Fancy yerself a bit of a Manc scally do yer? Because if you do, James tickets are on sale now! James concert dates have been officially confirmed and their American audience will get to see them one more time. The former “Madchester” band are to reunite for a US tour this fall; the James tour schedule will carry the band through September and into October but that’s your lot – if you want to buy James tickets then move now as there aren’t many to go round. James recently released “Hey Ma”, their first album in 7 years and last year’s double-disc “Fresh as a Daisy: The Singles” has brought all you old scallywags out of the closet and into the light. Despite being in the public eye since the early-80s, James didn’t properly arrive until the early-90s. Indeed, when Manchester United won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in Rotterdam in 1991, the crowd danced and sang James’ “Sit Down” en masse. The song became an anthem for Man United soccer fans to the extent that when United won the UEFA Champions Cup 8 years later in Barcelona it was played on the stadium PA system.
The Madchester era was a while ago now but still the stories, books and documentaries continue. James were at the heart of that scallywag storm and James songs such as “Come Home”, “How Was It For You?” and “Lose Control” were often heard echoing from the Manchester council estates and suburbs. Despite the band being a mixture of locals and students, they were accepted by most as a working-class type outfit comparable to others like Happy Monday, The Stone Roses and The Charlatans. Tim Booth’s distinctive vocals coupled to the deep guitar of Larry Gott became the defining sound and it is this that will tour America in 2008. James have been responsible for employing numerous support bands who went on to greater success than James themselves, including Coldplay, Third Eye Blind and Radiohead. Their music has traced a strange arc, from basic guitar sound to experimental to electronica-based remixes, but it has always entranced and been welcomed by lovers of the Madchester scene.
And what of that Madchester scene? Where did it go? Are all those blissed out groovers hibernating under some enchanted rock, waiting for all those old bands to reform and start the whole thing off again? Just lately there have been films made about Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis and the soccer scene in the city, not to mention recollections of the Manchester Perry Boys and the football casuals that evolved from them. Those old enough to remember Madchester and James will think of stroboscopes and naughty nights spent dancing like a geometrically-challenged ape in a crowd of like-minded storm-troopers. If you’re hungering for a taste of that Madchester nostalgia, grab a slice of James pie and feel the heat. It’s been a long time since those stroboscopes were turned off and cooled down. Then again, Madchester is proving to be a dish that is still pretty tasty when served cold…
