On This Day 06/12/1999 James

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On this day, 6 December 1999, alternative rock band James played Cardiff International Arena. Support was provided by Cast.

The band were just about to release their eighth studio album album Millionaires, release date being the 11 October.

During their previous Whiplash album release cycle, guitarist Adrian Oxaal replaced founding member Larry Gott, and guitarist Michael Kulas joined the band. Touring to promote the release was cut-short when Booth injured his neck.

With the release of The Best Of in early 1998, the band began recording their next album in May 1998. The sessions continued into February 1999 at a variety of studios: Ridge Farm, Hook End, Townhouse and Metropolis.

While Brian Eno produced most of the record, the producer credit was also given to guitarist/violinist Saul Davies, keyboardist Mark Hunter, Steve Osborne, drummer David Baynton-Power and Faithless. Millionaires is an indie rock and pop release that drew comparison to Lou Reed and New Radicals.

"I Know What I'm Here For" was released as a single in July 1999, followed by "Just Like Fred Astaire" in early October. Millionaires was released through Mercury Records on 11 October; initial promotion consisted of TV appearances, radio performances, listening parties and launch nights.

In December they embarked on a UK tour, coinciding with the single release of "We're Going to Miss You". Millionaires reached number two in the UK album chart, and was certified gold by the BPI. On the UK singles chart, "I Know What I'm Here For" peaked at number 22, "Just Like Fred Astaire" reached number 17, and "We're Going to Miss You" peaked at number 48. Millionaires received a mainly favourable response from music critics, with many finding it an enjoyable album.

On The Day 20/04/2004 Tim Booth

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On this day, 20 April 2004, former James frontman Tim Booth played Cardiff’s Engine Rooms.

He is the lead singer and co-founder of the indie rock band James, and co-wrote several of their hit singles including "Sit Down", "Come Home", and "Laid". As an actor, Booth is also known for portraying Victor Zsasz in the 2005 film Batman Begins.

After a struggle for success and recognition throughout the 1980s, James finally achieved commercial success in the early 1990s with the rise of the Madchester music scene, and their single "Sit Down" reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart

During 1995, Booth took a break from James and recorded an album with film composer Angelo Badalamenti, entitled Booth and the Bad Angel. He then returned to James to complete the recording of the album Whiplash, and stayed with the band until 2001 when he announced his departure to concentrate on other projects.

After leaving James, Booth spent time concentrating on teaching the dance practice known as the 5Rhythms, a movement meditation practice. In 2004, together with record producer Lee Muddy Baker and songwriter KK (Kevin Kerrigan), he released his first solo album, Bone, to general critical acclaim, though he referred to it as a collaborative effort and preferred to credit the album to 'Tim Booth & the Individuals' as opposed to taking sole credit.

On This Day 09/11/1986 James

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On this day, 9 November 1986, Manchester rock band James played Cardiff’s Chapter Arts Centre.

Setlist

Formed in 1982 they had popularity throughout the 1990s, with four top 10s on the UK Singles Chart and nine top 10s on the UK Albums Chart.

The band's best-known singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", "She's a Star" and "Laid", which also became a hit on American college radio.

Following the departure of lead singer Tim Booth in 2001, the band became inactive, but reunited in January 2007 and have gone on to produce a further seven albums. Live performance has continually remained a central part of the band's output. As of 2010, the band had sold more than 25 million albums worldwide.

Their third release, the Sit Down EP (no relation to the song of that name) came out in February 1986 and was followed by their debut album, Stutter, in July of that year. The album reached number 68 in the UK Albums Chart.

Low on money and lacking coverage and promotion, the band recorded their second album, Strip-mine, attempting a more conventional song structure in an attempt to please their label Sire. The album almost went unreleased, but after a slight remix to sound more radio-friendly, Sire released it in September 1988, over a year after its initial completion. However the album only reached number 90. After finding a clause for ending their contract, the band left Sire.

James had by this point earned themselves a reputation as a live act and had built a solid fanbase. Sales of James T-shirts were particularly successful in Manchester even before they reached the Top 40. James financed the production of a live album One Man Clapping with a bank loan and the help of Rough Trade Records. The album went to number 1 in the indie charts, reinvigorating media interest in the band.