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Tag Archives: Pleased To Meet You
James Biografia – Interproducciones Argentina (in Spanish)
Origen
Manchester, Inglaterra (1982)
Discografía
(84) Strip Mine, (89) Sit Down, One Man Clapping (en vivo), (90) Gold Mother, Seven, Wah Wah, (84) Humn From A Village, (97) Whiplash, (99) Millonaire, (01) Pleased To Meet You.
Integrantes
Larry Gott (guitarra), Jim Glennie (bajo), David Baynton-Powell (batería), Tim Booth (vocalista) Mark Hunter (teclados), Saul Davies (vilin), Andy Diagram (trompeta).
Biografía
Como uno de los grupos catalogados como los nuevos Smith, James, proveniente de Manchester, se convirtió en una institución en la escena de la música alternativa inglesa durante los ochenta por medio de un estilo de pop-folk agradable. En la actualidad y luego de que Best Of Collection sorprendiera convirtiéndose en un disco doble platino, vuelven confiados a presentar un simple titulado Just Like Fred Astaire.
El simple se extrajo de Millonaires, el nuevo CD del grupo, y su productor fue Brian Eno.
James se formó en Manchester en 1982, cuando Paul Gilbertson (guitarra), Jim Glennie (bajo) y Gavan Whelan (batería) conocieron a Tim Booth en la Universidad de Manchester y lo invitaron a incorporarse a su banda.
Dos años después cuando tenían un número importante de seguidores en los clubs locales y habían lanzado dos EP’s, empezaron a actuar de apertura para The Smiths.
El álbum Strip Mine, lanzado por Sire, no pudo capitalizar el éxito que habían tenido, pero saltaron a la fama en 1989 con un lanzamiento a través de un sello independiente llamado Rough Trade.
Con este nuevo sello James lanzó Sit Down y un álbum en vivo titulado One Man Clapping que alcanzó el puesto Número Uno de los charts de música indie.
Larry Gott remplazó a Gilbertson, y en 1990 Whelan fue reemplazado por David Baynton-Powell. James se convirtió en un septeto luego de la incorporación del tecladista Mark Hunter, el violinista Saul Davies y el trompetista Andy Diagram. La nueva formación firmó contrato con Fontana Records y lanzó Gold Mother.
Gold Mother se convirtió finalmente en hit a principios de 1991, cuando una nueva versión de Sit Down que tenía un ritmo baggy más contemporáneo que la anterior, ascendió hasta el puesto Número Dos de los charts ingleses y se hizo muy popular en las radios estadounidenses.
El éxito de Sit Down fue tanto una bendición como una maldición ya que se convirtió en el único tema a través del cual el público identificaba a James. La banda se reveló en los recitales, tocando prácticamente sólo material nuevo y Seven, su siguiente álbum se interpretó como un intento fallido de hacer rock masivo.
Para la grabación que siguió a Seven, James se deshizo de Diagram y Davies y trabajó con el productor Brian Eno.
Laid, el álbum resultante, era más tranquilo y ambicioso, recibió algunas de las mejores críticas y tuvo mucho éxito en Estados Unidos.
Wah Wah, el siguiente álbum, de música experimental, y también producido por Eno, no tuvo tanto éxito y en 1985 el grupo se tomó un largo descanso.
James regresó a principios de 1997 con Whiplash, una grabación mucho más directa que tuvo críticas variadas, y ahora en el 99 presentan Millionaire.
James Regressam A Portugal – Portuguese news article on tour (in Portuguese)
JAMES REGRESSAM A PORTUGAL
21 de Setembro de 2001
Tal como se esperava, os James vão regressar a Portugal no mês de Novembro, para dois concertos ao vivo nos Coliseus de Lisboa e Porto.
Consigo trazem o novo álbum “Pleased To Meet You” – que contou com a produção de Brian Eno – naqueles que serão os espectáculos anteriores à digressão dos James no Reino Unido, cujas datas se encontram praticamente esgotadas.
É assim que o grupo liderado pelo vocalista Tim Booth irá subir mais uma vez a palcos portugueses, depois do guitarrista da banda, Saul Davis, ter escolhido o nosso país para estabelecer residência. O músico está a viver em Caminha, no Minho e casou (ou está a planear casar) com uma portuguesa.
Entretanto, os bilhetes para estes dois espectáculos – dia 23 de Novembro em Lisboa e dia 24 de Novembro no Porto – vão ser colocados à venda no próximo dia 26 de Setembro, pelos seguintes preços:
Lisboa: 4000 escudos;
Porto: Plateia Plateia de pé/Tribuna – 4.000$00; Galeria/Geral – 3.900$0
Locais de venda:
Lisboa – Coliseu, Fnac Colombo, Fnac Chiado, Fnac Cascais Shopping, Ticketline no Vasco da Gama, ABEP e agência Alvalade
Porto – Coliseu, Fnac Sta. Catarina e Fnac Norte Shopping
Internet – www.ondaticket.com
Mercury Split – Press Release
JAMES AMICABLY PART COMPANY WITH FONTANA/MERCURY LABEL AFTER FULFILLING CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS
James would like to announce their departure from Fontana/Mercury Records, a decision which was agreed upon prior to the release of their final album for the label. Contrary to recent rumours, the band have successfully completed their contractual obligations to the label, and through mutual consent, have amicably parted company after more than a decade.
Following previous independent single and album releases during the Eighties through Factory, Sire and Rough Trade, James were signed to Fontana Records, part of the Polygram Group, in 1990, and were contracted to deliver six albums, in addition to a greatest hits package. It was to be a formidable partnership. After building up a sizeable underground following, their third album, and Fontana debut, ‘Gold Mother’, was released in 1990, and brought James the crossover recognition they deserved, reaching platinum selling status, and containing arguably their greatest anthem on record, ‘Sit Down’.
Their second Fontana album ‘Seven’ reached No.2 in the UK album charts on it’s release in 1992, and featured hit singles ‘Sound’ and ‘Born Of Frustration’. With the legendary Brian Eno producing, their third Fontana album, ‘Laid’, was released in 1993 and received critical acclaim, not just in the UK, but also the States, where it sold in excess of 600,000 copies and the band became a headline act throughout the country. On a more ambient tip, during the recording of ‘Laid’, James had recorded another album with Eno, entitled ‘Wah Wah’, which was released on Fontana in 1994.
During a three year break, after the completion of ‘Wah Wah’, there was a brief interlude where singer Tim Booth recorded an album with movie composer Angelo Badalamenti entitled ‘Booth And The Bad Angel’. James regrouped to record the ‘Whiplash’ album which included ‘She’s A Star’, a track which saw the band back in the U.K. Top Ten. Following on from that album the band recorded two new tracks for a greatest hits package ‘James: The Best Of’. The resulting singles ‘Destiny Calling’ and ‘Runaground’, again saw James in the upper echelons of the charts and on it’s release, ‘James: The Best Of’ sold just under a million copies worldwide. The album was supported by a sell-out UK arena tour.
Their fifth studio album ‘Millionaires’, released on Mercury, is widely regarded as their best album to date. Featuring the hit singles, ‘I Know What I’m Here For’ and ‘Just Like Fred Astaire’, the album received unanimous rave reviews in the UK press.
Their final studio album for the label, ‘ Pleased To Meet You’ has just been released and with another major arena tour lined up for later this year (dates listed below), James are looking forward to the future. Howard Berman, M.D. of Mercury Records, comments, “In an era often obsessed with instant gratification and substantial taste shifts, it’s been very rewarding to have seen James through to the conclusion of their original commitment to this label. I genuinely wish them every success in the future”
James Tour Dates – December 2001:
2nd – Brighton Centre
4th – Newcastle Arena
6th – Birmingham NEC
7th – Manchester Arena
9th – Glasgow SECC
10th – Wembley Arena
Nottingham Victoria Embankment – 25th August 2001
Setlist
Born of Frustration / Laid / Say Something / Johnny Yen / Out To Get You / She's A Star / Sometimes / Waltzing Along / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Ring The Bells / Sit DownSupport
(supporting) Bryan AdamsMore Information & Reviews
None.
Dublin Witnness Festival – 5th August 2001
Setlist
Johnny Yen / Sometimes / English Beefcake / Senorita / Laid / Space / She's a Star / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Sit Down / Ring the BellsSupport
n/aMore Information & Reviews
None.
Audio
Guildford Festival – 4th August 2001
Setlist
Say Something / Sometimes / Laid / English Beefcake / Senorita / Johnny Yen / Waltzing Along / Stutter / Out To Get You / Destiny Calling / She's A Star / Falling Down / Born of Frustration / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Sit Down / Ring the BellsSupport
n/a - FestivalMore Information & Reviews
Dotmusic
Tonight’s headliners James survived Britpop and now find themselves arguably more popular then they’ve ever been. And despite declaring on this very website that they’re not “a safe bet” that’s not the impression their audience gives off.
Aside from Tim Booth’s manic, man-battling-internal-demons dancing, this is pop, albeit cloaked in stories of sexual politics and paranoia. It’s pretty fine pop, too, with the opening ‘Say Something’ firing the audience into a sea of hands as rain begins to cascade from the sky.
Tracks from new album ‘Pleased To Meet You’ are slotted in alongside the hits in a festival-friendly set that ebbs and flows – from the slow whirl of new song ‘Senorita’ to the euphoric high of ‘She’s A Star’.
‘Born Of Frustration’ sees Booth missing his cue but he soon makes up for it by spinning around like a dervish, hand cupped to his face as he screams out the track’s signature “Woo-woo-woo-woo”.
They even deign to play ‘Sit Down’, although the verses are delivered in a subdued fashion which only reinforces the anthemic nature of the chorus. As the crowd sing and jump, the band stare out with barely concealed smiles of pride.
As they take their bows at the end, the band look mightily pleased with life. “We didn’t deserve this,” Booth admonishes the crowd, perhaps too mindful of a few glitches. He’s being unfair as, a few drawn-out jams aside, they plundered their back catalogue for maximum crowd pleasers.
James may not have the credibility of their contemporaries, but when it comes to pure pop with a sting in the lyrics, few do it better. And that’s why they’re so loved.
Guildford Festival Official Site
James entered the stage in a haze of red–lighting that certainly added an element of atmosphere to the start of the proceedings which were to follow.
James are very adept at producing a complicated and engaging sound, and they certainly know how to belt out a good tune or two. We were taken on a vocal roller coaster, as Booth’s voice spanned from soul-inspiring falsetto to a gutsy provocative tone. We were treated to favourites like “Sit Down” and to some exciting new material (one particularly memorable song about “sexual addiction”).
I’ll admit I set out only knowing and liking about two James songs, but now I’m irretrievably obsessive. This is doubtless indicative of the genius of the band, that they can take a mild interest and make the audience love them.
As far as the visual aspect of the performance goes, Booth can certainly move. With pelvic movements other performers can but dream about, he moved and shaked (with a look of effortless satisfaction on his face) to the amazement of all.
To gauge the reaction to James, one need only look to the mosh pit. Beginning small at the start, the jumping crowd grew till it met with the very extremities of the stage.
James have proved themselves capable of covering almost every kind of human emotion. Joy to melancholy, sexuality to exploration of soul, all seem to be dealt with employing versatility and brilliance.
James left the audience dying for more, and it was only noise-control that stopped them from delivering it. An audience left soaked with rain, satisfied, and totally euphoric.
Surrey Advertiser
From the moment they stepped onto the stage on Saturday night, James held the Guildford Live audience in the palms of their hands.
Expectations of favourite songs ran through the crowd, and when James launched into ‘Say Something’ there was a reactionary cheer.
Three songs in, and at the words, “This is a song about being hit by lightening”, the crowd erupted again to sing along with ‘Sometimes’, jumping fiercely and singing their hearts out despite the rain that was beginning to pour down on them.
Running through the hits that have secured James a place as arguably one of the greatest indie bands of all time, including ‘Laid’, ‘Born of Frustration’, and the instant crowd pleaser ‘Sit Down’, lead singer Tim Booth added his unique dance style to the set. Like a man possessed, he captivated the crowd, flinging his arms about passionately, jumping across the stage, the centre of attention.
Proving that they are still producing some great new material, the band blasted out songs from their new album, ‘Pleased to Meet You’, including the new single ‘Getting away with it (All messed up)’.
But it was the old favourites that made the night such a success. And as the rain gave way to a cool breeze, James rounded off a perfect performance with ‘Ring the Bells’, the final chorus building up to an amazing crescendo of whooping and cheering from the crowd.
Our only complaint was that James didn’t have time for an encore – timing restrictions meant that the band had to be offstage by 11pm.
Rock City Website interview with Saul Davies
James has been together for an unbelievable 16 years, and as a band and with Tim’s solo outings you have a reputation for working with diverse artists and producers such as Angelo Badalementi and Brian Eno. Do you think this attitude has contributed to your long career?
In some ways I don’t think we’ve had that long a career because we don’t think about it we just keep playing and we wont go away. We’ve now made four records with Eno and we’ve become very close to him and feel very comfortable so I think we’re probably stuck with each other.
In the 16 years James have been together or in the 12 years you have been in the band, what have been the highlights?
Well we played at Woodstock and that was amazing just because the size of the crowd was amazing. And the first Glastonbury that we played was a really memorable event, We were on in the middle of the afternoon, and this was before ‘Sit Down’ had come out, and I remember being ignored for the first 3 or 4 songs by loads of hippies and by the end of it having the whole of Glastonbury on its feet. I think at that moment we know that something good was going to happen!
How do you think James have changed over the years?
Well some people have got fat, I got thinner. It hasn’t really changed that much. We’ve still got pretty much the same attitude to everything we do, i.e. we’re probably quite rude! It’s difficult when you’re involved to notice any change. A lot of what we do, we aren’t conscious of, we just do it. It’s in no way contrived or particularly planned. So I don’t know if we’ve changed at all, or we may have changed massively! One thing that has changed is that for the last record “Millionaires” we came together through a very dysfunctional time for us as a band, there were lots of fighting and stuff going on, but we’re now all on the same pace as each other, so changes have taken place over the last couple of years so that we all get on with each other again.
It’s widely believed that Millionaires is your best album to date, do the problems that you overcame have any bearing on this?
I don’t know. I certainly thought it was our best record and I was very closely involved in the making of it. At the time I loved it, but I listen to any of our music very infrequently, all I can hear now are massive flaws in it. At the time I really enjoyed it and I was really proud of it, and I am still, but now I think we’ve moved on a lot. It’s the same with this record, no doubt two years from now I’ll say I thought “Pleased to Meet You” was the best thing we’d done, but now I think it’s bollocks! I think that’s a natural process because you become less attached to it. Everybody thinks that their newborn baby is gorgeous even though everyone knows it’s the ugliest thing on the planet!
Are we going to hear any of your new music previewed at City in the Park?
Yeah. Probably half of the songs we’ll play will be from the new record. We did a tour in October last year playing smaller venues, we played what was the beginning of this record at that point, and then went into the studio and recorded the album. The songs grew and grew through being played live and then in the studio, now I can’t wait to play some of these songs live, they’re perfect to be played with loads of people listening.
What is the difference playing to a large crowd at an outside event, rather than playing at a venue like Rock City?
To go back to playing smaller venues like Rock City is actually quite strange, and wonderful! You’re penned in, there’s nowhere for the music to go and it’s a great atmosphere. Rock City is a great little venue, it’s such a dive it’s wonderful! When you’re up onstage and you’re having a good one, and you know you’re doing a good show, it doesn’t really matter where you are. Each venue has a different thing about it, you tend to play differently, if you’re playing in front of 40000 people and you’re outside you have to perform in a different way so that people at the back appreciate it, you have to get the audience more involved. A lot is reflected in what you actually play, in small venues people are right on top of you, they can’t go anywhere, they have to listen to you so you can play loads of new songs; when you are in a big field there are lots of other distractions, at City in the Park we will have to play some of the older songs so that people recognise them and know they’re watching James. It’s not ideal in a way, I’d like to go and play 10 songs of the new album and let people listen to them and say “Oh that was Great, they’ve got some balls!”, but if we did that half the crowd would leave because they didn’t know what it was. In that way big festivals can be like a compromise, but if we play for an hour that’s long enough to put a mixture in, maybe some dodgy old B sides nobody’s heard of!
What are your experiences of being at a festival?
I live in Portugal and to be honest the festivals over here are much more exciting than the ones you have in England. There’s one festival here, it has a 60000 capacity, and they’ve got Neil Young and Beck playing, with a massively eclectic bill; and it’s next to a river and surrounded by mountains. In England T in the Park is great, it’s slightly less corporate than some of the others, and it’s in Scotland so people are slightly more pissed and they know the weather is going to be bad, so they don’t care they just go and have a great time! In Britain there’s this arrogance that what we do is better, because it’s Britain, but it’s not true! We (James) are good at festivals, I think it’s because we just get really pissed and when we get up there something just clicks and we get really intense.
What do you think of Nottingham?
I actually know Nottingham quite well because I’ve got two great friends who live just outside Nottingham, so I’ve been going there for many years, it’s a nice city.
Official Guildford Site interview with Tim
Which do you prefer playing, gigs or festivals?
Probably gigs, just because of the volume. There’s something about having a wall behind so that the sound bounces off. It’s a contained space where you can generate more energy. Having said that, I love festivals, but it’s just not quite as easy. You don’t get a sound check, and we’re a very musical band so we need to hear each other. When we hear each other well we play better. So festivals sometimes can be a bit challenging, tonight was quite hard work.
What’s the worst gig you’ve ever been to or played?
I don’t stay at bad gigs, I walk out very quickly. The worst gig I’ve ever played? Some of our early ones weren’t that hot. We used to be terrified on stage. At some of our early gigs we used to rush off stage after 20 minutes. We were very shy.
If a gig’s going badly do you get off or soldier on?
Oh, always soldier on, always look for a way out of why the gig’s going badly. Tonight it was hard because we were having so many technical things going wrong. My best trick is to look out into the audience, and find someone who’s really enjoying it and just sing to them for a bit. Their enthusiasm bounces back.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Steve Harley in Cockney Rebel in Leeds town hall.
What’s the best piece of tat you’ve ever bought at a festival?
We were playing at the Lola Poluza festival, going on before Korn, and the audience were all shouting “faggots” at us. After the second day I went out into the festival arena and found this amazing clothes stall that had sparkly mirror ball shirts and dresses and so we bought one for every member of the band. They were selling them off because no one else was going to buy them at a macho festival, so they were about 5 or 10 dollars each. So we decked the whole band up in these mirror ball outfits [laughs] so we could be “true” fags. I mean we didn’t look like “fags”, I don’t want to offend people, but we ended up looking like their idea of what “faggots” were meant to be, which is what they were screaming at us every day. We were just playing to it and we had a great time, it was wonderful.
What’s the first thing James will be doing when they leave the festival?
Get back to our hotels, get some sleep, because we haven’t really slept for about a day and we’re going off to play Dublin tomorrow. I think we’re all looking like zombies today.
What are James drinking?
James are drinking whatever they can get their greedy hands on in the other room. I drink water. That’s just me, the others are all alcoholics. They don’t know it yet, they’re not trying to come off though [laughs], they’re just enjoying it.
“Nothing is capable of being well set to music that is not nonsense” do you agree or disagree?
They must have been tone deaf.
What’s your favourite instrument?
Today it’s the accordion.
What’s your favourite song?
Today it’s “Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. Tomorrow it’ll be something different.
What’s the first thing you do before going on stage?
Try to warm up my voice; I take some Chinese herbs for my throat. The other thing is dance, backstage.
What’s the first thing you do after you’ve been on stage?
Take of my earpieces and pull off bits of Sellotape from out of my ears, and off my body.
What’s you’re favourite place in the world?
San Francisco, or thereabouts.
“Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom, if you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn” Charlie Parker – do you agree?
[laughs] It won’t come out of your horn? [laughs more] I like the quote. Yeah, I mean that’s more my experience, and I definitely sing from my horn.Cover Story for James’ Pleased To Meet You album
Who is the guy on the front over of the album?
His name’s James and, bizarrely, he’s a composite of the band of the same name.
“This is about finding a way to represent our collective spirit,” says James frontman Tim Booth, discussing the band’s curious new figurehead. “It deals with the old, Are you James questions, which, yeah, you still get – I still get called James. I suppose people in Travis get called Travis too.”
In order to solve these public image problems, James have cooked up an entirely new public face. Last month, each of the seven members posed for separate portraits, which were subsequently morphed together, with the aid of noted fashion photographer Phil Poynter, design company Blue Source and a good deal of computerised jiggery-pokery, in order to create an entirely new person. He’s been christened James, obviously, and will appear on the sleeve of the forthcoming album, Pleased To Meet You. Although he doesn’t play any instruments, he’s so life-like that there’s already speculation about his “personality”.
“I think he looks like he might have a knife in his back pocket.” exclaims Booth. “He has a good edge to him. He’s not idealised.”
As for intra-band arguments over whose bits were used where – did they take place?
“Of course,” acknowledges Booth. “He’s got my knob, and it’s fantastic, obviously.”
Dotmusic Webchat With Tim 12.7.01
Welcome to the dotmusic chat with James
dotmusic: We’re going to be kicking off in about 10 minutes. Tim is just round the corner but stuck in traffic!
dotmusic: Tim in the house so we’ll get started!
Dave from Stevenage, Herts asks: what was the last record u bought?
Tim: The last record I bought … Grandaddy – the Software Slump or Nick Cave’s last one
oneofthethree from brentwood, uk asks: what song are you most proud and most embarrassed about?
Tim: Today I’m most proud of a song called “Fine” because it’s so effortless and playful which is hard for such a serious man such as myself to achieve
Tim: Least proud of … ooh … thats hard … we even love our b sides and put a lot of work in them, but there was an awful b side a few years ago called Far Away that was pompous and overblown
ste from london asks: whats the latest with the B-sides album Tim? and will the track ‘Your Story’ be on it?????
Tim: Yeah there is a plan for a b-side album in September
Tim: I’ve done the running order we have the sleeve ready
jofrog16 from Connecticut, USA asks: How much time to you spend with other bandmembers when you aren’t touring or recording?
Tim: As little as possible! (joke)
Tim: It depends because we’re all scattered geographically across the globe
Tim: We get on now better than we ever have done which is to say we’re like some dysfunctional family
Jeff from Arlington, Virginia asks: Any plans to come to the States?
Tim: yeah I wanna go for my holidays in August. I love California
Tim: Possibly in September there is a plan to do a festival in New York but I know better than to trust things written in pencil
Sean from Ireland asks: How do you put up with the constant negative press?
Tim: I don’t read it
Tim: I don’t read any press
Dave from Stevenage, Herts asks: hey Tim, what kind of set can we expect on the next tour? more old material or new material? i love Stutter and wanna hear it live again!
Tim: I don’t know, we write the set list every night and it really varies .. on who wins the punch up
Tim: Theres usually a healthy balance of our more musical explorative side with the good old sing along of James favourites
justhipper from manchester asks: What is the thing which has had the most influence on James’ recent work?
Tim: No I think your strongest influences hit you when you’re younger. We’ve really been following our own thread for the last seven or eight years
Tim: I’m sure we have unconscious influences, but by definition we are unconscious of them
donald louise from isle of man asks: tim, you always go into the crowd, whats your worst experience of doing this?
Tim: The time I really stopped jumping into the crowd was at brixton Academy when I ended up halfway down the hall, and the people under me collapsed and the crowds on the sides pushed in
Tim: I was worried about the death rate
Tim: On the Loloopaloosa (sp?!) tour where we were playing to abusive Korn fans, I for some reason would find myself 100 yards into the audience singing into their faces and that went on nearly every night for nine weeks
Tim: I never got punched once!
Jim from Nottingham asks: What will you do if james call it a day ?
Tim: Which day
Tim: Act right , teach ecstatic dance workshops and model crotchless swimwear
tom from hull asks: Tim I think Falling Down is a great song. How did you achieve the sound?
Tim: Fluke. A wonderful engineer called KK who I dragged into the sessions took the jam that became Falling Down and messed around with it for a few days
Tim: so fluke on our part not on his
Tim: The vocal is smashed through a tuning program set at extreme levels – I believe the drum is heavily phased (if you wanna go technical on me)
BoSoxMick from Boston Massachusetts asks: Hey Tim, any word on a possible Booth & The Bad Angel Part II?
Tim: No … my record company buried part 1 and I couldn’t find the grave
Tim: … But “Pleased to meet you” is our last record under contract, so maybe …
Sasha from London asks: If your entire record collection was stolen, which 3 albums would you go out and buy immediately?
Tim: Patty Smith’s Horses
Tim: Phew … hard question ….
Tim: Velvet Underground Live ….
Tim: .. (the one with the woman’s knickers on the front cover – I dunno what its called)
Tim: What’s that Nick Cave’s love songs album called? I’ve forgotten it’s name
Tim: But I’d give you a different answer each day you asked
justhipper from manchester asks: what role do you feel james fill in the current music scene?
Tim: We are the stool pigeons… um … I think you’ll find a lot of bands who cite us as a major influence and we feel a lot of respect from our peers like Coldplay, Travis, Wheatus
Tim: But I don’t think we fit into the media at all at present
Sarahjayne from Oxon, UK asks: which current artists do you admire, and why?
Tim: Nick Cave, Eminem for their lyrics, Mercury Rev for their emotional drive, Grandaddy for their “can’t be arsed yet are brilliant” attitude
Al Brown from Bristol asks: Thinking of the Eno connection: Do you like U2?
Tim: U2 have managed to balance massive success with experiment and genuine creativity so even when they fuck up you’ve got to give them a break because hardly anyone is attempting to do what they succeed at
Tim: They’re a shining light
Dave from Stevenage, Herts asks: Do u think your live sound sounds better in an arena or club? i thought wembley had an amazing sound to it on the last arena tour.
Tim: We’re better in Arenas. We need a big stage cos there’s seven of us. We play our best gigs when we can hear clarity
Tim: And when we play the big gigs, we can afford to hire the best sound and lighting men in the business
Stuart from Oldham asks: What question do you get tired of answering and why?
Tim: That one
Phil from W. Yorks asks: Do you notice the crowd when you’re on stage and do you recognise the regulars?
Tim: It will be hard to miss them … I think we’re one of the few bands who love to interreact with their audience … I go into the audience cos I like breaking down the barrier between stage and auditorium
Tim: Our lighting man has light on the audience that he can turn up often at our request during the gig, otherwise as a musician you can feel quite cut off
Tim: I know quite a lot of the regulars
Tim: … Including Dave Brown who is always centre front. When he is not there I often ask his friends during the gig where he is
Gail from Tyne & Wear asks: Which song from the new album are you most looking forward to performing live in the upcoming shows, and which is your all time live favorite.
Tim: out of every CD of say 13 songs there will only be probably 7 or 8 that will be really great live, and the last few concerts have shown us which they are – “Space” is killer, “pleased to Meet You”, “English Beefcake” surprisingly and there’s a few more
Tim: The last gig we did in Liverpool was amazing so we reckon we are played in now
donald louise from isle of man asks: tim if you wrote your autobiography, what would the first line be?
Tim: er …
oneofthethree from brentwood asks: How would like James to be remembered in twenty years time?
Tim: As an unwelcome boil on the face of corporate pop
Deano from Wolverhampton asks: Do you think Pleased to Meet You is your best work yet?
Tim: I say that every time, this time it’s more true than it’s been for a long time. When you just finish a record you’re full of enthusiasm and self belief, I can truly say that apart from Laid this was the most enjoyable record to create
Tim: … and I believe that like OK Computer it takes a while to get into
justhipper from manchester asks: Have the band considered releasing music via the internet when their contract with Mercury finishes?
Tim: Yes but it seems that the technology isn’t quite ready. Another two years should see it through
Dale from Birmingham asks: Which band member do you like best
Tim: Sarah Michelle Gella
Tim: … (in my dreams)
dotmusic: just time for a few more questions..
Dave from Stevenage, Herts asks: how much longer will u continue to dance like a madman onstage?!
Tim: When I’ve trashed a few more zimmer frames. I teach ecstatic movement workshops and therefore I have to set a good example
Emma Pickering from Cheshire uk asks: A couple of years ago you did some acting in Bolton, is this an angle you are going to persue?
Tim: Yes … that was to test me out. And I won a medal for it. I’ve been waiting for the right TV part to come up and a decent script … stay tuned …
lyndsay from fuerteventura asks: whats the most rewarding thing you get from your job
Tim: When quite aggressive macho men sing along to lyrics concerning insecurity and self doubt. When people come and tell you there private stories of how certain songs have affected their lives. When you look off stage and see thousands of people unified in
Tim: … pleasure. When you stumble upon a verse and chorus that make you cry or laugh. When you get to work with Brian Eno.
Dallas Casey from Ogen, Utah asks: Is the power of love worth the pain of loss?
Tim: mmm … mmmm … stumped …
Tim: Always … I believe in Hollywood
Tim: Loss seems to be an intricate part of love in that to love deeper you have to let go of so many things especially the expectation of a return for your investment
Tim: Loss is also a natural part of being a human being in that it all gets stripped away as we approach death
Tom from Barton asks: Where do James go next?
Tim: To the bathroom …… to the bookies ….. to court …… no idea ….
Tim: Fuck you very much for your kind questions. I’m going off to see Wheatus play. May your eyes be opened by the wonderful …. Tim xxx Thanks
dotmusic: Tim wanted everyone who asked about the dance workshop to know he’ll will be teaching in the Canary Islands in Feb for a week for more information log on to the dolphin connection experience in about two weeks time. Also they’ll be a workshop in October at Manchester Drama Poly to be announced in a few weeks time (don’t ring yet.)
Liverpool Kings Dock Summer Pops – 8th July 2001
Setlist
Pleased To Meet You / Fine / Waltzing Along / Sometimes / Senorita / Destiny Calling / She's A Star / English Beefcake / Laid / Falling Down / Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) / Vervaceous / Just Like Fred Astaire / I Know What I'm Here For / Ring The Bells / Space / Johnny Yen / Say Something / Born of Frustration / Sit DownSupport
n/aMore Information & Reviews
Johnathon Deakin
A review written over five months after the event is never going to be the most factual of accounts. But given the fact that I have only discovered this web-site in the past week, which has coincided with my attendance at the Manchester gig, I thought my memories might be worth a place somewhere. Even if nostalgia is the only real product.
I’ll say it now. Kings Dock was the best concert I have ever been to. Maybe it was the lack of expectation. In fact, it WAS the lack of expectation. I’d seen James before on a number of occasions but this one-off (as part of Liverpool’s Summer Pops season) had passed me by until a week before when I spotted an advert in the Liverpool Echo and phoned for tickets. Chance is a fine thing.
The setting was a “Big Top” on the Kings Dock, next to the more famous Albert Dock. Basically, a tent in a car park. Inside however there was a small arena (3000 people?). The reasonably low swung “top” made for an inviting, warm welcome into the darkness from what has been a gorgeous summer’s day.
This was Sunday and “Pleased to Meet You” had only been released on the Monday. A few reels round the car stereo was all I knew of it, but already I had my favourites. James opened the show with the title track and through the night played about eight songs from the album. “Have you done your homework?” was Tim’s question and he also apologised for the band’s indulgence in playing so many songs from the album, “We thought we’d made a great album and the critics have panned it.”
No apology needed of course. Highlights from the new album included “Senorita” a song about “Sexual obession” according to Tim. The end-jam from “English Beefcake” was absolutely mesmerising as the sound filled the tent and swept across the arena.
My personal highlight was the first song not from the new album. We had all listened carefully to the new tracks but were waiting for a classic. Tim said quietly, “Back on familiar ground now. Happy song” and the band launched into “Waltzing Along”. The crowd went berserk and the atmosphere remained on that high for the rest of the show. As part of the encore James did the longest version of Johnny Yen I’ve heard which was clearly unfamiliar to a fair few of the audience. Still, eight minutes later they were all jumping around, as was a dreadlocked stage-invader who Tim moved and shook with in unison.
It’s hard to put a finger on the atmosphere, other than to say it was truly intimate. About five songs in Tim said, “I can tell it’s going to be one of those nights”. It was. There were a lot of kids around 12 or 13 years old in the audience, perhaps products of an early 1990s conception that reminded their parents of a happy time? All were ushered to the front for a good view, in the same way youngsters used to stand at the front of football terraces. Meanwhile everyone else got on with having a great time, the sort of time where you grin at strangers and all raise your hands at the same time in the same way. The “Johnny Yen” encore took the show way past 11pm (it had started at 9pm) but one song was still missing from the set list.
Saul returned on stage saying something along the lines of, “They’re saying we’ve got to finish, but we’re breaking the curfew.” Cue “Sit Down” at pace. Everyone lit up in bright yellow. Scallies wandering around who had nipped in from outside for the last number. Beer everywhere. Arms around the security men. Massive sing-a-long.
No expectations had become great celebrations. Isn’t it always the way?