James Riley

Presented by: Jezebel Music Presents

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0	MANCHESTER: Gullivers
P	Friday 10th June, 2016
N	8:00pm

Event information

We are honoured to once again be working with James Riley, as he heads home for another short jaunt around the UK.

Very special guests to be announce shortly.

Last July, on the hottest day of the year, The James Riley Band stood on the scorching stage the Olympic Park and played to a crowd of 30,000 people; a lot to take in for a band who had just released their debut EP that April, but this London-based bluegrass and soul outfit have been steadily gathering converts since their story began a year earlier…
The previous winter, singer-songwriter Riley had returned to a snow-bound London after many months busking in Istanbul, and began turning ears on the folk circuit with his unique breed of soulful acoustica. After James was named winner of the Mayor of London: Gigs Competition in 2012, arrangements and ambitions grew and soon a full 8-piece band was playing a slew of festivals, and supporting folk heavy-hitters including Martin Simpson and The Melodic.
A national tour in 2013 saw the band, all of whom are old friends, hit the road to support their debut EP “Lay Me Down” (FLAK RECS), and hone a live show which has become renowned for its onstage chemistry. The addition of drums, upright bass, Bill Withers-style swooning strings and (even a spoons player!) to Riley’s acoustic guitar-led compositions have led to a live show which echoes the jubilant abandon of Springsteen, and even drawn praise from the likes of Laura Marling, who called it: “Awesome… like the Allman Brothers meets the Seeger Sessions”.
The new year is set to continue in full swing with the release of a new standalone single, and a US and UK tour dates set for the spring. “It can get pretty hectic” says Riley, who like all of the band balances a job, a student loan and a music career. “But the energy we get onstage is unbelievable. We just feel incredibly lucky to do be doing what we love, really.”

“Awesome... like The Allman Brothers meets the Seeger Sessions” -­ LAURA MARLING

“Riley writes with a deftness often reserved for musicians twice his age... that most elusive of composers: the modern troubadour” -
Tshepo Mokoena, ADDICT MUSIC