Manchester legends James will return to Australia and New Zealand this October for their first tour of the region since 2018, celebrating one of the defining albums of the 1990s while revisiting a catalogue that has spanned more than four decades.
The tour will see the band perform their landmark 1993 album Laid in full, alongside a career-spanning set drawing from an extensive catalogue that has made them one of Britain’s most enduring and inventive alternative bands. Across a career that has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, James have continually defied expectations, moving effortlessly between indie rock, Madchester grooves, Britpop ambition and experimental pop.
Formed in Manchester in 1982, James emerged as one of the key acts associated with the city’s influential musical renaissance. Led by the charismatic and enigmatic Tim Booth, the band built a devoted following through emotionally charged songwriting and a willingness to evolve beyond genre boundaries. Songs such as ‘Sit Down’, ‘Come Home’, ‘She’s A Star’ and ‘Laid’ helped define an era, while their reputation as a formidable live act has remained constant throughout their career.
Remarkably, the band continue to find new creative peaks. Their eighteenth studio album, Yummy, debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart in 2024, becoming the first James studio album to top the chart. More than forty years after forming, the achievement served as a reminder that the band remain as relevant and adventurous as ever.
Adding further intrigue to the year ahead, James will also release a career-spanning documentary in August, directed by Chris Atkins, whose previous work includes Who Killed The KLF? and James Blunt: One Brit Wonder.
Joining the tour are fellow British indie stalwarts Razorlight, who return to Australia for the first time in over fifteen years. The band are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their self-titled breakthrough album, a record that produced era-defining singles including ‘America’, ‘In The Morning’ and ‘Before I Fall To Pieces’. Their return adds another layer of nostalgia to a tour already packed with British alternative music history.
JAMES October 2026 Australian and NZ Tour Dates
Thursday 8th October – Red Hill Auditorium, PERTH
Saturday 10th October – Margaret Court Arena, MELBOURNE
Sunday 11th October – Hordern Pavilion, SYDNEY
Tuesday 13th October – Fortitude Music Hall, BRISBANE
Thursday 15th October – Civic Theatre, AUCKLAND, NZ (James Only)
Go HERE for ticketing information.
