East London rising star James Smith has announced a highly anticipated headline show at London’s Camden Assembly on Wednesday 13th September. Tickets will go on sale at 10AM BST on Friday 18th August. Fans can purchase pre-sale tickets from 10AM BST on Wednesday 16th August. Ticket information can be found here.
Speaking about the upcoming show, James says: “It’s been a while! But I’m back baby – first show in London since Scala. Thought I’d put together a super intimate acoustic show for my people! Excited to be playing some new music too. Can’t wait to see you all.”
The singer-songwriter has also just been announced to be supporting Eloise on tour in the US in October, having won fans over while opening for her in the UK earlier this year. Ticket information can be found here.
The announcement comes after the release of James’ most recent single ‘Common People’, a personal take on the experience of trying to make your way in a world that exploits the working class, but still being proud of your ‘common’ background. ‘Common People’ followed the release of ‘Introverted’, both tracks documenting a new era within James’ musical career so far.
Despite singing his whole life, it was after seeing a clip of Elvis performing ‘Jailhouse Rock’ on TV that a nine-year-old James picked out a guitar in a charity shop. With the help of YouTube, James quickly taught himself to play Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan covers, two artists who would become instrumental in Smith’s musical development along with Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder and, later, Paulo Nutini, Mark Ronson, and Michael Kiwanuka. From 14-years-old, James perfected his craft by doing multiple sets a week at local pubs around London’s East End and bonding with middle aged men who had the same taste in music as he did. His musical knowledge equipped James with the tools to write his own songs inspired by his timeless inspirations, but for his generation.
Since the release 2020’s An EP By James Smith and 2021’s EP District Line James has amassed over 200 million global streams across all platforms and built a strong fanbase. The East End native has sold out venues including London’s Scala, Dingwalls, and Omeara, as well as selling out his first run of headline shows in Europe in Berlin, Hamburg, and Amsterdam. More to come from James Smith soon.
