The Classic Rock Show- a Chat with James Cole

The Hamiltonian touched base with British Touring Car Championship racing driver James Cole, who off the track is a full time musician and tour promoter. James' latest endevour is his involvement in the Classic Rock show, which will soon be touching down in Hamilton. The show will feature the greatest songs right across the 'Alphabet of Rock', from AC/DC and Aerosmith to Eric Clapton, The Eagles, ELO, Lynyrd Skynyrd,Meatloaf, and Queen to The Who, Zeppelin, ZZ Top, and everything in between. It's a must see for fans of this era or fans of great music. To learn more about the show click here. To purchase tickets, click here. 

Enjoy our chat with James:

James- you have a fruitful career as a British Touring Car Championship racing driver. What drew your interest to the Classic Rock Show. What is the nature if your involvement and how did you become engaged in this? Are you still racing as well?

My relationship with CRS (The Classic Rock Show) started many years ago. CRS used to be a side project for the band Brit Floyd. It became apparent that Brit Floyd was going from strength to strength meaning there wasn't the time for some of the original members to focus on the show. It took over 3 years ago. I have the fun job of choosing the songs, tour ideas, etc… Its such a challenge but great fun!

Yes I am still racing, entering my 2nd year with Subaru BMR Racing in the BTCC (British Touring Car Championship). Fantastic Championship, lots of wheel to wheel racing and all Live on ITV4!

What makes the 'A-Z of Rock' for a World tour” special. What is it about the show that will dazzle fans?

The most exciting part of this years tour is we have made a deliberate effort to perform much more variety of bands than ever before. The classic rock genre is so huge now there is so much choice! I think we have a fantastic set which includes AC/DC all the way to ZZ Top and everything in between.

What makes the classic rock era so special and what would you say about it, relative to the newer music that is being released today?

That's a very difficult question to truly answer as I can only speak for myself, a guy who certainly wasn't around in that era. Few people would deny that this genre has some of the best music ever written under its wing, The Beatles, Zeppelin, The Stones, Hendrix, The Doors… I could go on…
I felt a very strong connection to this music from such an early age, maybe it's because I was brought up in Liverpool and my Mum always had a Beatles CD in the car. Hearing Status Quo for the 1st time made me want to instantly start learning the guitar. I guess the bug just grew and grew!

Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about this event, or about next steps in your career path?

For readers who may not have been to our shows before, please don't think of us as a ‘cover’ band. There are no wigs, costumes, etc… We are all about the music. I always try and use the analogy of an orchestra, we are a group of respectful musicians trying our best to perform these songs with a level of detail not done before. We want the audience to be able to close their eyes and be taken back to the 1st time they heard these songs on record or on the radio. If we can do that I’ll be very happy!!

Thanks James! A special shout out to our friends in Liverpool!

The following are video samples from previous tours:

ZZ Top- La Grange

AC/DC Back in Black