Skiffle sound to hit new heights

James will take his brand of turbo-charged folk, country-blues, gospel and jazz to new heights when he hits the stage at around 5pm on Sunday at the high-altitude venue, which sits 1,690ft above sea level on the A537 between Macclesfield and Buxton.

An exciting act at global music events, James is a rousing and addictively exuberant folk-rocker who sends the very best of Americana roots music, along with the audience, soaring to new heights with his almost manic energy.

Skiffle is experiencing a real renaissance through the exciting live concerts of James, who tours the UK all year round both solo and with his band, performing at a diverse range of venues.

He explains: “Skiffle is black roots music - blues, country, folk and jazz. It grew out of a huge variety of sounds happening in New Orleans and gradually emerged as Skiffle.

“The songs are often trad, they’re simple, fun and require no more than three shapes (chords) on a guitar, as easy as that you can start your group - it’s heavy stuff, almost folk/jazz/country-punk. The important thing is that for those who want to play but don’t know where to start, it’s so simple.”

He adds: “In my opinion Lonnie Donegan did more than anyone else for the guitar and music industry in the UK. He took music from being for professionals only to being accessible for all.

“Skiffle is the original acoustic-pop and it still has a place historically and in the present.”