WHEN it comes to music James Toseland is the real deal.

He grew up playing the piano, he probably could have got a music scholarship but in his teens he got sidetracked into racing motorcycles.

It turned out he was good at that too and twice became World Super Bike Champion.

When injury forced an early retirement from that career, he knew it was the right time to return to his first love, music.

Was there ever a doubt the genre of music he wanted to pursue?

“No, my old job was quite an adrenaline rush, I always listened to bands like Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and Guns ’n’ Roses and that’s where my heart was.

“I’d race round a track at 200mph and come back and listen to ballads to calm down. Without motorcycles in my life I needed to re-create that buzz so I always knew it would be rock.”

Last year, while writing his first album, James went on the road with his band Toseland supporting the likes of Little Angels, Reef and The Darkness.

He is enjoying the traditional rites of passage for any new band, driving the tour van himself (he’s the only member of the band who can drive), staying in Travelodges, camping on floors and playing small venues.

The album had been recorded but he has crowd-funded the cost of touring and producing a video to support the album.

“Record companies aren’t taking any risks at the moment and we’re like every other new band. I am lucky I had support from fans in my previous job and many of them have been supportive in this project so it’s been great for us,” he adds.

The coming year promises to be even better than last with the tour and album, supporting Status Quo on the Frantic Four Tour and a return to Brands Hatch, this time headlining the end of meet gig rather than lifting the World Super Bike Championship Trophy over his head.

“I haven’t done much of the race meetings, I’m conscious of being a new rock act and getting the credit for the music and the music only.”

Keeping the two worlds separate seems to be working, a motorcycle fan recently asked him if the band Toseland had been named after him.The new album Renegade successfully treads the fine line between the two worlds, it is autobiographical in content, song titles like Crash Landing and Singer in a Band lay the cards on the table from the outset.

Co-written with Little Angels Toby Jepson, this is a fire cracker of a debut album, strong song writing, fine guitar work from brother-in-law Zurab Melua (James is married to singer Katie Melua) and raw, power-laden, raunchy rock vocals from Toseland himself. He may well have got sidetracked by bikes, but it's time to welcome him back where he belongs.

  • Toseland play The Talking Heads Sunday night.