Phll Coyne & The Wayward Aces

Harmonica drives everything Phil Coyne and The Wayward Aces do, and it's Australian blues rather than an imitation of somebody else's. Their releases Sound & Fury and the self titled record have charted internationally and picked up global airplay. Coyne fronts it, blasting blues harp with a brassy tone and writing songs about love, life and circumstance with plenty of humour in them. Morgan Klose plays razor sharp guitar rooted in blues tradition with a funk player's timing, Dale Lindrea anchors the bass with more than 4,000 gigs behind him across some of the country's top roots acts, and Will Harris drums with the swing and snap of 1950s Chicago. David Osler in Blues Matters put it plainly: if you like harmonica players who make the damn thing wail, these are worth a listen. Festival stage or Saturday night barroom, it turns into a party either way.