UK Tour & Album Release Date Announced!

James will be touring the UK in May & June, and has announced the release date for his new album 'Tiger On The Bridge'

James recorded his latest album ‘Tiger On The Bridge’ in front of an audience of fans at RAK Studios in London, there was even a successful marriage proposal during the recording which James orchestrated on behalf of the groom-to-be. The album will be released on Friday 31st May

 

James said; ‘I’ve been lucky enough to have had some amazing moments creating music over the years that I’m immensely proud of. But there was something particularly special about this experience. Writing these songs has helped me through a turbulent time in my life & recording it in front of the fans & people I work with who’ve been so supportive over the years felt like the perfect way to do it’

Pre order 'Tiger On The Bridge' CD and Vinyl from  https://www.musicglue.com/jameswalsh/shop 

James will be taking 'Tiger On The Bridge' on tour this May & June across the UK

Tickets are on sale on Friday 15th March at 9.30am from www.jameswalshmusic.com

New solo album!

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve teamed up with PledgeMusic once again to bring you my second solo album!

I’m really excited about this particular album as I will be recording it LIVE and in one sitting and you can be a part of it!

You can get involved in a variety of different ways. From pre-ordering the album, joining me for a karaoke night or getting a collection of one-of-a-kind photos that I have taken! There will also be some exclusive updates and videos just for Pledgers to enjoy.

Get Involved Here

With this new album you will also be able to join me in the studio and be a part of the full LIVE recording experience for “Tiger On The Bridge”! This was a really important concept for me as throughout my career I have had so many experiences writing and recording albums in a conventional way. It is for this reason that I decided to involve you guys and do things a little differently this time.

Some of my favourite albums by Van Morrison & Bob Dylan were made in a more spontaneous way which has inspired me to record my album like this.

Thank you so much for your support!

James x

Independent Venue Week

James Walsh is set to play two intimate shows as part of Independent Venue Week in 2018.
Independent Venue Week is a 7 day celebration of small music venues around the UK and a nod to the people that own, run and work in them, week in, week out.
These venues give artists their first experience of playing live in front of an audience and for fans, somewhere to get up close to artists that one day, may well be playing stadiums and festival main stages.
Supported using public funding by Arts Council England, Independent Venue Week brings together these venues along with breaking and established artists, promoters, labels, media, bloggers and tastemakers to create a nationwide series of gigs at the end of January.
James Walsh is set to play two shows in support of these incredible venues.
Monday 29th January - The Half Moon, Putney (London)
Friday 2nd February - The Brook, Southampton

Starsailor 'All This Life'

Starsailor release Digital Deluxe edition of All This Life

Following the release of Starsailor's All This Life back in September, Starsailor announced the release of the digital deluxe edition of their latest album All This Life, which is now available to download/stream and includes acoustic versions of 4 songs from the album.

All This Life is Starsailor's fifth studio album, which is their first since 2009 and their highest chart placing for 12 years. The album has been greeted with rave reviews and is their fifth consecutive Top 30 studio album and sees the band re-energised and on outstanding form.

“Winning fusion of powerpop, electronics and blue-eyed soul.” – Mojo

“…guitar, keyboard and vocal elements perfectly blended into the type of arena sound formula that works for Coldplay and U2.” – Louder Than War

The band have also released a video for the live acoustic version of the ‘Listen To Your Heart’, which is taken from the new album and filmed in an intimate session during the recording process.

U.S. Tour Blog

Hi Everyone!  I am writing to you as we pass through Oregon after an eventful few days in California on the road with Embrace. The original plan was to stop in Portland for a day off but our bus ran into problems so we had to wait for a mechanic all night in San Francisco.

It's great fun being on the road but its not always 'plain sailing' Boom Boom!(pun intended). I'll never forget the site of a slightly inebriated Stel shining his phone under the bus to help Kurt the driver identify the problem his white shirt ending up covered in oil!

We've had a great time with Embrace from the word go and it was good to get to know them on the night we arrived at the little known dive bar 'Kitts' in Huntington Beach. After a night of fun and relaxation it was off on the road on our lovely tour bus. Tour buses in the US are in the main a class above the ones at home. The lounge opens out when we are stopped and all the bunks have cable tv in them! Theres also the added bonus of our entertaining driver Kurt. Barry has been chatting to him up the front on the long drives so I think he's Kurt's favourite now.

The first show was at House Of Blues Anaheim which is situated in Disneyland. Getting into Disneyland is the same as getting into a new country as we all had to queue up and show the border patrol our passports! Thankfully the show went smoothly which was good as we had Yahoo streaming it live across the world.(hope you enjoyed watching).

We were parked up beside the Sheraton hotel so we spent a few hours by the pool before travelling onto LA for the show at The Roxy a legendary rock venue on Sunset Strip. It was a frustrating show for Stel as he battled problems with his bass but ultimately we got through it and the LA crowd was great. We stuck around to watch Embrace who impressed, pulling out the crowd pleasers (Come Back To What You Know, All You Good Good People) & some tracks from their brilliant new album (Richard McNamara's emotive vocals on 'Refugees' a particular highlight).

Danny was a bundle of energy getting the crowd going at the intimate Roxy as if we were in an arena. It was great to catch up with some old friends at the Rainbow next door after the show. There was no sign of Lemmy but we did spot Ron Jeremy (I think Ben saw him in some films when he was a teenager I wonder if they won any oscars?) It was great to see James Dale from Goldheart Assembly and Romeo from The Magic Numbers again.

No time to stop in LA so it was back on the fun bus to San Francisco. Its been ten years since we last played Slims and we're really impressed that some fans came back for more all these years later! We are so grateful to our long term fans and it seemed from the mix of ages that our music has been passed onto younger siblings and children of fans too. Both bands agreed San Francisco was the best show of the tour as the crowd were really up for it. Which brings you right up to date. Hopefully next time we catch up I'll have some Canadian tales to tell you.

2015 so far...

Its been far too long since I wrote anything for the website so here I am & theres been plenty going on in 2015 to tell you about.

I am writing from my dressing room at Ipswich Regent Theatre where we are near the halfway point of the Mike & The Mechanics UK Tour. The shows so far have been great. It's been good to tick off such stunning venues as Sheffield City Hall & Gateshead Sage Theatre from the list of places I've played. The connection with Mike And The Mechanics started when Harry Rutherford agreed to produce my album & we subsequently roped in his talented father Mike to play some guitar. Needless to say when the opportunity arose to support them around the UK it was an easy decision! Much of the Mike & The Mechanics audience haven't heard of myself or Starsailor so its been great to showcase the songs from 'Turning Point' to a whole new audience. Because the venues are seated and the audience a bit older I am usually playing to an almost full and captive audience which is good. I am most excited to return to The Royal Albert Hall where I played only last year with Starsailor. To play such a legendary venue twice in such a short space of time is a great honour.

Another recent highlight was playing the Hard Rock/Peroni village after the Wales v Italy 6 nations game in Rome. I'm more of a football man usually but it was impossible not to get caught up in the excitement of that thrilling final day where England, Wales and Ireland had everything to play for. There was a good mix of Italians and Welsh people in the crowd who were all on great form and it made for a very enjoyable show.

A few weeks ago up in Manchester I once again donned my judges hat to choose the winner of the Hard Rock Rising competition(Manchester heat). I have done it before down in London so it was good to see that the North West is still producing great music too. All the bands on the night were excellent but House Of Thieves(@HOTbandofficial) from Derby were worthy winners in the end.

Next up for me is the inaugural Isle Of Wight Dragon Boat Race in aid of WellChild which should be a fun day out for a great cause. Finally. Things have been busy in Starsailor world too(Zermatt Unplugged was amazing) so I promise to write something soon to go on the Starsailor website.

See You Soon - James W

James Walsh to Headline the Big One 5

Wigan Warriors are delighted to confirm that Chorley-born musician and Starsailor frontman James Walsh will Headline pre-match entertainment at the Big One 5.

Walsh shot to fame in the early 2000’s when Starsailor’s debut album ‘Love is Here’ went platinum selling over 500,000 copies in the UK.

The band went on to create a further three albums and Walsh has been working on a solo career since 2009 releasing his latest album, ‘Turning Point’ earlier this year. The group recently reformed and played at the Isle of Wight festival and will support Manchester band James on their UK tour in November.

Walsh, who was at college in Wigan when Starsailor formed said: “It’s very exciting to be heading back to Wigan to play in front of what will be a huge crowd at the Big One.

“I have a lot of great memories about my time in Wigan. It’s a great place and one that will always be close to my heart. I’ve also heard a lot of great things about this game and I’m looking forward to capping off a spectacular entertainment line up before the Warriors and Rhinos go to battle.

“I’ve seen that Wigan have been going well this year and Leeds are right up there too so I think it will make for a great game as well as a great night.”

James Walsh’s performance is supported by The Whisky Sessions, a presenting partner of the Big One 5. The Whisky Sessions is a new two day music and whisky festival taking place in November at Manchester's Victoria Warehouse, featuring acts I Am Kloot, Gomez, Turin Brakes and many more. More information on an exclusive Whisky Sessions post match event for the Big One 5 will be unveiled next week.

Simon Collinson, Marketing Director at Wigan Warriors added: “To have someone of James’ stature perform live at the DW ahead of the Big One will only serve to help make this event bigger than ever before.

“Alongside James, we have Carolynne Poole, the New York Brass Band and the Joining Jack Legends game plus lots of other stuff going on. I think it’s possibly the best night of entertainment we’ve ever put on at the DW Stadium and I’m sure we will see some fireworks on the pitch too!”

James completes the amazing line up of entertainment on the night whilst the Joining Jack Legends are set to announce more massive names to their already blockbuster squad over the next week.

The Big One 5 has already posted record early pre-sales and tickets remain on sale from the DW Stadium ticket office, the ticket hotline 0871 6633 552 and online at wiganwarriors.com