PRS for Music honour James and the Hacienda

PRS for Music honour James and the Hacienda with a Heritage Award

Iconic Manchester indie band James, is to be honoured by a PRS for Music Heritage Award on Tuesday 1st November in their home city.  A special black plaque is to be erected in Manchester where the original group, Jim Glennie, Paul Gilbertson, Gavan Whelan and Tim Booth, played their first official Manchester gig as ‘James’, at Fac 51 Haçienda club on 17 November 1982.

Labelled the most famous club in the world by Newsweek magazine, The Haçienda provided a musical platform for some of the 20th Century’s most important and influential artists. Owned by Factory Records and New Order, the Haç is credited with being the pivotal club in acid house and the development of dance music in the UK in the late Eighties, but, prior to that, was also a well-respected live venue. 

James’ first performance at the club in November 1982 was as the support act to Big Country, but they went on to play the club another four times up until 1985, including supporting The Smiths at their November 1983 concert, which many regard as of the finest Manchester gigs ever.

James also released their debut single with Factory Records, “Jimone”, the same month as The Smiths gig.  They then released the appropriately named anthem “Hymn From A Village” on “Jimtwo”, FAC 119, in 1985, which gave them a springboard for their wide reaching success in the late eighties and throughout the nineties.

PRS for Music set up the Heritage Award in 2009 to recognise the unusual ‘performance birthplaces’ of famous bands and artists. James is the ninth band to be given the honour of receiving the permanent plaque. 

The band and its members Tim Booth, Jim Glennie, Larry Gott, Saul Davies, Mark Hunter, Andy Diagram and David Baynton-Power, together with Peter Hook of Joy Division/New Order fame will be there to see the plaque unveiled. 

Celebrating the birthplaces of our country's musical heritage is a really well deserved thing to do and I’m absolutely delighted to announce a PRS for Music Heritage Award to James. The UK has given the world fantastic songwriters and performers which have enriched our lives and provided us with music we all love and appreciate.  Congratulations to both James and the Haçienda for this well deserved honour. Although the heyday of the Haçienda was in the eighties and nineties its legacy lives on.

It's fantastic to be recognised by PRS for Music in this way, and to have a plaque on the site of 'The Hacienda' is a true honour. Gigs have always been the mainstay of this band's existence and without the support and encouragement of the people of Manchester we would have never got started in the first place. Yet here we are, 29 years later.

When things like this happen it makes me realise how much impact Factory Records and The Hacienda have had on the world of music! I loved James’ first record on Factory and was truly sorry when they left. The fact they want to celebrate their first gig with The Hacienda and their relationship with Factory is wonderful and I’m very proud of the role both have played in giving the world a truly great band.

 

 

James has had numerous hits including “Come Home”, “Sit Down” and “She’s A Star” and have sold more than 25 million albums worldwide. 

James are also about to embark on 10-date UK national tour with Orchestra Of the Swan and The Manchester Consort Choir. They will be performing songs from across their entire catalogue which were orchestrated and reworked with the help of renowned British composer and conductor Joe Duddell. 

For more information please go to prsformusic.com/heritageaward