The Boom Band were formed by guitarist Matt Taylor (Snowy White Blues Project/The Motives) and drummer Steve Rushton (Imelda May/Jeff Beck) following a festival in Switzerland where the pair found themselves with a couple of days to kill and the local hospitality to sample.

Thankfully, upon arrival back in the UK they managed not to forget the whole crazy idea, as so often is the case with the best-laid plans, and set about contacting people. Initially the idea was that the band would be a collective of many players, with band members changing from gig to gig depending on who was available.

However, after contacting Jon Amor (guitar/vocal), Marcus Bonfanti (guitar/vocal), Mark Butcher (guitar/vocal), Paddy Milner (keyboards/vocal), and Scott Wiber (bass) a week of recording was arranged and it became clear that they were onto something pretty special.

The Boom Band is not like other bands. For a start every one of the front line is not only a great player but also a fine singer and talented songwriter. To say nothing of the contributions from bassist Scott Wiber; his songs Sweet Alberta and Waste My Time were bashfully put forward for consideration and ended up being key tracks on the album. Everybody brings something to the party, there are no weak links. And, perhaps remarkably, at the same time there are no egos. Everyone has the experience and temperament to be able to sit back and let others shine and then step up and shine themselves when the time is right.Vocals and guitars blend in harmony and then one guitar or another, or perhaps Paddy’s Hammond organ or piano will find itself at the fore.

Oh… did we mention the four guitarists? Count’em, FOUR! With four guitar players in a band they have to know how to make space for each other. And don’t by any means get to thinking that the Boom Band is just about endless guitar solos. Yes, there are solos of course, but in The Boom Band the song is king, be it the joyful southern rock of We Can Work Together, the dirty blues of Diamonds in the Rust, the cool soul of Under the Skin or the restrained epic Moonshine. Unless you consider the craziness of the instrumental Monty’s Theme, where the guitars communicate by weaving around each other in harmonies and solos, though the piano actually wins the day and the Hammond organ gives them all a run for their money.

Although at the time of release of the CD both Scott Wiber and Steve Rushton have actually dropped out of regular live Boom duties (due to repatriation and other committments, respectively) The Boom Band are a force to be reckoned with on the live stage, having played several key gigs in 2014, including dates in London, the main stage at Ribs’n’Blues Festival in Holland, a headline spot at the Carlisle Rock & Blues Festival and as the house band for  BBC Radio 2’s Paul Jones’ annual charity concerts where they backed Van Morrison as well as performing in their own right. 2015 will see the Booms performing at more and bigger festivals in the UK and beyond.

The Deluxe Edition eponymous CD features ten tracks of the album proper, plus four extra acoustic tracks from ‘The Boom Guitars’ – that is an acoustic session from Jon, Marcus, Butch and Matt – plus a 24 page booklet featuring liner notes from music writer Jamie Hailstone, detailed track info and song lyrics. It will be released on April 13th 2015.

http://www.theboomband.co.uk/