Unsigned: Bridgnorth teenager Tom Barras talks about his path to musical stardom

Those are the words of Tom Barras - a 16-year-old from Bridgnorth with big ambitions. But not the modern way. Tom has visions of small venues first and doing it like the stars of yesteryear.

"Many young musicians these days are in their bedroom uploading music to the internet or dreaming of been discovered on X Factor," said the former Oldbury Wells School pupil. "I first picked up a set of drumsticks when I was eight and from that second, I knew that music was all I wanted to do. From day one for me it was all about playing live.

"The words I live by are ‘never stop punching above your weight’. If you’re doing that you are always pushing yourself, getting out of your comfort zone and getting better."

And punching above his weight is something he has been doing. It's not just an empty phrase thrown out there by somebody whose linguistic skills outweigh their musical nous.

For Tom has been there and done it with two of the very best - Bruce Foxton and Russell Hastings. The pair are the brains and talent behind From The Jam, who play all the hits from the 70s and 80s mod stars with the blessing of Paul Weller.

It's not a bad support slot for a teenager from Shropshire to get. And it is a memory Tom will treasure for ever, even if a broken wrist for Bruce put paid to some of the shows he was to play at.

"That was just amazing going from getting changed in car parks to having my own dressing room with your name on the door," he beams.

"They were really friendly. It was definitely a great experience and I really appreciated the opportunity. It is also really useful to meet some of the other parts of the music industry, particularly venue owners agents and promoters."

But it's not time to rest on his laurels. Tom already has his eyes fixed on what 2018 can bring for him.

As well as signing up to play at Oswestry's brand new Fieldbounce Festival - which featured on this page back in December - Tom wants to take his often solo performances onto a larger, friend-filled stage.

"I knew I needed to do more and keep pushing on, so I decided that the next step was to put a band behind me," he says.

"The person I first called on, Max Sherwood, I had met three months before when I had done some drumming for a band he was in. I had instantly connected with him. He’s a truly great lead guitarist and a huge part of the sound. He was really happy to get involved and we fairly quickly found a top-class drummer.

"At our first rehearsal together, this month, it just clicked. So here we go, The Tom Barras Band is ready to take on the world punching above our weight as always.

"I have a lot of great contacts now and some key people are interested in what I am doing. I have learned that anything you put in front of people has to be right first time, I therefore have rehearsal rooms booked over the next couple of weeks and from that I will get some really good quality recordings and videos done."

He may be fresh-faced still, but the A-level student at King Edwards College in Stourbridge - tackling physics, maths, geography and music technology - has a lot of early success to look back on.

"I played percussion and did vocals for a duo for a couple of years and we did some amazing things especially considering we were 13 and 14. We did hundreds of gigs, won a Pride of Shropshire award, played some festivals, appeared on radio and television, raised thousands for local charities, we once even busked for a world record-beating 25 hours and four minutes – the four minutes was an encore."

And Tom soon realised that only he could get himself to where he wanted to be.

"During the first half of 2017 I went through four bands trying to find something that worked but I soon found out not everyone my age has the same drive and determination to make things happen.

"Reluctantly I decided to stop relying on others, teach myself guitar and then get back out there. People didn’t hear much from me for a while and I was one of those kids sat in my bedroom. But in August I was ready and I did my first solo gig in Wales. It was one of the best and most fun audiences I have ever seen, and I went down way better than I could have possible dreamed."

And people sat up and took notice.

"Firestone picked me out as an unsigned Star of the Future and I got to play their stage at the iconic Birmingham Arena a couple of times."

And unlike a lot of teenagers, Tom has his eyes on other people's success as well as his own. He has himself involved in a whole host of projects outside of his gigging.

"I am also interested in giving other people the chance to play live," he says. "I set up a youth music event in my home town of Bridgnorth and that has now become an annual event. I also organised the music last year for a street festival in the town which was a real success. Both of those events we’ll be doing again in 2018.

"I have now set up Suntastic Music CIC - which is a not-for-profit community interest company aimed at supporting live music. And in January I started running an open mic and jam night on the first and third Wednesday of every month at Bridgnorth Football Club which is going really well and is getting a great mix of ages along."

l Anybody interested in performing at any of these events, or finding out more about Tom's live schedule and his gig announcements, search for Tom Barras Music on Facebook or follow @TomBarrasMusic on Twitter.

By Leigh Sanders