In with a bullet - for my Valentine

Bullet For My Valentine are shooting to Birmingham tonight for a gig at the city's NIA. James Watkins caught up with bass player John James. Interview by James Watkins Bullet for My Valentine have fast become one the most successful Welsh metal bands of all time. Their albums have sold by the million on both sides of the Atlantic, with their last two studio albums both debuting in the USA's hard-to-crack Billboard chart. Hailing from Bridgend, the heavy-metal four-piece have spent the past 18 months on the road, touring the world, something bass guitarist Jason James has found overwhelming. "It's been a massive rollercoaster from the start and touring countries such as the USA, Australia and Japan has been an amazing feeling. We've played support to some amazing bands along the way too, including Metallica, which was special." [caption id="attachment_118491" align="aligncenter" width="475" caption="Bullet For My Valentine"][/caption] Talking about life on the road and away from his homeland of Wales, James said he was looking forward to being back in the UK for the band's arena tour. "It's going to be special for all of us to come home to the UK. Our shows are so much bigger and better than ever before and we've got a lot of pyrotechnics this time for our first shot at playing arena sized venues to thousands instead of hundreds." The tour starts tonight (6 Dec) at the NIA in Birmingham and the band will be promoting their latest album, Fever, which has a special tour edition release featuring live tracks and a bonus DVD of live footage and music videos. James said "We just can't wait to play everything. Our fans have been so loyal to us over the years and we can finally reward them with the best show we've ever done. "The opening night of a tour is always special but the Cardiff arena gig on December 11 will really blow us away. It's the one venue we have all grown up with watching bands we've admired come to Wales. It will give our closest friends and family the chance to see what we've been up to for the past 12 months. We haven't seen them for a while so it will be extra special." James is looking forward to playing through his band's impressive back catalogue, though fan favourite Four Words to Choke Upon will be a personal highlight. "The chorus says it all," he adds. "Look at me now." Bullet For My Valentine play the opening night of their 5 date arena tour in Birmingham tonight (Monday). Their new single "Bittersweet Memories" is released on December 13th alongside the deluxe tour edition of their third album "Fever", which is out now on Columbia Records. * Log onto www.shropshirestar.com tomorrow to read James Watkins' review and see his gallery of photographs. [caption id="attachment_118492" align="aligncenter" width="475" caption="The Welsh rockers are big on both sides of the Atlantic"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_118493" align="aligncenter" width="232" caption="Birmingham will host BMV's first arena date on their present UK tour"][/caption]