James B Partridge's Primary School Bangers, a show built around nostalgic school assembly hymns, has become a nationwide phenomenon after going viral on TikTok and performing at Glastonbury 2025. The show, which sees adults singing hymns like 'Shine Jesus Shine' with hand actions, has sold out venues across the UK, including the Warwick Arts Centre and the Barbican Centre in London.
Partridge, a former music teacher, started posting videos for his pupils during the Covid-19 pandemic. A TikTok video about his 'top 10 British primary school assembly bangers' went viral, leading to the creation of an immersive theatre show. His Glastonbury performance garnered 6.8 million views on BBC News's TikTok, far exceeding coverage of other major events.
Attendees, many of whom are teachers, cite a longing for communal participation and a decline in school music programmes. 'We don't sing in primary schools much any more,' said Katie, 33, a teacher. Funding cuts and policy changes in the 2010s have reduced music education, with some schools singing only once every three weeks.
Partridge describes the show as a reflection of a shared pre-internet childhood experience. 'From the 1970s to the 1990s, people had the same experience in primary schools,' he said. He notes that the show has been interpreted across the political spectrum, with some calling it 'lefty woke nonsense' and others 'all the Tories at Glastonbury'.
