James

When, in early 2007, James announced a series of concerts to celebrate their reformation, even they were surprised that 35,000 tickets were snapped up in a matter of hours. They shouldn't have been; since their inception, in the Whalley Range district of Manchester in1981, James have consistently upset the odds, persistently proving themselves the glittering thorn in the side of an industry that always had them down as perennial outsiders: witness the fact that the band easily headlined two nights at the 9,000-capacity GMEX Arena in 1990 well before their literate, rabble-rousing pop hit critical mass; witness too, their inevitable, though somewhat unlikely rise to the top of a Britpop pile notable at the time for its cartoon irony and moronic laddishness. When Sit Down, a caring stadium hymn about everyday transcendence, became one of the touchstone singles of the year, it eclipsed the secular world of indie fandom to assume the kind of status afforded a much loved football chant in the national consciousness. It reached No.2 in 1991 reinforcing James' position as Manchester's "best kept secret." And when Gold Mother – the album that subsequently included Sit Down - went on to sell two million copies, James' transformation into the biggest cult band in Britain was complete.

James are Tim Booth (singer), Larry Gott (guitars), Jim Glennie (bass), Saul Davies (guitar, violin), Mark Hunter (keyboards), David Baynton-Power (drums) and Andy Diagram on trumpet. 'Twas not ever thus but this is the line-up that recorded Gold Mother (spawning the hits How Was It For You, Come Home, Lose Control and the aforementioned Sit Down), and Seven (although Diagram was absent for the subsequent Eno-produced Laid and Wah Wah albums). It is also the septet that has just completed work on the band's first new studio album in seven years.

The story of James is the story of rock and roll itself. Whilst James - the phenomenon - has gone on to release nine studio albums and sell a total of 12 million albums worldwide, James - the band - has undergone a personal history that would have killed off lesser individuals.