James White & The Wild Fire spent nearly three years away from music. What truly began as a needed rest after a sold-out 2023 show in Saffron Walden became something longer and harder, a surgery on a broken wrist, a psoriatic arthritis diagnosis that now threatens to end White’s ability to play guitar entirely. The band return with Bonfire, out 1 May 2026, ahead of their EP How To Replace Anxiety With A Broken Heart which is due for release on the 19th of June. White has been upfront, this may be their final release. I spoke to him about what drove the silence, what broke it, and what this record is meant to carry.
You’ve been away from releasing music early three years away. Was the silence something you needed, or something you got stuck in?
Before our last show with the band back in October 2023 I had said to everyone I needed to rest, and for the first time ever there was no gig down the road, nothing. I knew putting something in would have tempted me to come back soon. 2022 and 2023 were excruciatingly tough years mentally and emotionally. I also knew I needed to get my wrist sorted that hadn’t been the same since breaking it in September 2021. Playing 160 beat per minute on an acoustic was killing me. But I have to say I was thinking maybe six months down the line we would be back, but nearly three years was absolutely not the plan, I would also be lying if I said that I hadn’t got immensely frustrated by not playing or releasing stuff over those three years! But more on that later…
You told people this could be the last chapter the day after announcing the comeback. What made it important to you to be upfront about that?
Yes, and firstly thank you for giving me the platform to say this. I mentioned back in 2023 I was still struggling with my wrist. Fortunately, with surgery last year, that has now resolved. But back in September 2024 something weird started happening with my fingers. My nails on a couple of fingers started to fall out – just before Joe Bailey’s wedding of all times. Not only did they fall off, they weren’t growing back right. Then a couple of my fingers became swollen. It turns out, I have an autoimmune illness in the form of psoriatic arthritis which does not have a cure. It is currently localised in my fingers, and most predominantly in my left index finger which is arguably the most important finger when playing guitar. At this moment in time I can’t even open a bag of crisps, let alone push down a string – it is agony. In fact it is so painful I have had thoughts of just cutting the whole end of that damn finger off! I have been seeking treatment for this for two years now and have been bounced from department to department with every treatment given so far failing. At present, I can no longer play the guitar, without working treatment this is very likely my last musical release, which is just heartbreaking. It is at the point where I go to shows to watch my mates and I just leave utterly depressed. It feels like part of my soul has been ripped out. I haven’t entirely given up hope, but it has been two years and has been getting worse, I feel like I need a miracle at this point in time. Which is why this may well be the last release.
The EP’s called How To Replace Anxiety With A Broken Heart, which is a hell of a self-help title. Is that the actual takeaway, that getting your heart broken was weirdly the more manageable option?
Thank you! The name isn’t for everyone but it is based on a true story – but It isn’t a form of therapy I would recommend! The story goes that back in Summer of 2022 I thought I had met “The One” – all my eggs were in this basket, this was it, I was in love and I was done. I had been around the block for a while but this felt… different. The suddenly, out of nowhere, it just … ended. And when I met up one of the reasons I was given for the breakup was that she was concerned that my anxiety may impact her happiness – or something along those lines. The irony being that I became so heartbroken that, frankly, I felt that nothing I was actually getting anxious about mattered anymore. I guess it was a symptom of the emotional rapture and mental volatility I was going through to have something that had plagued me for so long just get completely eradicated for a time.
Bonfire was written in under thirty minutes straight after a breakup. How much do you trust something that arrives that fast, and how much of that first draft actually survived?
Every last word! I guess breakups can be a little like death, because ultimately it is the death of something you care about. When I wrote Bonfire I had hit the anger stage, I was seriously fucking pissed man and some people were collateral to my emotional and mental turbulence at that time. My sincere apologies to them, and the biggest thanks to therapy! But at that point I was just filled with this pure, unadulterated anger. I felt my sanity had just left me, and to be fair part of it probably had. I genuinely just wanted to burn everything down and take everyone with me to this bottomless pit of misery and despair. I really didn’t care about my own wellbeing or really anyone else’s. I wouldn’t wish that state of mind upon anyone. The song starts seriously docile before it really ramps up and hits the rage part, it is almost like two entirely different songs merged into one. But that is the thing with anger, it can turn to rage and that is just a whole other level of anger. The song captures that emotional ride as it is, so there was nothing to change… and fortunately it is only three chords!
The EP covers serious ground, a track where every member gets their moment. Then Bonfire closes it out as the heaviest thing on there. What’s the thinking behind that?
So if it were purely my choice, I would have gone for either The Girl From Fort Worth (completely different person to the one from Bonfire) or The Ballad of Jimmy Blanco as these were more typical of our older more bluegrass driven sound. Bonfire, especially when it REALLY kicks in we felt had more of a wider, commercial sound, so the decision was made early to go with that as the lead. It was also the first song written on the EP! Michael Furse-Phillips had also just joined, and he particularly favours Bonfire, so we felt giving that song the lead was a nice welcoming gift.
Beyond the emotional stuff, has your relationship with physically playing changed during the time away?
The last time I was able to even remotely play was December when we were trying to get ready for the EP launch. We were looking at gigs and were so close to being ready to play under this lineup. But to be able to do that I had to put some pretty strong painkillers in my body. That can become a slippery slope. Even if I were to try that now I don’t think it would be enough, the symptoms have progressed further even since December. I am absolutely gutted this EP won’t get the launch it deserves, and especially Mike who joined the band, recorded and for this uncertainty about playing again to happen.
If playing does become impossible, could you see yourself staying in music in another way such as writing for others, producing, mentoring — or is it all or nothing for you?
If this is the last record, what do you want it to carry?
Personally, and I know every artist says this about a release, but this is without question the best release I have ever been part of. I am immensely proud of it and I am really excited in the most bittersweet manner for it to see light of day nearly four years after I started writing and recording the ideas. This is also the first eligible release we have done that would register in the Official UK Country Charts, so if we can break into that that would be one hell of a way to close this book, or chapter, whatever the future holds. But beyond my own ego and pride, I just hope people enjoy the music. The content of it is pretty dark, none of the songs lyrically are uplifting – but how often are bluegrass or folk songs?! I think the musicianship of Brooke, Joe, Lee and Mike is sensational, and musicianship wise it is the best I have thrown out – so thank goodness I got my parts done before everything really got bad! The biggest thing I want it to carry is my sincere thanks to all those who have been even a small part of our journey since 2019. I hope it isn’t the end, but if it is, this is one hell of a way to do it, so take it as our token of gratitude to those who have either bought or streamed our music or seen us on the road.
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