Rob is the first thing you notice about The Barrelhouse Band. He sings the songs and produces the scorching solos and delicate runs that help bring the music to life.  His guitar heroes are many, but Stevie Ray Vaughan and BB King have played a huge role in how he has developed his own playing style with, he admits, regular nods in their direction.

After a long time writing songs and gigging them Rob turned to blues and has found interpreting the classics and bringing lesser known songs to life just as rewarding and fulfilling as writing his own music from scratch. 

Michael and Matthew say: the great thing about Rob's playing is that it is wild and out-there enough to be the focus of the band, but he is really restrained and disciplined when it matters, he knows less is more and that's not true of a lot of blues players. 

Matthew loves the role that the bass can play in a small band - holding things down while guitar and drums go on expressive flights of fancy. He is a devoted John Paul Jones fan and aspires to the same holding role and judicious note choice. He doesn't expect to be noticed and is a bit alarmed if it transpires that anyone was paying attention. 

Rob and Michael say:  Matthew is the inconspicuous linchpin of the band. Though modest, he exudes talent on the bass guitar, confirming its natural position as the bedrock instrument in the Barrelhouse Band.  From under the pork pie hat, his natural musicality shines through, adding a cool melodic tone to even the simplest of songs. 

Michael's playing is in jazz and funk and it shows - he brings a degree of sophistication and nuance that his bandmates can only dream of. He provides not only a rock solid base for the music but a dizzying array of deft touches and surprising turns that give the band's music a lightness and sense of rhythmic adventure that many blues bands lack. 

Matthew and Rob say: a band is only as good as its drummer and Michaels adds so much to our sound, really driving when needed but surprising us with his improvised shifts of time or emphasis. It's a privilege to play with him.