Celebrating their 25th anniversary, legendary indie rockers Starsailor return with a new album and tour, reminding us just how much of a force of nature they were when they first landed over two decades ago. The new record, ‘Starsailor with Strings – Live from Liverpool’, is both their first official live album and, in many ways, a greatest hits collection. It captures a one-off performance with a full string ensemble, recorded in the venue’s state-of-the-art, acoustically optimised concert hall. Damian Robinson caught up with frontman James Walsh to find out more.
What prompted the idea of a live album – and one with strings?
We were looking to do something a bit different for our anniversary, but also something creatively fulfilling. I know other bands have done live albums with strings, but we felt it would really suit our songs and sound great. I think we’ve achieved both.
You worked with conductor Joe Duddell, who’s arranged for the likes of New Order, Elbow, James, and Richard Hawley. What did Joe bring to the project? And how did the collaboration work?
Rather than us playing acoustic versions of the songs and then layering strings on top, we handed most of the reins to Joe so he could come up with entirely new arrangements. We wanted this to be a standalone project – his vision as much as ours. Some of the tracks have come out really, really well, and Joe’s given us a fresh perspective on songs that are over 20 years old in some cases.
People might not remember just how much attention Starsailor received when you first broke through. Looking back, how did you handle that?
We fed off the energy of the kind things people were saying about the band. Even though we were young, it helped build our confidence, which really made a difference.
You’re hitting the road again soon, including a date at Northumbria University this month. Do you have any special memories of playing in the North East?
We always love coming back to the North East – it’s always great fun, and we have an amazing time. I did a solo show recently in North Shields and popped into a bar around the corner afterwards, where I spotted Sam Fender’s Brit Award behind the bar! Another time, Dean, Sam’s guitarist, was helping out as a technician at one of our gigs, which I thought was incredibly cool of him – and really refreshing. There’s always something a bit unexpected when we’re up that way.
Starsailor play Northumbria University Students’ Union in Newcastle on Thursday 27th November. Tickets, priced at £32.50 in advance, are available at gigsandtours.com.
