Australian guitarist Gwyn Ashton brings his one-man blues army extravaganza to town in a Black Keys/ White Stripes/ Seasick Steve mould - with harmonica, 12-string bottleneck and Hawaiian lap slide thrown in on top. He has released seven award-winning albums worldwide with guests from Deep Purple, Robert Plant's Band, Rory Gallagher's band, Fabulous Thunderbird's frontman Kim Wilson and many others.
One fan's Facebook comment reads "Gwyn, I watched you play underneath the bridge at Upton Blues Festival Friday night, and got to say it was the best blues guitar performance I've EVER seen, and I have seen a lot - Dr Feelgood, Chicken Shack, Stones, Pretty Things, White Stripes etc."
Ashton's use of fuzz guitar, bass drum, octave pedals and electronic self-generated loops, along with his ancient Strat and steel National guitar, brings the whole blues genre into the 21st century. His live show is loud, up-tempo and in-your-face, dragging his audience into a 1950s Chicago blues bar and when he slows down, his softer use of dynamics and guitar mastery is second-to-none.

• Rock
• Blues