ShareSaul Davies, multi instrumentalist with Manchester band, James chats with Kevin Cooper about the effect that Brexit has had on the music industry, plenty of ginger, carrot and broccoli abuse on their live touring rider, their latest album release Nothing But Love…The Definitive Best Of James, and their 2026 Love Is The Answer headline tour.
Saul Davies (seen here third from the right) is a British musician, best known as a member of the rock band James. He is a multi instrumentalist whose primary instruments are the violin, guitar and percussion.
He joined James in 1989 after the bands guitarist, Larry Gott, saw him playing the violin. He was invited to join them in the rehearsal room when he immediately impressed the other band members. The rest they say is history.
Davies ended up remaining with the band throughout the 1990’s and his creative input became more prominent towards the end of the decade.
Following the departure in 2001 of the bands lead singer Tim Booth, the band became inactive. They reformed in 2007, and Davies was confirmed as part of the reformed line-up and was a band member for their reunion tour in April 2007. Since being reunited the band have released a further seven albums making a total of eighteen.
James has earned themselves a reputation as a live act and have built a solid fan base. In 2025 they released Nothing But Love, a three disc career spanning box set.
Whilst busy rehearsing for their headline tour, Saul took some time out to have a chat with Kevin Cooper and this is what he had to say.
Hi Saul, how are you?
I’m very well, thanks for asking Kevin, but more to the point how are you doing?
Well, I could moan but no one would listen (laughter).
(Laughter) I know that feeling very well believe me (laughter).
Swiftly moving on (laughter) let me thank you for taking the time to speak to me today.
That’s not a problem, it’s cool. Thank you for having me.
I last saw James four years ago now at the Royal Concert Hall here in Nottingham. You and I had a chat before the start of the tour.
That’s right, I remember. It’s always nice whenever we get to play up there in Nottingham; the Royal Concert Hall really is a beautiful and amazing venue. Obviously, this one is going to be a bit different, going into the Arena (laughter).
I will warn you that it can be bloody cold in the Arena (laughter).
Is it really? That’s ridiculous (laughter). How can it be cold in there, don’t they turn the fucking heating on (laughter).
What makes it so cold is that you are actually sitting on top of the ice rink.
Is that what it is?
Half of the audience are virtually sitting on top of the ice.
Perhaps we should do a winter woolly to sell in the merch stand just for a laugh (laughter).
I remember the time that Tim (Booth) took ill just before the show here in Nottingham, and you had to cancel.
That’s right; I actually think that Nottingham is the venue that we have cancelled the most because of illness. Thanks for that, I now have to tell you that I have developed a sense of trepidation, and you are telling me that it is fucking freezing in there as well.
Just to make matters worse, the dressing rooms are actually colder than the Arena (laughter).
Are they? We are old men; we demand fucking heat (laughter).
I told Suggs before Madness came to town and he said, ‘fuck that I’m not coming’ (laughter).
(Laughter) we will definitely turn up, although we will most probably cancel (laughter).
Anyway, down to business and just how is life treating you at this moment in time?
It’s good, yes, and I think that we are all, all the members of the band, are all in a good headspace. We are very much looking forward to what is coming up. We have all taken a bit of a break after a very big year last year. I think by and large last year was viewed by all as a great success. It has been cool to have a bit of a break, but it’s always nice whenever we are all back together.
Now a little bird tells me that you are about to start writing for a new studio album. Is that right?
Just who the fuck have you been speaking to (laughter). Yes, you are quite correct; four of us are getting ready to start writing what will be the final writing session which I suspect will be our new studio album.
And you have had some good news this week, haven’t you?
Yes, we have, we really have. This week, our latest single has been given the lofty status of being Radio 2’s record of the week and was put onto their A-List. We really do have some good stuff coming up. We are playing Radio 2’s Piano Room together with a few acoustic things to do so we are busy; we are starting up once again. It was a hugely gratifying year last year, which I feel has given the band the momentum as we head into 2026. It won’t just be this year; there will also be things happening next year in 2027.
So, everything is good, I feel that we are all in good form with each other, and I don’t sense that there is any disaster waiting just around the corner. It has often been the case that when our band has had good moments, publicly good moments, when we go out into the half-light of the world, in order to see if anyone likes us, when things have been going well in that way, we tend to mess it up in one way or another (laughter). However, this time I am not feeling like we are as vulnerable as we have been in the past. Having said that, something awful will most probably happen this afternoon (laughter).
Just remember to try and avoid hyperthermia when you get to the Motorpoint Arena here in Nottingham (laughter).
(Laughter) fuck that, I’m bringing some fingerless gloves with me.
We are going to talk about the forthcoming tour but first, can I take you back to the 12thof April 2024 and the release of your eighteenth studio album Yummy?
Yes, of course you can, let’s go for it.
Were you pleased with the fan’s reaction to the album?
Yes, I was, very much so. We all know don’t we, those of us who work within the music industry, one way or another, you don’t have to sell the number of records that you did back in the day in order to get to number one. Nevertheless, we got a number one album which I personally feel is remarkable. It is a testament to the record; it is a good record, and it’s testament I think to the relationship that we have with our fans as well, I think. Also, I have to say as well, we have now got good people around us who help us. It’s not very sexy, it’s not very interesting to talk about that stuff but it is actually true.
With regard to that, I understand that you have had a change of management recently.
(Laughter) just who is that ‘little bird’ that you have been speaking to (laughter). Yes, that’s perfectly correct. Our label On Going really is super supportive of what we do. They allow us a totally free range and allow us to do whatever we want in the studio which is amazing. That is exactly how it should be. These people are proper music people; in fact, we are surrounded by really good music people and that is really important. It is slightly old school in some ways but that is what we need, as we are an old school band in many ways.
We are in some ways but Yummy doesn’t sound like it simply because whenever we are in the studio we are not but whenever we play live, we really are a throwback. We get up there, we make a fucking racket, half of it is improvised, we put smiles on people’s faces, they buy a t-shirt or they don’t, and they go home (laughter). It’s really dead simple. But the record, the record could be anything in a sense; I mean where do you end up? You have got a bag of tunes that you have written, and where they might end up is anybody’s guess. Having said all of that I feel that Yummy is a good one, I like it.
You have mentioned that you are writing for a new studio album. Do you have a release date as yet?
Oh, I don’t know yet, we have got to make it (laughter). What I will say is that we will get some recording time this year, but I expect that the album will be released sometime next year. We have a documentary coming out on Netflix later on in the year so as I said earlier, there really is a lot going on which generally sheds a really good light on the band. I think that we as a band have changed quite a lot, over the last four or five years. The girls came and joined us a little before that, both Debbie (Knox-Hewson) and Chloë (Alper) in their own brilliant ways found a way to really add to what it is that we are doing. We really have changed a lot.
We, as a collective, have never suffered from a lack of confidence; it is almost like there is a joy that we share with each other whenever we go on stage. We actually and genuinely look forward to it now. People often ask me, “do you ever get nervous” and a little bit shamefully I say, “no” because I really do like it (laughter). As I alluded to a little earlier anything can come along at any point and deflect people away from what it is that they want to do. We lost a hell of a lot of stuff that we were doing, and we had to pick it up and do it all over again, and fortunately we have been in a position to reschedule everything again.
Just going into December, the whole band got sick, and that’s no joke as you get older. Just when you think that everything is swimmingly beautiful, is often the time that things will go array (laughter). I think that the tendency we have got for courting disaster, is certainly offset a little bit I think nowadays by the fact that we are very tight with each other. Also, we all share a very heathy vision and collective vision of just what we think that James is at the moment. In a sense we always have but at the moment I think I sense a very strong adherence to what we think James is because we are a band of principles in some ways as well.
Without wanting to speak high and mighty about that, music does come along with a message sometimes, and we are all very committed to that. We are also very committed to some core principles upon which we base our music; don’t over rehearse, keep things fresh, enjoy the mistakes, don’t get freaked out when things go wrong, the best part of a night will happen surely just after everything is a disaster (laughter). What you have to remember is that James really is an authentic band.
Coming up to date, Nothing But Love…The Definitive Best Of James, I have got the three CD version which equals fifty-eight tracks. Just how long did it take you to whittle them down until you reached those fifty-eight tracks?
Oh God there were a lot of arguments I can tell you (laughter). It is a really nice collection of stuff, and I think that for anyone who comes to James new, fresh through Yummy and thinks, ‘oh I’m going to look further into James’ then Nothing But Love really is a great introduction. I think that the way it is presented is beautiful, especially the vinyl, that really is a great thing for people to have. I have to tell you that it was a really expensive thing for us to put together, so it is not without cost, which is an absolute shame but that’s the way it is.
It’s definitive in the sense that we have done it, but it can’t be definitive simply because we are still making new music and I think that there are some significant catalogue songs that didn’t make it on there (laughter). I feel that this collection is a really good addition to our catalogue of albums that we have released, and I have to say that I think that the artwork is especially appealing. It looks really fresh to me and the music really does sound good. You have got a span there of almost forty-five years of music, and it sounds bloody good even the earlier stuff.
I think that there is a lot of value in the fact that this collection exists. Of course, it ends up taking the form of a greatest hits collection. There are a lot of songs on there that everybody knows; singles and stuff, but I don’t think that there is any shame in that either. I feel that it appeals to the kind of people who buy these kind of records thinking, ‘oh yes, that will be cool as I will get everything in the one place’ but you have to remember the people who have been with us for a generation or two (laughter), those big songs have in a lot of cases marked big moments in those people’s lives and because of that, those songs become hugely important to people and I personally think that is a very important and remarkable thing to be involved in.
Taking on board the ever-increasing back catalogue of work that you have at your disposal, just how difficult is it for you to put a setlist together for the forthcoming tour?
I have to be totally honest with you and say that it is honestly really difficult. You have a lot of competing ideas on that very subject but, at the end of the day the shows that we will be playing in April, Doves will be on stage for an hour and then we will be playing for two hours which for us is a really good amount of time. So, we, the band members who are involved with making the setlist should be able to find a really nice balance between what we think that people want to hear and what we think we should play and I think that is okay. Every night we change things around a little bit, night by night, so throughout a tour we will get to play pretty much everything that we have rehearsed and a few other things (laughter).
We also like to try out new things at the soundcheck as we move along throughout the tour. I think that one of the things that we, as a band were all reminded of was at the back end of last year in September and October, we did a tour of America and we were the only band on stage, and as such we played two sets; we played our 1993 album Laid interspersed with a few other tracks so we were actually onstage a very long time (laughter). And I have to say that I felt that it showed us at our very best. The longer that we got to play, the more we were able to gel as a band, which was great. The problem with playing festivals, which we often do, is that we find it limiting because we never get to play a full set. So, this tour in April, for me is a good one. We have given ourselves two hours to play and I personally feel that we should be able to play a pretty good set in that time.
You have mentioned the forthcoming tour, Love Is The Answer; are you looking forward to being back out on the road?
Yes, I am, massively. I am genuinely happy with the choice of venues that we have chosen to play, what is especially gratifying to me personally is the fact that we haven’t played Nottingham for a while, so we are going to be putting on a big show up there in Nottingham. So that will be great that we are going to be doing that. It is very seldom on a UK tour that we get to play Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds together. However, on this tour we are going to play all of those three cities which is hugely gratifying to me. I really do love playing in Liverpool and it often loses out a little bit as we are going to be playing Manchester, and if we are playing Manchester then we have to play Leeds (laughter) so I think that for us to play all three cities really is great. So, in answer to your question, I truly am buzzing to get back out there.
I understand that due to demand, you have increased the size of your VIP meet and greet?
I would love to know where you are getting your information from (laughter). Yes, that’s right, we are. As you know we do the VIP soundcheck things, and this time we’ve decided that seeing as there is a lot more demand for that which far outweighs the amount of tickets that we had put up for sale, usually somewhere between 80 and 100 tickets depending on the size of the venue. However this time we thought ‘fuck it, a lot of people actually want to go’ so we have increased that side of things. For a lot of us that really is our favourite part of the day where we get to play in front of, it might be 100 people, it might be 200 people, whatever it is we actually play three songs, songs which might be in the set, songs that might not be in the set (laughter).
Also, it’s great to speak to people as well, because people bring along with them some most unbelievable stories. We will do a Q&A and get to chat to people. It is quite remarkable some of the things that people tell you, and they are happy to tell you in front of their fellow fans. It was at one of these events that I became aware of a very powerful James community. They support one another in their love of James which I find really cool. The most significant part of that part of the day is that it gets us ready for the gig having properly played three songs, in an Arena, with a light show.
Okay, there is nobody there but there are enough people there to ensure that the energy level within the Arena goes up significantly and there is an adrenalin buzz and it is one of the things that guarantees that when we actually hit the stage at 9 o’clock or whatever it is, it guarantees that we are all up for it. It means that we are all involved in a long day but what a privilege it is for us to be able to do it. That genuinely is how I feel about it.
Do you still get a buzz out of touring or has it now become a necessary evil?
No, not at all, I love it, I really love it. Personally, I don’t like travelling on the tour bus; I really don’t sleep very well on a tour bus. I like to have some time away from everybody. I think that we are all better served like that; 24 hours being with each other is insane (laughter). For me that really is too abnormal. I like getting off stage, having a salad and jumping into my car and driving halfway to the next gig. I usually find myself in a small hotel in the middle of nowhereand go for a run in the morning, that’s what I tend to do (laughter).
I will go for a run first thing in the morning, get into my car and drive the remaining hour or two to the venue for the next gig. That’s my day and I love it. I genuinely feel like some weird travelling salesman, but I love it (laughter). What a job to do. When you are a kid and someone says to you, “what do you want to be when you grow up” and you reply, “a racing car driver” No one ever says that they want to work on the bins do they (laughter).
On the subject of bins, didn’t you recently have what we will call an encounter with one of your bins?
(Laughter) just where the hell are you getting your information from (laughter). I recently leant over my bin a little too far and I actually found myself falling into my bin outside my house up here in the North of Scotland. (laughter). I actually managed to crack a couple of ribs. I am sharing that snippet to the world through you as an admission of old fartism (laughter). However, all was not in vain as I did actually manage to get the last bag out of the bin.
Going back to the original point I was trying to make, whenever someone asked you, “what do you want to be when you grow up” whenever you replied, “I want to be a pop star” or “I want to be a musician” then what you found was that people would beat that idiocy out of you by telling you that you should “get yourself a proper job, you can’t do that” but we all made it (laughter).
Do you ever get the opportunity to have a walk around the cities that you are playing in or is it a case of arrive, soundcheck, gig, onto the next venue and repeat, arrive, soundcheck, gig, onto the next venue?
As you can imagine, that literally depends upon our schedule. There are times when we have been somewhere for a couple of days, in fact on the forthcoming tour I believe that we are staying in a couple of places for three days, so that then gives you the opportunity to get to see the city. When my Achilles is not hurting, I do love to run, and there are times when I will run through a city and I get to know somewhere a little better.
It’s quite funny when I go for a run before a gig and I have to run back to the venue and there is hundreds of James fans parked outside (laughter). Someone will always see me and shout out, “hey up, how are you doing” and I think, ‘oh Christ’ (laughter). I usually shout out, “come on everybody let’s all go for a run together” and that seems to calm everybody down (laughter).
If music hadn’t have worked out for you, did you have a Plan B?
(Laughter) yes, I did and I was going to be a very bad comedian.
And just how far did you look into that?
Not too far as I also had that beaten out of me (laughter). I soon got fed up hearing, ‘you’re just not funny’ and seeing the same message written on all of my birthday cards (laughter). That was quite funny actually. Here’s the thing, you are not supposed to laugh at your own jokes. I often say to people, “at least it’s better than nothing”. I really don’t know; I went to university, I did all that, stupidly, like most people did forty odd years ago, but it didn’t get me anywhere did it (laughter). I went to uni and studied law when I thought that I was going to be a lawyer and change the world but once again, that was beaten out of me (laughter).
I should have said that was beaten out of me via boredom (laughter). Actually, I did do a degree in Archaeology and Ancient History at Manchester University where I did manage to achieve a joint honours degree. Maybe that’s the long-lost skill that I bought to the table when we wrote some of the songs in the early days of James (laughter). I really don’t know as when you are young you just fall into stuff don’t you unless you have an unbelievable talent or passion for something. I have always had a talent for music. I have always loved music; it is the one thing that I always did alongside everything else that I did in life.
Having said that, I never thought for a second it was something that I would do that would actually pay the bills and take me around the world; I had no idea. I never thought, like the boys in Oasis, that I was going to be the best thing since sliced bread. They became the biggest band in the world whilst sounding like somebody else (laughter). They are amazing aren’t they? I never suffered from that kind of arrogance; I am using the word arrogance in a good way here, it is a powerful motivator. To return to your original question I would most probably have ended up doing God knows, something really boring no doubt like a teacher (laughter).
I have to tell you that I first became aware of James way back in 1985 when they opened for The Smiths on their Meat Is Murder Tour.
Really, wow, I suppose that a lot of people would have done. That really was a very significant tour. I joined the band as you know in 1989 so unfortunately; I missed that tour as I wasn’t around. For me, it was nice in 2024 when James toured with Johnny Marr across America and it was interesting to hear him talk about ‘what that lot were like’ (laughter). Sadly Gavan (Whelan) the drummer is no longer with us, and James (Lawrence “Larry” Gott) left some while ago now.
Obviously Jim (Glennie) and Tim (Booth) are still with us, very much so, and it was interesting thinking about the fact that back in 1985 ‘that lot’ had been together for a while even then. It’s quite remarkable really. I personally feel that opening for The Smiths back then did our band a huge service. Morrissey and Johnny had simply come across James and thought that it was marvellous. I honestly believe that both Johnny and Morrissey were on personal missions to take James out to the world. Can you remember which venue you saw them at?
It was at the Royal Concert Hall here in Nottingham.
Wow, that’s amazing. Do you remember what it was like; do you have a lasting memory of the gig?
It was extremely loud and Johnny’s guitar playing was on point (laughter). Speaking to people after the gig everyone said the same thing, James should have been headlining.
Wow, no! What you have to remember is that at that time The Smiths were at the absolute height of their powers then. If people were saying that after the gig, then that really is amazing.
I have been told that you came across James in rather strange circumstances, is that correct?
(Laughter) I will have to find out who it is that you have been speaking to (laughter). Yes, that is perfectly correct and a rather funny story. The first time that I saw James was at Trafford Park in Manchester. Back in 1986 I could hear music in the distance and I thought, ‘what’s going on’ so I clambered over the fence, walked across the park, and I saw these eight loons playing and it turned out that it was James. I managed to catch about half of the set and I thought to myself, ‘well that was interesting’ and three years later I was in the fucking band (laughter).
At that time I really was literally a poverty stricken student and I remember very clearly and I do quite often joke with the rest of the band about this. I realised that if I picked up all of the bottles that were on the grass, whilst Simply Red were headlining, opening their set with Money’s Too Tight (To Mention) and also finishing the set with Money’s Too Tight (To Mention) which strengthens your earlier point about bands not having enough material of their own and they have to do a few covers. As you know that isn’t a Simply Red song it’s a cover of The Valentine Brothers (hysterical laughter). I went back to my flat and got a handful of black plastic bags. I filled these with empty bottles, took them to the corner shop, and got all of the money back (laughter).
And just how did your very first meeting with James work out?
I finally got to meet them in late February 1989 but at the point I didn’t realise that it was them whom I had seen back in 1986 (laughter). It eventually dawned on me and I said, “hang on a minute, I have seen you nutters before back in 1986 at Trafford Park” (laughter). Meeting them was so idiosyncratic and so very different from anything else, it really was very weird (laughter). They had just come out of a cult, they had all been involved in a cult, the whole thing really was mad. What attracted me to them was their total abandonment and desire to be creative and just do stuff really was remarkable. That’s why they wanted me to join them, because I was a fellow traveller down that particular road doing that.
Whenever we talk about the music business we automatically think about Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll so I have to ask, what is currently on your live rider?
Not a lot (laughter). We have finally managed to get rid of the chocolate cake, which was put there by my ex-wife about 25 years ago so let’s get rid of that (laughter). We also managed to get rid of Bombay Mix. I have absolutely no idea who demanded that, but it has finally gone; it’s like eating landfill (laughter). You could use Bombay Mix to fill the holes in the road, what else is it used for? Surely nobody eats that stuff do they, if they do, they must be mad (laughter).
We no longer have any booze on our rider; we have a dry backstage really. There is no alcohol back there. There is a hell of a lot of ginger, carrot and broccoli abuse (laughter). We really are a healthy bunch, and to be honest with you there isn’t really any Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll anymore. You have to remember that we are all far too old now (laughter). Well, there are certainly no Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll as far as I am concerned (laughter).
As a touring band, just how has Brexit affected you?
It really is not good at all, no, no. Brexit makes things much more difficult, it makes things much more expensive, and also it flies in the face of what the artistic community has always done, to communicate as a global entity, a live music industry. You will have noticed, no doubt, that the number of American artists coming over to the UK is now ever diminishing and that is purely down to the increase in costs since Brexit. It is all down to the cost rather than the practicality of making it happen. To be totally blunt with you, Brexit is a balls up.
On that note Saul let me once again thank you for taking the time to speak to me, it’s been enlightening. I will see you at the Motorpoint Arena here in Nottingham on Tuesday 14th April as I will be photographing and review the show.
Shit, I’d better have a shave then (laughter). It’s been really nice speaking to you again Kevin. Let’s see if we can grab a moment before the gig in Nottingham.
That would be fantastic and don’t forget to bring a woolly cardigan with you (laughter).
Fuck that I am going to buy a pair of fingerless gloves or better still a heater (laughter). See you in Nottingham and thanks for all of your help.
