Shooting Our Mouths Off

An unfiltered look at the band’s four-decade journey, James: Getting Away With It – the band’s first authorised documentary – received its festival premiere at SXSW back in June, and since then we’ve been eagerly awaiting its wider release. That wait finally came to an end on Monday 17th August, when the film received its world premiere at Manchester’s Aviva Studios, alongside screenings at around 250 cinemas across the UK, Ireland and Mexico. And this wasn’t just a straightforward cinema screening. Audiences were treated to an interview with Tim and Jim, conducted by long-time fan Gary Neville, followed by a live performance from six members of the band, with both broadcast directly to the cinemas.

Opening the event at Aviva Studios was the film’s director, Chris Atkins. His connection with James goes back much further than the making of the documentary, and it’s quite an unusual story. Chris first discovered the band while serving time in prison, hearing them on the radio but not knowing who they were. The lyrics stuck with him and after his release, he tracked down the words he’d written down, eventually discovering James and the songs behind them. He’s been a fan ever since. It’s a pretty incredible way to discover a band, and for a band with a history as colourful, chaotic and at times difficult as James, it feels like they couldn’t have found a director who understood them better. Chris kept his introduction brief, taking the time to thank everyone who had been involved in bringing the film together before the lights went down and we got to see the story of James unfold on the big screen.

Having now had the chance to see James: Getting Away With It for a second time, it’s still a documentary that manages to capture everything that makes James so fascinating. It’s funny, unpredictable, occasionally heartbreaking and, above all, completely true to the band themselves. From the archive footage and stories spanning their four-decade history to the behind-the-scenes access that James have rarely allowed fans to see, the film offers a unique insight into the people and personalities behind the music. There’s far more to it than simply revisiting the past, though, and the documentary ultimately feels like a celebration of a band who, despite everything they’ve been through, are still very much looking forward rather than back. We went into much more detail about the documentary in our original review, which you can read below.

There was a little bit of discourse online when Gary Neville was announced as the host of the Q&A, but as a long-time fan of the band, and having hosted Tim’s book talk at Stoller Hall back in 2024, we were confident he’d do a sterling job – and he did just that. Gary picked up on topics from the documentary and dug a little deeper, getting more from Tim and Jim as the conversation went on. They touched on everything from how let down they both must have felt when their cult leader turned out not to be who they thought he was, to the honesty and openness that runs throughout the documentary, which Gary described as being much more transparent than many other music documentaries. When asked about being so open in the film, Tim admitted that he found the process difficult because he doesn’t particularly like looking back, preferring instead to look forward. Jim explained that, when they agreed to make the documentary, he felt there was no point in doing it unless he was going to be as honest as he could be, trusting that Chris would work his magic. Both answers offered a nice insight into what it took to revisit so much of the band’s history, and perhaps explain why the finished film feels as honest as it does.

For the live set, Tim and Jim were joined by Debbie, Adrian, Saul and Chloe, and looking forward just as Tim had said, they opened with the new song ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’, which received its live debut at the arena tour warm-up shows. With its funky guitar and catchy chorus, it was pretty difficult to stay seated. ‘She’s a Star’ followed, showing off the band’s versatility. With Mark absent, Debbie stepped away from her drumkit to take over on keyboards, while Saul swapped guitar for violin. Tim encouraged everyone to get their phones out – something he rarely does – resulting in a beautiful sea of lights stretching from the front to the back of the venue. ‘Broken by the Hurt’ made a welcome return after featuring in the Kingston and Liverpool acoustic sets back in February. Led by Jim’s bassline, the poignant track carried Tim’s soothing vocals over a steady tempo, with Chloe’s backing vocals adding an extra haunting quality. In a surprise turn, Saul showed off his multi-instrumental talents by taking over behind the drum-kit towards the end, looking completely at ease. Last up was the new song ‘Nantucket’, which if you’ve seen the band this year, you’ll know has been storming their live shows. Thankfully, Tim gave everyone permission to get up and dance, and the crowd duly went wild. It’s a lengthy track packed with layers of instruments and, unusually, doesn’t have a chorus, but somehow it works brilliantly. It’s quickly become a favourite, and seems to get better every time they play it.

There’s no official word yet on exactly what’s next for Getting Away With It, although the band have teased that international screenings will follow, before the documentary eventually makes its way to streaming. A physical release is also expected at some point, so there’s still plenty to look forward to. And judging by how well the premiere went, there’s clearly an appetite for it – the film was reportedly the fourth highest-grossing film in the UK on Monday night, which is pretty remarkable for an independent documentary with no marketing spend. Keep your eyes peeled for further updates.