James ready to headline for 'mad' Scottish crowd at beach festival

The guitarist of Britpop icons James has said there is something a “little bit mad” about playing in Scotland as the band prepares to headline Ayr’s Pavilion Festival.

Over 7,000 fans will gather each day on Ayr Beach’s Low Green esplanade from May 2-4, where the group – best known for their hit singles Sit Down and Laid – will headline the brand new Big Top style tent on Friday night.

Saul Davis, guitarist of the Manchester icons, said the band always feels a particular connection with the Scottish crowds – perhaps due to the country’s standing as an “underdog nation”.

“It’s going to be the first official and proper show of the year for us, and we’ve never played in Ayr or anywhere south west of Scotland, so it’s great”, he told STV News.

“We’re always hankering to do more gigs in Scotland.

“We know we’ve got fans in further flung places, so it’s great to stray further from Glasgow and Edinburgh, really. We played in Stornoway last year, and it was fabulous.

“I used to love the vibe of T in the Park, and it was very much of its time. We’ve not had the chance to play it for years, but every time we played the Barrowlands it almost heralded and shifted the fortune of the band. It’s a very special venue. It’s a throwback to when gigs used to be less sanitized.

“I think one of the reasons we enjoy playing in Scotland so much is because there is something a little bit mad about it.

“Maybe the country thinks of itself as an underdog nation in some ways, and there’s something appealing about supporting the underdog, and my band is a bit like that. We are the perennial underdogs.”

The band, formed in 1982 and with four top-10 hits on the UK Singles Chart, is currently working on album number 19. They have confirmed that they will be back in Scotland beyond the Pavilion Festival.

Saul, who was born in Oldham but now lives in the Highlands, said playing in Scotland always feels like a bit of a “homecoming gig”.

“I first moved to Scotland when I was seven or eight, living in Paisley”, he added.

“I would say that there’s something about Glasgow specifically which really got us. It’s great all across Scotland, but there’s a hardcore group of Glasgow we really resonated with.

“It feels like homecoming gigs in a way; me and Jimmy (Glennie) both spend a lot of time in Scotland, so after years and years of living in a place, you start to take traits of it and think you’re from there, even if you might not be.

“So it’s very gratifying when you come back here and get a chance to play.”

James will headline the festival's main stage on Friday. — James will headline the festival’s main stage on Friday. Atomic10 via Supplied

The returning Pavilion Festival was founded by Ayr DJ and producer Ewan McVicar in 2023 and has expanded to a three-day event for 2025.

While Friday will host headliners James and fellow britpop band Starsailor; Saturday is for the dance fans, and McVicar will appear on the bill alongside Ben Hemsley, Swedish superstar DJ Seinfeld, and DJ and presenter Annie Mac.

Sunday will see the STREETrave team take over with heritage dance acts, before a closing night headline slot from Happy Mondays.

Festival upgrades for 2025 include major investments in infrastructure and design, ensuring attendees can enjoy a seamless experience no matter the weather with a state-of-the-art, 5000-cap, Big Top style tent (coined as the ‘Electric Brae’), experiential lighting, and high-quality sound.

There will also be secret bars and pop-ups hidden across the site.

Ewan McVicar, co-founder of Pavilion, said: “It’s always been about bringing something different to Ayr; DJs and artists that would never make it to the west coast normally.

“We are an independent festival, so it’s about helping the town, supporting home-grown, grass-roots talent, and celebrating the community.”