to view here.

Jim, Larry and Dave will be playing a 45 minute set at the Cavendish Community Music Festival, joined by a friend from the early days on vocals.*

CavFest  is an all-day family friendly event organised to raise funds for West Didsbury’s Cavendish Primary School, where the progeny of many of Manchester music’s finest have been educated in recent years, including Jim’s two children and now even his granddaughter.

Badly Drawn Boy, Tom Hingley and The Lovers, and many other local bands will also be performing.  There will be food and drink (including a bar), and lots of activities for youngsters so do bring the family along.  The event takes place on Saturday 17the September and will run from noon to 10pm.

Early bird tickets are on sale for a limited time priced at £12.50 for adults 16 and over, £5 for 12-15’s, £2.50 for children 4-11, and 1p for those under the age of 4, with all proceeds going to Cavendish Primary School.  Once these have gone adult tickets will go up to £15 in advance and £17.50 on the door.  The capacity is only 1500 so if you’d like to come down you’d be wise to get your tickets as soon as you can.

* Tim is unable to make it to this one but since it’s for such a good cause, Tom Hingley (of old band pals Inspiral Carpets) is kindly lending his services.

Every summer the Fisherman’s Association of the picturesque coastal town of Cascais celebrate and offer thanks with the 10-day Festas do Mar (Festival of the Sea), and this year they have invited James to join in the festivities. 

There will be activities and entertainment day and night, with live music ranging from traditional folk and Fado to international superstars,  local cuisine and handicraft stalls,  unusual games on the beach (perhaps not for the faint of heart), plenty of wine and dancing, and a spectacular midnight firework display to round off each weekend night.

The peak of the festivities is a colourful maritime-themed procession in honour of Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes (Our Lady of the Navigators), which begins at the local church and winds its way through the streets down to the seafront where waiting boats decorated with flowers, lights, and images of the saint join in and follow the route along the water.

Festas do Mar takes place from 19 – 29 August this year and James will be kicking things off, playing at 10pm on Friday the 19th.  There will be fireworks when they finish.

For anyone wishing to travel to the festival, Cascais is located on the Estoril Coast about 40 minutes by train from Lisbon.

Entry to the whole of the event, including musical entertainment, is free of charge.