The Perlich Post: James Hunter shares "Gun Shy" video from new album Off The Fence

Saturday, January 24, 2026

James Hunter shares "Gun Shy" video from new album Off The Fence

James Hunter cut his new album Off The Fence at Daptone's Riverside studio but issued it via Easy Eye Sound. Photo: Jim Herrington

Off The Fence by The James Hunter Six

The James Hunter Six recently shared the music video for the band's lovesick single "Gun Shy" from their new album Off The Fence, out now via Easy Eye Sound. Co-written with singer/guitarist James Hunter and his bandmate Myles Weeks, "Gun Shy" illustrates the tongue-tied feeling of a new crush over a dance-floor-ready groove before ripping into a bluesy sax solo from Michael Buckley. The music video was featured at Relix, who said "Along with the music video’s nature, the song carries a sense of timelessness that might well appeal to Hunter’s 40-year tenure as a high mark of British soul and rhythm & blues." Watch the James Slater-directed video for “Gun Shy” following the Off The Fence track list below. Get a copy of the album via your platform of choice right here: https://ees.ffm.to/tjhs_offthefence.

Says James Hunter about the new single: "I had heard the phrase 'gun shy' before but didn't know what it meant, although I assumed it had more than a literal application. When Myles Weeks, our bass player, mentioned he had a concept for a song with that title, he outlined the theme as being that of someone being nervously reluctant to declare their romantic intentions. I asked him if he minded if I wrote it, and he graciously said yes. As per my usual 'Thesaurus method' of song-writing, I threw a pile of ballistics-related terms on the table and set about arranging them into verses. Once I'd stuffed them into a spare tune I had lying around, we committed it to tape."

"Then it was time to make the video," he continues. "One dark December evening, my wife Jessie accompanied me to a studio in a Victorian-era warehouse in Tichborne Street, in the North Laines, Brighton. Our director, James Slater, filmed me prancing about and lip-syncing on a big sheet of paper unfurled from a roller suspended from the ceiling. I had a blast."

Dubbed "The United Kingdom’s Greatest Soul Singer" by MOJO, the British singer, songwriter and Grammy-nominated James Hunter has been a legendary fixture in the scene for over three decades. His eleventh studio album delivers another dose of timeless rhythm & soul and marks 40 years since his recording debut. Featuring twelve self-penned gems, each song is delivered with Hunter’s customary blend of smooth vocal control coupled with heart-worn grit and wit.

From the infectious blues blaster "A Sure Thing" to the beautifully moving "Here And Now" and even a rare duet with his former employer, legendary Irish singer Van Morrison called "Ain't That A Trip," Off The Fence is the perfect amalgam of everything great about Hunter's songwriting, delivery and outlook. He is accompanied by a band of masterful musicians that includes Myles Weeks (double bass), Rudy Albin Petschauer (drums), Andrew Kingslow (keyboards, percussion), Michael Buckley (baritone saxophone) and Drew Vanderwinckel (tenor saxophone).

James Hunter will be touring in the UK and Europe in early 2026. See a full list of dates below and find more information on his site: jameshuntermusic.com/tour.html