London-born, half-American troubadour James Riley treads a fine line between timeless songcraft reminiscent of Sting, John Martyn and Joni Mitchell. His music exudes cinematic storytelling and soulful, modern vibrancy, all conveyed through a disarmingly candid folk voice. Renowned for mustering pin-drop silences in noisy rooms, or coaxing timid audiences into clamorous ovations, James has a distinct knack for building a sense of oneness in a crowd, taking audiences on a rapturous journey with understated yet unshakeable conviction.
After a 2-year writing and recording odyssey in Nashville, James returned to London to release his debut album "Transatlantica" in March 2020. When an entire summer of touring was wiped off the calendar due to COVID-19 lockdown, he garnered national media attention by hosting full-band rooftop concerts live-streamed from his house in Tottenham, North London. The concerts also led to the creation of a critically-acclaimed folk-grime fusion project ‘Rooftop Assembly’.
Recently resuming his musical journey on more conventional stages, James has spent the past couple years playing to audiences at Glastonbury, The Great Escape, and Wilderness and Towersey Festival with his trio, James Patrick Gavin on fiddle, and Tim Fairhall on upright bass.
James spent the early part of 2024 on a writing retreat in Florida, ahead of the release of his sophomore album - slated for the spring of 2026.
James and his band perform during a power outage at Shrewsbury Folk Festival
“Incredible”
Huw Stephens, BBC Radio 1
“A bit of a folk genius”
Janice Long, BBC Radio Wales
“Absolutely fantastic”
Kev Jones, Bear’s Den/Communion
“Exquisite”
Ear To The Ground Music
“One of my highlights of the year”
Verity Sharp, BBC Radio 3
“Awesome… like the Allman Brothers meets the Seeger Sessions”
Laura Marling
“It hooked us on first listen…from the harmonies to the guitar work there’s nothing to not like”
Folk Radio UK
“James Riley won’t be one of the best kept secrets on the London folk scene for much longer”
For Folk’s Sake