Rock band James have said they are ready for Andy Burnham to sit down and bring hope back to the UK after he was made Prime Minister. The iconic band first met the new leader at their massive hometown show at the Co-Op Live in Manchester earlier this year. They then watched on as he used their 1993 hit Sometimes in the Makerfield by-election last month.
Burnham presented James with Legend Award
Burnham presented the group with the Legend Award at Silver Clef Awards earlier this month as they celebrated four decades of creating generation-defining anthems. The group even partied into the night with the new prime minister, something the band said was 'kind of cool'.
The band's frontman Tim Booth told the Mirror how the group had wanted to approach the politician before the Makersville election. He said: 'He came to my gig a few months earlier, and we met him backstage with Gary Neville, and it was kind of cool. He used Sometimes in the election, and you know you've got to pick a side in a sense and have some hope, and obviously the weight of expectation and hope is crushing for most people, but you don't know where it's going to go and how he's going to deal with it. But he did a great job in Manchester.'
'He represents hope and change'
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, the duo revealed they are hopeful the new prime minister can 'get some things moving' and say he 'represents hope and change'. 'I'll take that,' Glennie told the Mirror of his appointment. 'I don't know what the reality will be, but for now, I will take this little bubble of hope because there's not been any the last few years. There hasn't been any hope and it's been horrible.'
The duo know there is a lot of weight on the new leader's shoulders. Booth added: 'We like his talk about getting more money out of London and bringing it up north. The northern cities have been totally misrepresented and underrepresented. I like his idea of giving more power to the local mayors because they know what's wrong with their cities in detail, not some guy in Westminster who hardly ever goes there. It's the guy who's on the ground. So those two things sound like clever, intelligent changes that can make a difference.'
'Number 10 North is genius'
Glennie agreed, calling the idea of a Number 10 North 'genius'. He said it's 'hard not to get too worked up and excited about it'. Booth reiterated his thoughts that there is so much opportunity outside of London in vibrant cities such as Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle.
Glennie admitted the idea of a 10-year-plan has him excited as he hopes the Prime Minister merry-go-round can come to a standstill with Burnham. 'I think it's quite aspirational and optimistic. But I can't see how you'd make any progress if you didn't do that. We'll see. I don't know how that's going to pan out across the country, but I think he needs to shift the power out of London.'
While refraining from taking aim at former leader Sir Keir Starmer, Glennie admitted the former Labour leader just didn't have the personable quality possessed by the former Manchester mayor. 'He was a bit wooden,' Glennie said of Starmer before saying Burnham 'has got the kind of guy next door feel I think is needed here'. He said: 'People need somebody they can relate to that might understand them. Whether his policies and what he does next reflect that, I'd like to think they will. I think he's got that opportunity. I think people want to give him a chance, and I think that's important.'
'There's so much hope in uniting people,' Booth added.
Burnham's political background
Burnham's Labour leadership bid was backed by 322 Labour MPs. He returned to Parliament in June after nearly a decade serving as Mayor for Greater Manchester. He was previously MP for Leigh from 2001 until 2017, and held ministerial roles under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
Booth and Glennie were speaking as they get set to release their very first documentary with a behind-the-scenes look on all things James after 18 studio albums. The group was formed in the early 80s in Manchester. Despite enduring a decade of false starts, bad decisions and bewildering missteps, including joining a cult, and turning down a US tour with The Smiths, they have gone on to be a huge success.
With iconic tracks such as Sit Down, which propelled them to national fame in 1991, and Laid, the band continue to perform to huge crowds and are showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. Glennie admitted the three-year process for their documentary wasn't planned and was difficult at times. He said the end product left him both crying and laughing when watching it.
'We're a real mixture of organisation and chaos,' Booth confessed as he said fans will share parts of their career that have been secret for decades. James: Getting Away With It will screen at cinemas nationwide on 17th August, followed by livestream of band interview and live performance.
