Ainslie HendersonThis week saw James premiere the music video for one of their latest tracks 'Moving On' as the revival of classic Britpop continues.
Enlisting the help of BAFTA winning animator and director Ainslie Henderson for the video makes this an exciting collaboration in a piece of film that's sure to captivate viewers and steal their attention.
Ainslie said: “My connection with James is a long and evolving one. The first time I heard their music was sitting at a friend’s house, aged 18, stoned and confused. ‘Sometimes’ was playing, I remember feeling something that until then I didn’t know pop music could make you feel. I thought crying was only for when you feel loss or sadness. Pop music, but woven with something sincere and yearning, passionate and beautiful. It was 1997, Britpop was happening and I’d just started my first band, I was falling in love with music and trying to figure out who I was and what I wanted my life to be. I was emboldened by the Gallagher swagger, excited and inspired by Blur and Pulp, but James’s music spoke to me like no other band of that era. James didn’t seem to really belong to that era, they orbited it, danced around it, but they were their own branch, growing off in their own direction. It’s telling for me that as Britpop died away and my love for those bands faded into nostalgia, I remain as curious for the next James record as I ever was."
After walking past a typical Scottish woollen knitwear shop, fully aware of the moving story that inspired the song, Ainslie's idea for the video sprung to life.
Exhausted after the filming, Ainslie thanks Michael Hughes who helped him animate the video.
"Thank you for your skill and patience in tolerating my terrible perfectionism. Most importantly, I feel delighted with what we’ve achieved, I think we’ve made something kind of special. I feel so honoured to have been able to contribute something, in my own small way to this magical thing that is James."
James' new album is released June 2.
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