James

Critics' darlings and John Peel faves, James are Manchester born and bred and it shows. Tim Booth, Gavan Whelan, Jimmy Glennie and Larry Gott are funny, intelligent and grounded - and when they create music they do so with the gusto and passion of Northern self-belief. Every James record is in a world of its own, no one really sounds like them, and right from the start they were always rapturous live performers.

From early live classics, 'Stripmining' and 'Hymn From A Village' to later biggies 'Sit Down', 'She's A Star' and 'Sound', they constantly search for new ways to surprise and delight. And find them! "We want to be as big as Coca Cola," said Tim once, "But we won't rot your teeth." Naturally sweet, preternaturally fizzy, one of the oddest flavours in the popsphere, James are prodigal sons returning to the fray: older, wiser, ever sweet, ever fizzy.