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.
Category Archives: History
September 1992
James support Neil Young on his acoustic US tour. Andy leaves the band at the end of the summer.
July 1992
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.
June 1992
James headline Saturday night at Glastonbury as a late replacement for Morrissey, kicking off the show with a cover of Morrissey’s We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful, reportedly a tribute to James.
May 1992
James follow their US tour with dates in France, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy and Portugal.
March 1992
Ring The Bells single released. Starting in Toronto, James first North American tour is a massive success with 11 sold-out shows.
February 1992
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.
January 1992
As the band travel to LA to film the Born of Frustration video, Larry is mugged at gunpoint on Sunset Boulevard and catches the next flight home. Tour manager Richard stands in for the video shoot in a very concealing hat and coat. Born Of Frustration single released.
1991 James Timeline
January: James play Wembley Arena as part of the indie night of the Brit Awards
January: James play five songs included the unreleased Ring The Bells on the roof of Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester. 5,000 people turned up and the Manchester traffic was brought to a standstill
February – March: James retire to the Manor complex in Oxford to start recording the follow-up to Gold Mother
February: Three weeks before the single release, James perform Sit Down on Terry Wogan’s primetime BBC chatshow.
March: Sit Down single released
March: James play a secret show at Paris La Locomotive club where they preview ten songs from their recent demos that were to form the basis of the Seven album, albeit sounding radically different and including Pressure’s On and the unreleased Somebody Help Me
April: Come Home live video released
May: The Gold Mother album is rereleased with Sit Down and Lose Control replacing Hang On and Crescendo. Fans are offered the opportunity to exchange a copy of the old album for a new copy at branches of Our Price.
June: James preview three new songs – Heavens, Protect Me and Born of Frustration – live on Channel 4’s Friday Night At The Dome
August: After their own set was curtailed by power failure and with Andy and all their equipment shipped home, James are drafted in at the last moment to headline the Hultsfred Festival in Sweden after Status Quo withdrew.
August: James headline Reading Festival and are critically mauled for daring to play Sit Down early in the set and playing five new songs.
September: James complete recording of the Seven album with Youth at Olympic Studios in London
September – November: 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.
November: Sound single released
December – 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
December 1991
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.
November 1991
Sound single released.
September 1991
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.