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Alex James joked that he is “basically a monk”.
The Blur bassist lives on a scenic farm in the Cotswolds with his wife, Claire Neate, and their five children, where he creates his own artisan cheese and craft beverages.
He told the Metro: “A lot of people come up to me and say, ‘cheese, music, is that not a bit odd?’ But monks sing in the morning and make cheese in the afternoon. I have started making booze now as well, which is another hobby of mine.
“I have realised that festivals were originally religious gatherings. So really, I am a monk.”
The musician, who wears many hats, is heading out with his Britpop Classical tour next year. People attending the show, which premiered at his yearly Big Feastival music and food celebration on his Oxfordshire farm, may want to bring tissues.
He said: “We give a quick burst of The Beatles, David Bowie, T. Rex, The Kinks, The Who. By the time we get to the orchestral suite, around two thirds of the way in, we let the orchestra completely unleash on The Verve’s Bitter Sweet Symphony and Creep by Radiohead. I noticed I was crying because it was incredibly emotional.
“I thought, if it hits me that hard, it might actually work. It was extremely frightening getting up there at Feastival and I basically bet everything on it, but it absolutely connected. I could see people crying and that felt so amazing.”
Alongside the symphony orchestra, the show will feature special guests performing Britpop favourites from artists such as Blur, Oasis, Pulp, and Supergrass. The lineup includes actor and musician Phil Daniels, who appeared on Blur’s Parklife, Saffron from Republica, and Gary Stringer from Reef.
Alex said in a statement: “Somehow these songs mean even more to people today than they did when they first came out. They really connect with my kids’ generation as well.
“Bringing them back with a symphony orchestra, a powerful band, old friends, and amazing guests completely blew the roof off at Feastival and I absolutely cannot wait to take this show out on tour.”
The tour will kick off in grand fashion at London’s Royal Albert Hall on March 11. After that, it will travel to Birmingham, Manchester, Brighton, Nottingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, and Sheffield.
Along with the March shows, Britpop Classical will also appear at Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Halifax’s Piece Hall, Dreamland in Margate, and Latitude Festival 2026.
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Bowling For Soup and Frank Turner say they are certain they will eventually record music together.
The pop punk favourites and the singer songwriter will be touring together across Australia and the UK throughout May, June and July for a series of co headlining shows. They also came close to recording a track together for Bowling For Soup’s upcoming twelfth studio album.
Lead singer Jaret Reddick told ContactMusic.com: "We had actually talked about doing a track together for the new [BFS] album.
"I was working on songs during a really hectic period for Frank. We had planned this perfect day where he would stop by the studio. He did show up, but we ended up just spending time together and catching up instead, with no expectations.
"I feel like if we had tried to finish something just to release it before the tours, it probably would not have come out the way we wanted.
"I do believe that at some point down the line we are both sure we will create something together."
Frank and Jaret have already worked side by side in the studio before on the track Drunk As It Takes, which appeared on the BFS frontman’s country album.
Frank reflected: "There is something special about country songwriting that I think we both really admire.
"There is a real honesty and straightforwardness to it that I think both of us naturally bring into our own music, no matter what style we are working in."
Even though Frank is not featured on the new record, Jaret did share some insight into Bowling For Soup’s forthcoming album, which gained momentum after they recorded Holding Onto That Hate last summer while testing equipment for audio company SSL.
He explained: "They were looking for a band to come in and record a track to test out some new studio equipment. It ended up being our first recording as a three piece.
"I remember telling the guys, 'I think I am feeling inspired again. Let’s just go for it.'
"We set a target date, which ended up being February this year, and we followed through. A lot of the songwriting happened toward the end of last year and continued into January."
Jaret mentioned that he considers the 2009 album Sorry For Partying to be "the last truly great Bowling For Soup record," but he is very optimistic about what is coming next.
He said: "Some fans would probably argue and say, 'Actually, Lunch. Drunk. Love. is great as well'.
"But when I think about the last couple of albums, I sometimes feel like there were a few tracks I maybe should have left off.
"With this new record, there honestly is not a single weak track. All three of us feel like this could end up being the best Bowling For Soup album we have ever made, which feels wild to even say."
At first, the group considered putting the album out quickly, but they later decided to take more time with it.
He added: "To be honest, that idea does not really make sense since we will be touring with Frank and also heading out with Simple Plan.
"We are now thinking about releasing it in the fall or possibly even early next year. It is going to be worth the wait."
Full schedule for Bowling For Soup x Frank Turner Bowl My Bones UK Tour 2026:
June 25 Margate Dreamland
June 26 Southampton TK Maxx Presents Southampton Summer Sessions
June 27 Lincoln TK Maxx Presents Live at Lincoln Castle
June 29 Glasgow O2 Academy Glasgow
June 30 Halifax TK Maxx Presents Live at The Piece Hall
July 2 Scarborough TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre
July 3 Llangollen TK Maxx Presents Live at Llangollen Pavillion
July 4 Cardiff TK Maxx Presents Depot Live at Cardiff Castle
July 5 St Austell Eden Sessions
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