James Woods is counting down the days until what he calls “One of the most special performances of my career.”

The singer will be appearing at Stroud’s Subscription Rooms next month, a venue he’s dreamt of playing since he was a young child. James is one half of Jersey Beyond, a hugely successful musical duo that are growing a considerable fanbase across the UK.

“Things are going really well for us at the moment,” James said. “We’ve only been performing together for just under two years, so it’s been a bit of a whirlwind journey,” he added.

Jersey Beyond will be taking to the stage at the Subscription Rooms in Stroud on Saturday 17th November, on what promises to be a landmark performance for James, who was born and grew up in the town.

He continued: “Growing up in Stroud I’ve always had the ambition to perform at the Subscription Rooms. I used to walk past the building when I was younger and tell myself that one day I’d be up on stage there, so it’s quite exciting to think that will actually be happening next month.

“Tickets are selling well, it’s going to be an amazing night. We’ll be donating a portion of our ticket sales to local charity ‘Allsorts’ – we’ve already raised over £2,300 for them in the last year and are hoping to donate a sizeable amount from our performance on 17th November.”

James has had a passion for singing since early childhood, though he admits he could have never imagined he’d be able to make a career out of his talent. He continued: “I’ve always been one of those people that no matter how hard something is to achieve I always give my absolute best, so it’s quite satisfying looking back on how far I’ve come, especially as I was told by several people that singing was something I wouldn’t be able to make a success of.

“Singing alongside Keith is great. We did our first shows at the tail end of 2016 and since then we’ve been travelling up and down the country performing at some fantastic venues. We’ve just come back from a cruise which was a lot of fun, certainly an experience I wouldn’t mind doing again!”

James and Keith sing a real mix of musical genres but are best known for their take on the Ratpack’s songs. James continued: “I’ve been singing their songs since I was very young, I adore that style of music. We sing a range of songs, but I suppose it’s the Ratpack style that we’re most well-known for.

“Performing in front of big crowds is an absolute dream, it’s quite hard to put into words what it’s like really. The nerves I get before a performance stop the moment I get on stage, then the adrenaline starts pumping.

“I’ve got used to the travelling, it’s worth it when you get the chance to play at all the great venues. I enjoy getting out to new venues and meeting new people, it’s a part of the job that I don’t mind.

“The best part of the job is the feedback we get when we come off stage. It sounds a bit of a cliché but there’s nothing better than hearing people say nice things about a performance. I love entertaining people and putting a smile on the faces of everyone who comes to see us.”