Following their ‘Funny For Money’ sketch with Peter Kay at last week’s comic relief JAMES will be embarking on their The Gathering Sound Tour next month. 

The legendary Manchester band who have released twelve albums and sold more than 20 million albums worldwide will be performing songs from their extensive back catalogue. James will be joined by very special guests Echo and The Bunnymen and will the first time the two bands have toured together. 

The Gathering Sound tour is the first chance to see James performing in the UK since their Orchestra Of The Swan/Manchester Consort Choir tour in 2011. The tour is also a chance to catch up with Echo and the Bunnymen who will be touring for the first time since their appearances reappraising their seminal first two Crocodiles and Heaven Up Here albums in 2010. Echo and the Bunnymen formed in Liverpool in 1978 and since then have released eleven studio albums including Porcupine - which reached No.2 - and Ocean Rain which hit the No.4 spot. The band’s last studio album entitled The Fountain was released in 2009. The two bands appeared on the same bill for the first time this summer, at Sound Island Festival in Kent where James headlined. 

Lead singer Tim Booth said: "It is with great pleasure that we are joined on the Gathering Sound April tour by the legendary Echo and the Bunnymen as our very special guests. We will be re-working old songs and revealing some new steps - expect the unexpected and prepare yourself for more passion than fifty shades of grey.” 

James are currently writing and working on new material together in Scotland 

April 2013    Tickets

Saturday 13                        Glasgow SECC Hall

Monday 15                         Newcastle O2 Academy                 SOLD OUT

Tuesday 16                         Sheffield O2 Academy                   SOLD OUT

Wednesday 17                  Bristol Colston Hall                         SOLD OUT

Friday 19                              London O2 Academy Brixton

Saturday 20                        London O2 Academy Brixton       SOLD OUT

Monday 22                         Bournemouth O2 Academy

Tuesday 23                         Leeds O2 Academy                          SOLD OUT

Thursday 25                        Birmingham O2 Academy

Friday 26                              Manchester Arena 

JAMES have also been confirmed to appear this year’s V Festival Chelmsford/ Stafford in August and will also be playing their first ever forest gig at Thetford Forest on 13th June. Tickets will be priced at £38 (plus booking fees) on sale HERE

Last Friday comedian and longtime James fan Peter Kay undertook “one of the most gruelling Comic Relief challenges to date” – travelled by sofa from Belfast to London, to raise funds for the charity as part of the Comic Relief – Funny for Money campaign. To accompany the sketch, he also recorded a brand new music video for the classic James track Sit Down, featuring James out and about on the streets of Stockport. The Peter Kay ‘Sit Down’ video featuring the band (along with the full sketch) is available to download in standard or HD right now, exclusively from iTunes, with proceeds going to Comic Relief. You can also donate directly to Comic Relief here. 

JAMES in December last year also released their first-ever boxed set entitled The Gathering Sound - available now at Universal Music Store and Amazon.

At the end of 2012, Radio 2 and The Official Charts Company nominated Sit Down in their poll to establish the nation’s favourite No. 2 single of all time.