Primary School Bangers: James B Partridge’s nostalgia-driven show

James B Partridge is a music teacher turned entertainer who has taken the nation by storm. His biggest ever live run of Primary School Bangers is due to grace the Warwick Arts Centre in February, followed by a Spring 2026 tour up and down the country. 

Connecting with your own past in an age where everything is digitalised is more important now than ever

James B Partridge

Catalysed by covid, Partridge evolved from posting singing lessons and tips on YouTube to achieving viral social media success. What started as reminiscing about school songs amongst old friends became a fully-fledged concept, enabling Partridge to draw out the inner child in us all and touch the hearts of many. His show Primary School Bangers was the result of this, proving to be a huge success amongst those longing to return to the good old days. By producing TikToks performing nostalgic songs from primary school assemblies, Partridge became a sensation, even securing himself a slot at Glastonbury 2025. He states that “connecting with your own past in an age where everything is digitalised” is more important now than ever and can be especially grounding. Whilst the pandemic’s toll on the country is not to be disregarded, it enabled a “time of reflection on happier times” and a void of “in-person human experience” to be created. 

Partridge’s show arguably fills this void, supplying his audience with a strong sense of community, albeit for one night, unlocking forgotten memories. Whilst discussing what it is about music specifically that seems to remain with us throughout the years, Partridge explains that “the part of the brain that interacts with music develops before the part that interacts with speech”, meaning that even when we can’t communicate conversationally, we all have a shared understanding of music. This is why it is so vital that we prioritise the study of music and the arts within primary school education, for it is a tool used to nurture empathy and community as well as improving wellbeing for students. 

I don’t see why every assembly could not have some form of music

James B Partridge

Partridge advocates that school syllabi shouldn’t simply be a “tick box”, but rather nurture the mental health of young students through offering respite from the pressures of academia, parental expectations, and OFSTED. He claims, “I don’t see why every assembly could not have some form of music,” and encourages teachers to be more confident in leading music lessons. Partridge’s passion for music has led him to partake in the campaign A Choir in Every School, aiming to ensure that every young person in the UK has access to a choir in their school. 

His performance at Glastonbury 2025 on the Summer House Stage is perhaps the highlight of Partridge’s career, a “surreal” experience that revived a youthful chaos amongst the fields. Partridge’s set stood out amongst a line-up of comedians, performers and even sea shanty singers, also being recorded for coverage by the BBC. I, for one, hope to see him return to the festival grounds, amongst the rumoured company of Harry Styles and Bruce Springsteen. 

The said ‘primary school bangers’ we can expect to hear from Partridge consist of classic hymns ‘He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands’ and ‘Give Me Oil In My Lamp’, as well as a supposed “PE lesson” to ‘My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean’. I shall leave you guessing with that one.

In conclusion, his show endeavours to create an infectious environment of giddiness and joy in which you can fearlessly set your inner child free and sing aloud without shame. I implore you to attend and allow yourself to be transported back to school. Catch Primary School Bangers on Friday 27th February at the Warwick Arts Centre!