Bristol’s blues grunge act TRUE STRAYS return with a new single ‘Homesick Blues’ (19th April), a new EP ‘Homeward Bound’ (3rd May) and a tour this spring, plus a string of festival dates including Greenman, Shambala and Larmer Tree Festival.
With darker social and political times comes darker music and their second EP conveys this frustration with added urgency, authenticity and blistering slabs of riff rock n roll. The first single from the EP, Homesick Blues is a homage to us the people, and overcoming our worries and woes. To the wandering, zero hours contract, minimum wage wayfarer with no home to call their own.
The EP, ‘Homeward Bound’, was recorded in the back of an old horse box right on the clay swamps of the Cotswolds, just a few miles up the road from James and Joe’s childhood homes where they first met in the sand pit aged 5 and 3. The EP also sees an exciting collaboration with Bristol artist Brook Tate, who created a custom oil painted print for the release.
With over 20 UK festivals under their belt in 2018, their first foray into the European festival scene at La Truite Magique, Belgium, live sessions with Sofar Sounds, BBC Introducing in the West and a recent support slot with My Baby, things are starting to come together for True Strays and its founding members James Cameron and Joseph James.
The True Strays are a vintage loving, blues fuelled, dirty rock and roll band. Their live shows are a joyous hoedown of huge bass driven riffs, a howling tornado of resonator guitar, cacophonous drums and soaring hammond organ.
Influences span the history of modern music with great admiration for the delta blues of the 40s and 50s, British Invasion and Psychedelic Rock of the 60s and 70s, Southern Rock and Soul and modern age Punk, Rock and Blues artists. Blues music is at the heart of everything they do but their sound isn’t bound to those rules or that genre. Influences include greats like Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf, Jimi Hendrix and Fleetwood Mac, The Doors and Pink Floyd and more recent punk and rock and roll bands like Nirvana, QOTSA and Idles.
MAY
10.05 – Dart Festival
25.05 – Bearded Theory Festival
29.05 – Whiskers, Newquay
30.05 – Brit Bar, Western Supermare
31.05 – Fire In The Mountains Festival, Aberystwyth
JUNE
01.06 – Telford’s Warehouse, Chester
02.06 – The Dog & Partridge, Marchington
08.06 – Castlewood Vineyard Festival, Axminster
JULY
05.07 – The Thatch, Croyde
12.07 – Wonderfields Festival, Exeter
20.07 – Larmer Tree Festival, Tollard Royal
21.07 – Pizza Express Soho, London
AUGUST
02.08 – Big Green Gathering, Chepstow
16.08 – Greenman Festival
23.08 – Shambala Festival, Market Harborough
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