On Monday at 8pm, in 150 cinemas throughout the UK, Ireland and Mexico, over 10,000 people swarmed to be part of a simultaneous viewing of James: Getting Away With It, the new documentary film from Chris Atkins. While other screens were filled with teens on dates, or friends looking to see new blockbuster hits, thousands of fans clad in daisy logo tees waited expectantly to finally get a real glimpse into the bands history, and they were not to be disappointed.
Few bands have spent their career with such a forward-thinking attitude as Manchester icons James. Very rarely have they allowed any nostalgic looks at the past as through their 45 years career they have continued to create and push themselves, most recently achieving number one with their 18th studio album, Yummy, in 2024. It’s this void in a chronicling of their history which makes this film so special.
A very introspective film, Atkins used this project to give the fans exactly what they wanted. The music we all already know, this focused very much on the inner workings of a band who’s career has been defined by unpredictability and chaos behind the scenes. Their unwillingness to exploit their career decisions for publicity though, mean that for many this is a story which is largely untold, and it makes for an enthralling documentary.
Purposely focusing on the inside tale of the band, the vast majority of those who appear within Getting Away With It are those who have either been in, or acutely part of the music of James. Apart from brief appearances from Jo Whiley and Coldplay’s Chris Martin who describes Tim Booth as a childhood hero, it is very much kept in house, which gives the whole thing a brilliant feeling of intimacy.
The underlying theme throughout is the projection of a band who almost tried to fail. The tagline for the film, ‘Sects, Trance & Rock ‘n’ Roll’ references half of the band joining a cult which they prioritised over what could have been a career changing tour of the US in their early years. Combined with tales of on stage bust ups, drug and alcohol problems, and lack of set lists it paints a picture of a band who have flourished in spite of the system, not because of it.
The main protagonists in this documentary are front man Tim Booth and bassist and founder Jim Glennie. The difference in personalities which it highlights brilliantly (Booth being boarding school educated and Glennie spending his youth instigating fights on Moss side) is a pivotal part of the band, and you feel so much more connected and understanding of the band and their dynamics after seeing this.
For James fans this is clearly unmissable, but for any music fan this is an enthralling chronicling which will keep you gripped throughout. In a post film Q&A live streamed to all the venues in which Gary Neville it was revealed that creator Atkins discovered the band after jotting down lyrics that touched him when he heard them on prison radio and after release he researched them and discovered that many of the were from James. That goes some way to explaining the importance of this band to people, and why he felt it so important to demand this was his next project.
This is a wonderfully gripping film. It comes to a naturally positive conclusion as the band continue to grow today, but it in no way feels forced to this conclusion at all. It simply allows honest reflection from all involved to carry what is a story which needs no hyperbole to be interesting. The plethora of personalities involved which contrast and dovetail with each other along with this make for one of the most interesting and well put together music films of recent times. When this becomes more widely available, it is a must watch for any music fan.
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