James to Light Up The Stage at Darlington Arena

Destiny’s Calling for thousands of music fans poised to flock to the Darlington Arena this weekend to see alternative rock royalty.

Nineties giants James will play Darlington on Saturday evening, supported by special guests Editors, local rockers Maximo Park, The Pigeon Detectives, Pale Blue Eyes and the Kairos.

The Manchester outfit, fronted by Tim Booth, have hit the UK top ten with anthems such as Sit Down, She’s A Star and Sound during their some 40-year career.

Gates open for the event at 2pm with visitors urged not to get way-Laid and get to the arena in good time, ahead of James taking to the stage at 9pm.

Saturday’s spectacular marks the latest in a string of big events to take place across Tees Valley this summer – and James is another great reason for local people outside the region to Come Home.

Top events include the upcoming Stockton International Riverside Festival and Middlesbrough Mela, as well as Middlesbrough’s Arctic Monkeys gig and the success of the Tall Ships, in Hartlepool.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “This is yet another in a long line of big names which have played Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool in recent years – and it’s a huge pleasure to welcome James to our region.

“Our big venues like The Darlington Arena and Riverside Stadium have attracted massive acts, creating memories to last a lifetime. We work closely with organisers and promoters to make the most of these opportunities – and we all want to get more showcase events up and running.

“The economic boost these spectacular gigs bring really can’t be understated – and we want more of these gigs to drive more people to use our shops and businesses.”

More than 8,000 people have bought tickets so far with those attending urged to plan their journeys to and from the stadium beforehand.

Darlington Arena Operations Manager Danny Brown added: “We’re proud to host another fantastic concert which will bring thousands of visitors to Darlington.

“Events like this are a big boost for the local area and we’re working closely with TVCA to bring more to the Arena in the coming years. We would like to thank Darlington Borough Council for their continued support.”

Darlington Borough Council Car parks in the town will be free from midday on a first come, first served basis.

Shuttle buses will also run from the Dolphin Centre at regular intervals from midday onwards to head to the stadium – with a return service to town running from 10pm onwards.

More information can be found here: James – Darlington – FAN GUIDE