“We’re a big, mad, warm and fuzzy circus!”
Gill Sherry
I was lucky enough to see James perform live at Nottingham’s ‘City in the Park’ festival way back in 2001. Admittedly, I was there to see the Canadian legend, Bryan Adams, but I do remember being impressed by the Mancunian rock band.
Formed in 1982, the band’s popularity seemed to soar in the early 90s, not long after guitarist, violinist and percussionist, Saul Davies, joined the group. Was that just coincidence, I wonder, or does he take some credit for that?
“I take all the credit for that!”
The response is accompanied but a burst of laughter but is followed by a definite full stop. I’m not quite sure if he’s joking or not. It’s fair to say, though, that Saul’s contributions to the band are significant. Not only is he a multi-instrumentalist, he also sings backing vocals and is one of the group’s four songwriters. And he speaks for the entire band when he says they’re looking forward to performing at Pavilion Festival in May.
“We’ve never played in Ayr before. After 44 years of being a band, it’s our first time being able to play there. It’s also the first show of our summer season… so hopefully we’ll hit the stage running.”
Fans can expect what Saul describes as “typical James bangers” but he and his bandmates are very much aware of the diversity that comes with festivalgoers.
“A lot of people will go to Ayr because we’re there, which is really gratifying, but even amongst that group of people there might be more casual fans rather than hardcore so… it’s a big weekend, we’re there to get people going, it’ll be a great event!”
Saul is no stranger to Scotland. Born in Liverpool, he moved to Paisley with his family at the age of seven (“it was rough but really cool”) and then shortly after moved to Kippen in west Stirlingshire.
“I left Scotland when I was 15… but I’d been playing the violin from the age of eight. I was very lucky, my parents were really into music and we had some great music coming into our house.”
Saul remembers listening to Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, and Joni Mitchell, as well as a host of lesser-known artists. He describes it as “a mad eclectic mix of different stuff” which also included the Eagles. But it was a live performance by The Wall that really influenced the young Saul Davies.
“I saw The Wall in Earls Court when I was 15 years old. That changed my life because I understood that music could be much, much bigger than just some songs. Very few people saw that show. Coldplay go on tour and hundreds of millions of people will see them. But The Doors only did nine shows at Earls Court. I was there and it changed my life.”
Forty-six years later, Saul is the one on stage and who knows how many music fans he may influence on Friday 2nd May. Rumour has it, he’s a dab hand when it comes to getting the audience going…
“I’m not the only one! Debbie’s pretty good at that, and Tim’s pretty mad, our singer. He likes to get out into the crowd. We’re quite excited when we’re on stage, it’s a bit pathetic, really.”
On the contrary, I say, it’s great they’re still enjoying it after all this time.
“We’re quite fit and healthy,” he says. “We all get older, and we might be uncomfortable with that process, but we all have to deal with it. There’s no reason why you can’t do great shows just because you’re a bit older, particularly if you’re dedicated to what you do, if it’s your passion, which it is for us. And we’re in a very good place with each other now… we’re a big, mad, warm and fuzzy circus!”
They may be in a good place now, but four decades is a long time. He must have seen plenty of highs and lows.
“The highs and lows are numerous – and counting. But we’re in such good shape at the moment.”
The lows he refers to are, perhaps, obvious – people leaving the band, fights between bandmates – and not something he cares to dwell on. The highs on the other hand, are well worth recalling.
“I joined James in 1989, and in 1990 we opened the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. That was a big moment for me. Then, a short number of years later, we opened up for Neil Young across the States. He is one my musical heroes, so that was something else!”
Not forgetting a certain award in 2023…
“We won the Ivor Novello Icon Award. That was hugely gratifying because it came out of nowhere. These awards are not commonly given to people so that was really amazing.”
Another highlight occurred at the Latitude Festival, also in 2023.
“The only slot they could give us was mid-day on the Sunday, because we were playing with our orchestra. We thought nobody would be there, but the field was full with 25,000 people in it. It was insane! It was a really beautiful, languid, emotionally charged set. The weather had been s**t and suddenly the clouds parted and the sun came out. The mood changed, and I knew we were doing something really special. When I walked off stage, people backstage were actually in tears.”
It’s fair to say the band is regarded as a ‘live act’ first and foremost. That doesn’t, however, mean that the group’s records are anything other than brilliant.
“What you can’t do in a recording studio is capture the energy of a live performance. We have a certain type of energy on stage and unless you make a live record, you won’t get it. So we’ve accepted that our records are one thing, and then we go and play them. It’s not that they come to life, but it’s life in a different way.”
How the band presents itself on stage also differs from one show to another.
“We’ve done tours with a live orchestra, we’ve done tours where we play acoustically… we’re not a fixed event. And people come and go. In fact, if we get two more members, we can have a football team!”
I’m glad he’s mentioned football, because I can’t help wondering, with Saul being from Liverpool and the band hailing from Manchester, whether there’s much football banter between the members.
“The majority of us are proper football fans. Mark is an Arsenal fan. Jimmy was born in the shadow of Main Road, as was. In the 70s, growing up in Scotland, my dad used to take me to Old Firm matches, and he’d take me to Easter Road. I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Scottish football. I’ve travelled so much that my allegiance to one particular club is a little bit strange, but I’m a massive fan of football.”
He’s a fan of Johan Cruyff in particular.
“He’s my absolute hero. In fact, I tried to get my son called Johan Cruyff, but my wife at the time was having none of it!”
Unlike earlier, this time I have absolutely no doubt he’s not joking!
But back to music and, more importantly, back to Ayr. Although James has never played in Ayrshire as a band, Saul is more than familiar with the county.
“It’s a great part of Scotland. Whenever I get a chance to be in the southwest of Scotland, I love it. I think it will be an amazing weekend and we’re genuinely really happy to be starting off our year as a touring band in Ayr.”
So, come May 2nd, Low Green will be bouncing to those James bangers at Ayr Beach Live.
“It’s bound to be insane, I’d imagine!”
For tickets, visit www.skiddle.com/festivals/pavilion-festival/
