James Walsh has spent the last 25 years fronting Starsailor, steering the band through highs, lows, and a changing industry. They’ve had hit albums, toured the world, and even played with The Rolling Stones. With their 25th anniversary tour coming up, we caught up to talk about how they’ve kept going, what’s changed, and why playing live still matters more than ever.
whynow: So, you’re in Zwolle in the Netherlands right now. First impressions?
James Walsh: Yeah, it seems like a pretty nice town. To be honest, I’ve not seen much of it yet, just had lunch and checked into the hotel. Everyone seems perfectly pleasant. I haven’t done soundcheck, but I’ve seen pictures, and it looks like a nice venue.
I’ve got a strong affinity with the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as South Korea to an extent. They’ve consistently supported both Starsailor and my solo touring, which I really appreciate.
whynow: Why do you think those places, in particular, have connected with your music? I get why the Netherlands and Belgium, being close culturally and geographically, but why Korea?
James: Yeah, I don’t know exactly. We released Tell Me It’s Not Over, and it did especially well in Belgium and Korea, bizarrely. When we play it over there, it always goes down incredibly well.
I think the straightforward emotional impact of the lyrics might have something to do with it. It’s also got a four-on-the-floor rhythm, which is easy to latch onto. Plus, we had ‘Bring My Love’ featured in trailers for the Korean film Oldboy, though it didn’t make the final film.
Maybe it’s that visceral emotion in the early songs. When you’re younger, you wear your heart on your sleeve; there’s less self-editing. That might be why it resonates with Korean fans.
whynow: Yeah, it’s like how Morrissey has a huge following in Mexico – certain artists just form these unexpected connections. It reminds me of the documentary Searching for Sugar Man, about Rodriguez blowing up in South Africa without knowing it.
That actually leads to a big question: 25 years as a band. Not every day I get to speak to someone who’s been in the same project that long. Looking back, what’s changed, for you as an artist and in the music industry?
James: It’s been a constant process of adapting and digging our heels in at times. We’ve had ups and downs – being successful, being less successful – but always just enough to keep our heads above water and keep doing what we love.
The biggest shift? Going from selling CDs to streaming. I heard Nick from Kaiser Chiefs talk about this, how people used to throw a Kaiser Chiefs album into their Tesco shop, buy it, and that was it. That doesn’t happen anymore.
Now, live music is even more crucial. But touring is getting harder – Kate Nash has spoken about it, and we’ve definitely had to fight to keep things going.
When we started, we thought, This is just going to go from strength to strength. We’ll have a career like Coldplay or The Killers. But it doesn’t always work that way for 80% of bands. That said, we’re still here, still able to tour, so we’re incredibly grateful.
whynow: That brings me to the live experience. It can be a make-or-break thing – you can love a band but feel underwhelmed live, or see them once and decide you’ll see them every time they tour.
You’ve brought in a string ensemble for the Liverpool shows. What was the thinking behind that?
James: Just Liverpool – for budgetary reasons! But yeah, we’re recording it as well.
It’s a special anniversary, and we wanted to mark it properly. We already did a Best Of when we first came back in 2014/15, so we thought, We can’t just do that again.
Doing the Trussell Trust show in Manchester with Joe Duddell put the idea in my head, he did an amazing job under pressure. We thought, This is the guy we want to collaborate with.
It’s a way to reimagine the songs, not just a straight tour. The two complement each other.
whynow: After all this time, has writing together changed? Did you have to relearn how to work together after the hiatus?
James: A bit, yeah. The lockdown period had a big impact on the last album. We were demoing before lockdown, but then everything got put on hold, which gave me more time for introspection and refining the songs.
We’ve always stayed friends, even on hiatus. Stel, our bass player, plays with Spiritualized, he’s brought some of that discipline back into the band.
But it’s always a balancing act. In a band, everyone wants to bring their best ideas, but sometimes a song needs very little. We’ve all been guilty of overplaying at times, and we’ve had to learn when to pull back.
whynow: Speaking of longevity, you’ve never changed the lineup. That’s rare. What’s kept you together?
James: I met the other three when I was 16, so we’ve been through it all together. We developed as musicians at the same time, which probably helped.
I think if you form a band later in life, when you’re more sure of yourself, there might be more creative clashes. Because we grew together, we’re more of a unit.
whynow: You toured with The Rolling Stones, how was that? Any key takeaways?
James: It was incredible. Their longevity is amazing, and Mick Jagger’s stagecraft is just unbelievable – the energy he puts in is next level.
One thing we learned is that those huge crowds aren’t automatically on your side. They’re there for The Stones. So, at first, it’s a bit underwhelming. But you realise, even if 2,000 out of 40,000 people connect with you, that’s still huge.
whynow: What’s next? Anything lined up beyond the tour?
James: We still want to write and record new music, even if it’s just a couple of songs for the 25-year celebration.
Hopefully, the Liverpool show is a success, and we can take the string ensemble show on the road. Maybe even write new songs with that setup in mind.
whynow: One last thing – where did the name Starsailor come from?
James: It’s from a Tim Buckley album. I’m a big fan of him and Jeff Buckley, and The Verve also have a song called ‘Starsailor’, so there’s a connection there.
Honestly, band names don’t matter. Arctic Monkeys? Terrible name. The Beatles? A bad pun! But once the music’s great, it becomes the name.
Tickets for Starsailor’s tour are available at starsailor.band/tour
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