Legendary Manchester indie band James are coming to Sheffield on 4th May, playing City Hall ahead of the release of their new album, Be Opened By The Wonderful. The new double album is a celebration of the band’s 40th anniversary, and sees the band reimagining some of their most loved, as well as some of their rarest, songs, with a 22-piece orchestra and an 8-piece choir. Ahead of their Sheffield tour date, as well as the release of their album on the 9th June, I spoke with guitarist Saul Davies about their new album, the upcoming tour, and Sheffield.
Hey Saul, are you and the band looking forward to this tour? How are you feeling about touring with the full orchestra and choir?
Yeah it’s very exciting. It’s been 12 years since we last did a tour like this. It’s definitely a nice way to mark the 40th anniversary, and the venues are a bit smaller than we usually play which obviously a bit in unusual but definitely in a good way, it means the shows should be a bit more intimate.
‘Be Opened By The Wonderful’ is a reimagining of some of James’ most loved and rare songs, with a 22-piece orchestra and an 8-piece choir. Was it difficult making sure you guys weren’t just changing songs for the sake of it?
I think, as a band, we were definitely aware of the pitfalls of making an album like this. We could have just done, you know, a ‘greatest hits’ album, but we wanted to do something different. Joe [producer Joe Duddell] picked the songs, and a lot of them were lesser-known ones, which we definitely liked.
Did the new accompaniments give you any greater appreciation for any of your songs?
I think specifically ‘Someone’s Got It In For Me’ sounds great, and I was surprised by how original they made it sound. It’s a very personal song to me, and to hear it reworked that way was really beautiful.
How are you feeling about the tour? Obviously it will be a bit of a different performance than a typical ‘James’ gig?
We’re very excited for the tour, definitely. Within an afternoon all the tickets had sold out so it should be a really great experience. But yeah, with the actual performances themselves, there will be about 40 people on stage, which does present some logistical challenges, but I am really excited for it. As I mentioned before, the venues we’re playing are slightly smaller than we typically would play, so it should be a really intimate, which we’ll definitely cherish. I suppose it’s quite a risky way for us to present ourselves, and it could be seen as self-indulgent, but I like to think we’re a warm and heartfelt band and it should be received well.
You played Tramlines last summer & you’re coming here again on the tour. Is it safe to say you guys like Sheffield crowds?
Definitely! Sheffield is such an amazing music city, and actually a lot of the writing of the last 3 albums we did was done at Yellow Arch Studios! Sheffield has definitely had a big effect on the band. It is a bona fide music city.
It seems that you guys have recently had somewhat of a renaissance recently in regards to your success as a band, and it seems like many younger people are discovering you. Would you agree with this?
Yeah definitely, I don’t quite know why students are getting into us, but it’s great and it’s been really nice. We are definitely enjoying a renaissance, in some ways at least. Obviously we came up a lot thanks to the radio but that isn’t such a thing anymore, although we definitely still have people like Six Music behind us. But I guess, with streaming and the like, students are finding us, or their parents have been fans of us and have introduced them to us. We’ve been very pleasantly surprised by the reaction.
Have you guys got anything else?
Yeah so we have done a lot of writing, and I’d expect we’ll be continuing the 40th Anniversary celebrations into next year. There will definitely be some new gigs and festival slots.
One thing we have definitely confirmed in a gig at the Acropolis in Athens. That could be such an iconic gig, and it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I think it is really amazing that we get these opportunities as a band, and it really does make me reflect on the amazing longevity and success we’ve been able to experience. We’re not a band who goes round telling everyone how great we are, but now, with people seemingly re-appraising us a band, I think I am starting to appreciate some of the things we have done and are able to do.
James’ new album, Be Opened By The Wonderful, comes out on 9th June, and can be pre-ordered here.