Starsailor: Band return to Oxford after star's solo voyage

They were a hugely successful band, with a string of hit records and a likable line in melodic indie-pop.

Then they called it a day; their frontman walking off to do his own thing. Now Starsailor are back.

Having proved himself as a solo artist, James Walsh is back at the helm of his old band. And to get back into the swing of things he is playing a pair of shows – one of which is in Oxford.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” he tells me; and it’s obvious he means it. “The best thing is the shows. When we are on it and the crowd are into it there’s no better feeling. I love it!”

Formed in 2000, and taking their name from a Tim Buckley album, the band went on to score 10 top 40 hits with their brand of what James calls “soulful, acoustic-based melodic rock”. They include singles Four to the Floor, Fever, and top 10 hits Alcoholic and Silence is Easy. They also released four hit albums – two of them, 2001’s Love is Here and 2003’s Silence is Easy, reaching number two and going Platinum and Gold respectively.

Then in 2009 they decided to, in James’ words “take a break”.

“There weren’t any personal or creative issues between the band members,” he says. “I think we had taken the band as far as we could at the time and it felt like the right time to stretch ourselves outside the bubble of Starsailor.”

So why get back together? “For me, personally, I think I’ve done what I needed to do to establish myself as a writer and musician outside of the band. Also the fans encouraged us.

“It's nice to know we still have an audience who support us.

“The longer it went on the more enthusiastic people became about us doing more shows.”

The gig at the O2 Academy, which follows a show in Gloucester the day before, precedes a Summer In the City show, headlined by James, at Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl on July 11.

It follows a fruitful stab at solo stardom which has seen James record his solo debut Turning Point.

Was he surprised by how well received the album was by fans? “A little bit,” he confesses. “I was confident I’d made a record I was proud of but you never know how it’s going to go. It’s great that people are coming to the shows to hear the solo songs now and not just re-living the youth that we soundtracked with Starsailor.”

And it has proved surprisingly simple to get back into the swing of things. “It’s been quite easy and enjoyable, really,” he says.

“We’re all enthusiastic about it and support each other. I think we all appreciate what we’ve got maybe more than we did when we were younger. And the fact that everyone has other things going on, and there isn’t the same pressure on the band to be a massive success, mean it’s more relaxed.”

And, he says, his experience of performing as a solo artist has had a positive impact on the band.

“My guitar playing has got a lot better!” he says. “I want to carry on working with a diverse range of artists as a writer for sure. In recent weeks I’ve had an album I’ve worked on reach the top 10 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Rea Garvey) and I have a song Love Will Never Let You Down on which I collaborated with DJ Eddie Thoneick and Abel Ramos coming out on Swedish House Mafia’s Steve Angello’s label Size Records.

Their heartfelt lyrics and emotional style often made Starsailor seem serious and earnest. Is that a fair description? Well, only partially. “We’re quite disciplined in rehearsals and take our playing seriously but outside of that it’s a complete laugh,” says James. “We go out and drink and enjoy ourselves and take the mickey out of each other a lot. I'm not really one for rock & roll debauchery, but there have been some amazing moments. I remember we played in LA and Lisa Bonet wanted to meet us. Another time, in Dublin, Michael Stipe knocked on our dressing room door to say thanks for supporting REM. That was incredible.”

And, he says, there has been no shortage of funny moments too.

“I jumped off the stage at V festival one year and one of our crew, who is quite a big bloke, jumped after me and broke his leg,” he winces. “The tour manager had to get the dressing room key off him while he was lying on the stretcher! We were buzzing after the show and oblivious to what was going on until we were told the details. This crew member was a great bloke and our keyboard player’s brother, but he’d been a calamity at every job we gave him – so we ended up helping him buy a pub lease instead.”

And what is he most proud of? “I’m proud that I’m still working in music for a living all these years later,” he says. “I’m proud of writing Four To The Floor. It’s a song that’s had a long life. It reached an audience with the original release and a whole new audience with the remix. I’m also proud of Alcoholic. I’ve changed since I wrote that song and moved on but I’m still happy to play it. Silence Is Easy is the one for me, though. I’ve never got bored of that one.”

He admitted he couldn’t wait to return to Oxford, and encouraged fans of old to come along and support. “We’ve done some memorable gigs in Oxford before including one with the Radio 1 Evening Session when we were just taking off, so it’s a special place for us. You can expect energy, emotion and enjoyment.”

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Starsailor play the Oxford O2 Academy next Thursday. Tickets from 0844 477 2000 or
ticketweb.co.uk
Turning Point is available now