Alex James (musician)

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Alex James
FRSA
James performing with Blur in 2023
James performing with Blur in 2023
Background information
Birth nameSteven Alexander James
Born (1968-11-21) 21 November 1968 (age 56)
Boscombe, Bournemouth, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • cheesemaker[1]
  • author[2]
InstrumentBass
Years active1988–present
Member ofBlur
Formerly of

Steven Alexander James (born 21 November 1968) is an English musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band Blur. He has also played with the bands Fat Les, Me Me Me, WigWam and Bad Lieutenant.

Music career

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Main article: Blur (band)
James performing with Blur in 2013

James was born in Boscombe, Bournemouth, and attended the state grammar school Bournemouth School, where he started playing in bands. He credits the Beatles with inspiring him to pursue music: "I was off school with chickenpox when John Lennon was shot in 1980. I spent the week watching a VHS recording of the Beatles film Help!, which was broadcast on TV the day he died. I still watch it once a year. Then I bought a Beatles songbook and a guitar, figured out the chord shapes and started strumming and singing along. I never looked back."[3]

In 1988, James met future bandmate Graham Coxon at Goldsmiths College, where James studied French. Introductions with Coxon's old school friend Damon Albarn and Dave Rowntree soon took place; at the time Albarn and Rowntree were part of a band called Circus.

In 1989, James joined Coxon, Albarn and Rowntree's new band, Seymour, which would later be renamed Blur. He has been in the band ever since, although in 2008 he described the days of being a constant band member as "a past-life".[4]

Almost immediately after this, Blur got together with returning bandmate Graham Coxon to perform at Glastonbury Festival, Hyde Park, Oxegen and T in the Park during the summer of 2009. They also played shows at Goldsmiths College, Essex Museum and other venues around the UK and mainland Europe. Blur headlined a show at Hyde Park for the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. In 2013, the band performed at the Rock Werchter in Belgium,[5] the Spanish and Portuguese dates of the Primavera Sound festival,[6] and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the United States.[7]

Collaborations

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Alex James in 2009

Unlike Albarn, Coxon and Rowntree, James has not released any solo material, although he has been involved in other collaborative side projects. In 1998, James formed Fat Les with actor Keith Allen and artist Damien Hirst, releasing the unofficial theme song (excluding three others) "Vindaloo" for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, which reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart. He also worked on side project Me Me Me with Stephen Duffy, co-wrote songs for Marianne Faithfull (appearing in drag playing a double bass in the music video for her single "Sex With Strangers") and Jane McDonald, and worked with Florence and the Machine and Gene Loves Jezebel.

James worked with Sophie Ellis-Bextor on her solo debut Read My Lips, co-writing and co-producing "Move This Mountain", and co-producing "I Believe" with Ellis-Bextor and producer Ben Hillier. He also played bass on both tracks. Ellis-Bextor's 2003 album, Shoot from the Hip also featured James as bass player and co-writer on the track "Love Is It Love". He also joined his friend and singer-songwriter Betty Boo in a band called WigWam in 2005. In 2009, James appeared as bass player on debut Bad Lieutenant record Never Cry Another Tear. The band consists of New Order lead singer Bernard Sumner and guitarist Phil Cunningham, along with Jake Evans of Rambo And Leroy. In 2013, James co-wrote the song "Did I Lose You?", performed by Giorgia and Olly Murs.

Other ventures

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Television appearances

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James has made a variety of television appearances. In 2001 he featured in Channel 4's documentary Gouge about the Pixies. He represented The Idler on University Challenge: The Professionals in 2005, and in 2007 served as a judge on Channel 4's Orange unsignedAct. He has also appeared as a guest on Have I Got News for You, The F Word'', and BBC Two's Maestro.[8] In 2008 he presented the documentary Cocaine Diaries: Alex James in Colombia on BBC America.[9] He has since appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Popstar to Operastar, Top Gear, The Chase, The Bank Job, Through the Keyhole and in August 2015, he won the Channel 4 programme,Celebrity Fifteen to One.[10]

In 2016 James presented the documentary Alex James: Slowing Down Fast Fashion, exploring the environmental and social impacts of the fashion industry.[11]

Writing

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James has written about food, farming and lifestyle for publications including The Sun, The Spectator and The Observer.[12] His autobiography, Bit of a Blur, was published in 2007,[13] and was followed by All Cheeses Great and Small: A Life Less Blurry in 2011, focusing on his transition to cheesemaking.[14]

Radio

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In 2007 James presented the BBC Radio 4 programme On Your Farm.[15] He currently hosts Alex James’s Date Night on Classic FM every Saturday evening.[16] He previously presented The A-Z of Classic FM Music, which began in 2008 and won a Silver Sony Radio Academy Award for Best Music Programme.[17] James also contributed the foreword to the show's accompanying book and CD box set, published by Reader's Digest in 2010.[18]

Cheesemaking

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After leaving Blur, James established a cheese farm in Kingham, Oxfordshire. He collaborated with New Zealand cheese specialist Juliet Harbutt on two varieties, Little Wallop (2007) and Farleigh Wallop (2009), the latter winning Best Goat's Cheese at the 2009 British Cheese Awards.[19][20]

In 2011, he introduced a commercially available range of flavoured cheeses in partnership with Asda, with varieties such as "cheddar and tomato ketchup" and "cheddar and tikka masala".[21][22] The Guardian described the range as "bizarre flavour mash-ups in sliced, processed, plasticky form".[23]

Music and food festivals

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In 2011, James announced that his Oxfordshire farm would host an annual food and music festival. The first event, Alex James Presents Harvest, was held from 9 to 12 September 2011 in partnership with Big Wheel Promotions.[24] The festival ran into financial difficulties after Big Wheel Promotions went bankrupt, leaving stallholders, performers and the ticketing company unpaid.[25] Kingham Primary School, which had provided entertainment, was reported to be owed £7,000, with the headteacher stating that the shortfall could affect the school’s music teaching budget.[26]

A local concert was organised in December 2011 to help cover the debt, with James pledging to match the funds raised.[27] Big Wheel Promotions subsequently ceased trading, despite having already collected ticket fees for a planned 2012 festival.[25]

Since 2012, James has co-hosted The Big Feastival with Jamie Oliver, an annual food and music festival also held on his farm.[28] The first edition included performances by artists such as Paloma Faith, Gaz Coombes and Razorlight, as well as cookery demonstrations and children’s entertainment.[29] The festival returned in 2013, and by 2014 attendance was reported at over 30,000. It has since been held annually over the August Bank Holiday weekend.[30]

In 2019, James launched a schools’ art competition linked to the festival, with the winning entry used as a stage backdrop.[31]

In 2024, held from 23 to 25 August, included performances by Snow Patrol and Becky Hill, alongside food, comedy and children’s events.[31] The 2025 festival is scheduled to feature Nelly Furtado, Faithless and Britpop Classical, alongside other music, food and family events.

Personal life

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James's father, Jason, was sales director of a company selling waste compactors and baling machines. James married Claire Neate, a music video producer, in April 2003 in Cheltenham. They have five children. The family live near Kingham in Oxfordshire on a 200-acre (0.81 km2) cheese farm; James is considered by the press to be a member of the Chipping Norton set.[32]

In his book, James describes a long period of decadent lifestyle. To celebrate his birthday in São Paulo one year, he got the tour manager to find him a balthazar of champagne, which he shared with the five prettiest groupies who were at the hotel door. James estimated that he spent about 1 million pounds on champagne and cocaine; in 2015, however, he said that this story was not true.[33] He mentions a long list of favourite bars, including the Groucho Club and The Colony Room.[34][35][36]

Bournemouth University presented James with an honorary doctorate in November 2010. He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Gloucestershire in November 2013.[37][38]

Bibliography

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  • Bit of a Blur. London: Little, Brown. 2007.
  • All Cheeses Great and Small: A Life Less Blurry. London: Fourth Estate. 2012.
  • Over the Rainbow: Tales from an Unexpected Year. London: Particular Books. 2024.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Dunworth, Liberty (30 May 2024). "Blur's Alex James is attempting to make a giant Frazzle for The Big Feastival". NME. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  2. ^ Lamont, Tom (9 March 2012). "All Cheeses Great and Small: A Life Less Blurry by Alex James – review | Autobiography and memoir". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Alex James: Blur and Oasis owe a lot to The Beatles". MSN. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Cocaine: Alex James in Colombia". London: BBC News. 28 January 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Rock Werchter 2013 lineup: Blur, Depeche Mode, Phoenix, Rammstein, and more". Consequence of Sound. 29 January 2013. Retrieved on 16 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Blur Confirmed for Primavera Sound 2013 Archived 12 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine". Pitchfork. 8 October 2012. Retrieved on 22 October 2012.
  7. ^ "Coachella 2013: Blur, Phoenix and Red Hot Chili Peppers to headline". The Guardian. 25 January 2013. Retrieved on 7 February 2013.
  8. ^ "Eight passionate amateurs bid to become BBC Two's Maestro" (Press release). BBC. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  9. ^ Hassall, Greg (16 March 2012). "Alex James: The Cocaine Diaries, Saturday, 17 March". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  10. ^ "Celebrity Fifteen to One – S2 – Episode 1". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  11. ^ Carvell, Nick (10 October 2016). "This Alex James × John Smedley jumper proves sustainability can be superbly stylish". British GQ. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Alex James: Confessions of an English cheesemaker". The Observer. 16 September 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Bit of a Blur by Alex James". The Telegraph. 14 July 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  14. ^ "All Cheeses Great and Small by Alex James: review". The Telegraph. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  15. ^ Davies, Catriona (11 December 2006). "Blur guitarist finds a new voice on the farm". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  16. ^ "Alex James's Date Night". Classic FM. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Alex James's A-Z takes Silver Sony Award". Classic FM. 2008. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Alex James' classical saviour". Skiddle.com. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  19. ^ Jarvis, Kate (2009). Cotswolds. Richmond, UK: Crimson. p. 215. ISBN 9781854584632.
  20. ^ Simon Reynolds (3 October 2008). "James names cheese after New Order track". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  21. ^ Baker, Rosie. "Alex James launches cheese range with Asda". Marketing Week. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  22. ^ "Blur bassist launches cheese range at York supermarket". York Press. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  23. ^ Chester, Tim (24 August 2011). "Alex James: plastic cheese punk". The Guardian. London, UK.
  24. ^ "Alex James Presents Harvest". Alexjamespresentsharvest.com. 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  25. ^ a b "Dark days for Alex James's 'Worstival'". The Guardian. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  26. ^ "School is still waiting for money owed after festival". Cotswold Journal. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  27. ^ "Blur star Alex James tells of shock and fury over farm festival that became a financial nightmare". The Guardian. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  28. ^ "Faith And Razorlight To Headline Jamie Oliver Festival". Contact Music. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  29. ^ "Jamie Oliver and Alex James perform at The Big Feastival". The Independent. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  30. ^ "Big Feastival 2015 tickets coming soon". Jamieoliver.com. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  31. ^ a b "Get creative to win a free family ticket for Big Feastival". Oxford Mail. 22 June 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  32. ^ Caroline Dewar (5 March 2012). "Who's who in the Chipping Norton set". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  33. ^ "Alex James interview: Blur's bassist on the band's comeback, Oasis". The Independent. 30 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
  34. ^ James, Alex (2007). bit of a blur. Little, Brown. pp. 192, 193, 228. ISBN 9780316029957.
  35. ^ Caspar Llewellyn Smith (3 June 2007). "The drinks are on you now, Alex". The Observer. London. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  36. ^ Leonie Cooper (16 June 2007). "Sex and drugs and bacon rolls". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  37. ^ "Alex James on Bournemouth and Cheese | News & Events | Bournemouth University". Bournemouth University. 20 April 2010. Archived from the original on 10 December 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  38. ^ "University Announces Honorary Doctorates and Fellowships". Glos.ac.uk. 9 August 2013. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
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