This was the first visit to Riffs Bar for the Trio, much anticipated by Swindon's blues lovers following the release of their debut album. The room was well filled with eager punters, a surprising number of whom claimed either to own, or to have heard the album and some who had travelled some distance after reading the coverage of Matt in Guitarist magazine. Not many contemporary UK blues artistes make it into the hallowed pages of Guitarist. The magazine waxed lyrical about the CD, giving it a four star rating, and followed this in the next issue with a full page feature on the trio. Praise indeed!

The night started with an instrumental "Backstroke" by Albert Collins, which warmed the band up nicely. You instantly get an idea of what this band is about, seriously tight with gorgeous tones and excellent musicianship. Each has developed his craft to a very high level. This was swiftly followed by Soulive's "Uncle Junior", a cool, funk filled instrumental, which features Johnny Henderson heavily. His organ playing skills are outstanding, bass lines with his left hand and soloing with his right! For this evening Johnny augmented his trademark Hammond sound with the cool vibes of a Wurlitzer - at times playing the bass lines on the "Hammond" (actually a Korg BX3 but you wouldn't know it) and augmenting it with the Wurlitzer.

Matt is known for his guitar work and there are few, certainly in the UK, who can match him for feel and tone; but what is a pleasant surprise is his singing, an edgy-timbred impassioned voice with phrasing and dynamics that come from having a true feel for the blues.

Their set comprises a great mix of BB King-style swing and traditional slow blues, such as "Bloody Murder", which showcases the skills of drummer EVan Jenkins who rips it up like Buddy Rich on speed!, through to excellent contemporary songs such as their own "Middle Ground", a slightly Clapton/Trower-esque number with lyrics penned by Matt's Canadian girlfriend, Dorothy Whittick.

The Meters' "Cissy Strut" features the whole band locked as one. Both Matt and Johnny take great solos, it gets quite jazzy, you almost forget how it all started. Then BANG! the band powers back into the signature melody. That's one thing this band really understands - how to work the dynamics of a number to keep the audience on their toes. "Loving Cup" is a nod to a mentor of Matt's, Robben Ford; and such is the confidence and ease with which they rip through Albert Collins' "Travelling South" you'd think the band wrote it themselves. A couple more numbers and several encores, and sadly it was all over. We were treated to a musical tour de force and this was one of those occasions when my ears and my mind were as fresh at the end as they were two hours earlier.

This is a band that plays seriously good music, with inventive arrangements of classics and a growing repertoire of their own material. Their musicianship is world class. Indeed they are one of a small handful of UK Blues bands that could hold their own on a world stage. I wouldn't be surprised to see them appearing at the top level festivals and venues around the globe in the not too distant future.

Simon Law from Blues in Britain Magazine