LACE up your dancing shoes…….Langho crooner Nicholas James Gunn is shooting for the stars with his new ensemble, Nicholas James Gunn’s Vintage Swing Thing.

And Gunn’s sensational seven-piece swing company will unveil their brand new act, staging their first public show in the Ribble Valley next week.

“It all started when I sang a few Frank Sinatra songs at a wedding at Mitton Hall, and it has grown from a bit of a hobby into a band, with one of my best mates Jamie Turner,” said Nicholas.

“There will be something for everyone, with classic swing, Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole, and lots of songs that people know that we re-work into a classic 20s 30s style.

“For example, Africa by Toto and Hot Chocolate’s I Believe in Miracles – and it seems to work a treat.”

He added: “We’ve got a great singer too, Helena Johnson, as the other lead vocalist, plus we’ll have an extended brass section at the Grand.

“Helena is a brilliant performer and adds that extra sass you need in a band like this.

“If it goes well at the Grand we’d love to take the show on a theatre tour.”

Nicholas’ charm and stage presence is already well known in the local dramatics scene, and landed him a top amateur theatre award for his performance as Best Leading Male in a Musical at the National Operatic and Dramatic Association awards.

Nicholas wowed the judges with his show-stopping portrayal of Bill Snibson in Blackburn Musical Theatre Company’s Me and My Girl.

The show, staged at Blackburn’s Thwaites Empire Theatre, featured Gunn as the leading man in Douglas Furber’s 1930s musical.

Nicholas, who attended St Augustine’s High School, Billington, and St Mary’s College, Blackburn, said: “I had no acting background whatsoever and I only came to it by chance, so it was special to win that award.”

Gunn, who sang in his school choir and also played in the swing band, caught the acting bug when he was invited to the Thwaites Empire by a family friend to see their production of Fiddler on the Roof.

“One of the cast said I should give it a try and explained that there was a small role going in the next production,” Nicholas recalled.

“When I got home and opened the script it was the lead role (Billy in Anything Goes). It has gone from there really and it is so much fun.”

The 25-year-old actor and singer has since played leading parts in Guys and Dolls, Carousel and Crazy For You.

Nicholas also proudly performed at Liverpool’s St George’s Concert Hall alongside world-renowned opera star Roy Wessensteiner, with other members of his musical society.

Nicholas James Gunn’s Vintage Swing Thing, Grand Theatre, Clitheroe. Saturday, September 30. Details from 01200 421599 or www.thegrandvenue.co.uk