How did you enjoy your recent trip to Australia, James?
There was this very immediate familiarity – by day two or three, I felt quite at home. I was hanging out with a lot of people at the label and at radio stations, meeting people at the gigs I did, and it was really chilled out. The other thing to mention was that I got there and it was summer and that was the greatest thing ever!
Were you expecting kangaroos in the streets?
A friend of mine had been over at Christmas and he’d done quite a rural adventure – there was something under every rock and every pillow that might bite him and sting him. Although he’d been talking to me for weeks before that, it wasn’t really on my mind. I forgot about that very cliched side of things as soon as I arrived – it was just such a big deal to me that I’d landed on the other side of the world.
The single [Hold Back the River] had done really well by that time so it was other stuff that was exciting for me. I wasn’t too hung up on the kangaroos and the koala bear thing but I wouldn’t have minded visiting the zoo and seeing some native animals.
You must be excited finally to have your album Chaos and The Calm out there?
I am now! There were a lot of nervous nights spent awake thinking: “Is it any good?” as it was only me and a few other people that had decided. I am proud of it. It took me a bit of time to feel that way but now I’m excited for it to be coming out all over the world.
Which songs do you most enjoy playing live?
I don’t have favourites in that sense. [However] I can’t deny that as time goes on, you have moments where you enjoy playing one more than others. It will switch: the ones that I enjoyed playing will sit on the backburner while I rediscover others again and they become favourites. But I love the extremes. I like it when things crescendo to a huge moment like Hold Back the River. Another favourite at the moment is dropping things down to just me on the stage, and playing Scars solo.
You taught yourself to play guitar after hearing Eric Clapton’s Layla. What other music transports you back to being a kid?
Michael Jackson. Me and my brother are close in age, and we used to absolutely obsess over his music. It had it all really. In the seventies and eighties, there was great rock music and smooth pop music but he folded it all into one. Not a lot of people could make it sound as great as he did.
What did winning Critics’ Choice at the Brits mean to you?
That stuff is pretty priceless, especially in this day and age, where those things still mean something. The internet is the wild west of the world, where anybody can throw anything down, everything can be as relevant as the next thing, it doesn’t matter who posts it. In that environment, the Critics’ Choice is still very important. Look at the little club that has been created by it, from Adele to Florence and the Machine, Tom Odell, Sam Smith and all the guys in between.
You have a crazy touring schedule at the moment. How do you manage it?
There’s a moment in your head where you go: this is me now, for the foreseeable future. There is a lot you have to do to keep it that way, I appreciate that and I’m willing to do that but yeah, looking at the diary is like: “Okay, I’m settling in for the ride.” Who wouldn’t want to? I’m really, in a concrete way, getting to go for it, and I’m up for that. You’ve got the opportunity and you’ve got to make this thing really work.
You also paint and draw – do you get to do much of that on your travels?
I don’t get time to set up a canvas and easel as much as I’d like to on the road, but I’m sketching little pictures in there all the time, as well as lyrics as often as I can. I like drawing people in the airport or on the bus or in venues. I like catching people in the moment. It’s a similar inspiration for me in terms of songwriting.
Reportedly you own only two of your trademark hats. Any plans to increase the collection?
Thanks to Australia, I can now say I have three as I have an akubra hat. When I arrived, I got to my hotel room and my record company had bought me a hat. It really suited me and I was beaming. It’s an earthy grey green – it’s a great look.
