Review: Craig Eriksson. Photos: Craig Eriksson
Last night we saw Gwyn Ashton perform his Solo Elektro and MojoSoul show at Mr Boogie Man Bar in Melbourne. This was rock ‘n’ roll royalty at its very best. The incredible Gwyn Ashton is a Welsh-Australian singer, songwriter, producer, blues and rock guitar virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist that has been playing for 50 years.
Mr Boogie Man Bar in the inner suburb of Melbourne (Clifton Hill) is a small, dingy and dark live music venue and bar with loads of character and friendly, family-owned staff. There is Rolling Stones memorabilia adorning the walls along with a great mural of Keith Richards, a large pic of Bon Scott and a number of guitars hanging on the walls. Drink prices were reasonable which makes for a refreshing change and there was a nice homely vibe with those in attendance to see Gwyn Ashton.
Ashton rocked up tonight in a large white van and parked straight out the front of the venue and unloaded his gear. He travels around in his van, which is fully decked out inside with a fridge, cooker, bed and all his gear. He is a bit of a nomad and this is the way he likes to rock and roll. He told me he has an even larger, better set up van over in the UK. Ashton said he eats, sleeps and has even recorded inside his van. The ever-travelling Ashton lives part of the year in South Australia and part of the year in the UK and Europe.
At Mr Boogie Man Bar Ashton played an intimate 2-set, one-man show, in which the audience were served a delightful smorgasboard of Ashton’s music for over two and a half hours with an interval. The sound was crisp in the bandroom and the mixing was spot on.
Ashton is a down to earth, friendly, humble musician with a large repertoire of music and stories. We caught up with Ashton both before and after the show and he was telling us some pretty wild and incredible stories about his rock’n’roll journey that he said started back in 1974. Ashton has travelled the globe performing and has either supported or collaborated with some of the worlds best including: BB King, Rory Gallagher, Buddy Guy, Robben Ford, Johnny Winter, Peter Green, Joe Bonamassa, Van Morrison, Mick Taylor (The Rolling Stones), Canned Heat, The Sweet and The Yardbirds. Ashton also played in a band called Sonic Blues Preachers with John Freeman who was the drummer in Fraternity. Ashton pointed over to the large pic of Bon Scott on the wall and said: Fraternity was the band that bloke started out with.
We noticed Ashton had seven guitars on his guitar rack that he alternated playing throughout the show including a beautiful steel guitar. He has a double microphone set up with one being a radio mic. He uses his feet to play a kick drum and cymbal/tambourine and also plays harmonica in some songs. I asked Ashton how he travels the world with all his gear and he said he has the exact same instrument set up over in the UK, but even better. He mentioned owning the original bass drum of Bill Ward of Black Sabbath.
Ashton engaged well with the crowd and told stories in between. He mentioned that he lived near Robert Plant for 10 years and they had became aquaintances. Plant had attended 5 of Ashton’s shows and Ashton had attended 2 of Plants shows. Ashton cheekily smirked and said: “I’m proud of that ratio!” Closer to home, Ashton has played with Swanee, Jim Keays and Stevie Wright just to name a few.
Greg Phillips from AM reviewed Gwyn Ashton’s gig at the St Andrews Hotel back in 2020 and this review provides a wonderful insight to Ashton’s set up and backstory Read it HERE
The first set (MojoSoul – current album) included a cover of The Yardbirds ‘Heart Full of Soul’ in tribute to the late Jeff Beck. It didn’t take long to realise that we were experiencing something incredibly special, as we were mesmerised watching Ashton play a number of different guitars, slide guitar, harmonica and kick drum. In this set, Ashton concentrated on songs from his current Mojosoul album with its swamp, blues-rock and folk feel, which showcased his guitar playing chops and almost had us in a trance with his hypnotic grooves.
Throughout the set, he was quite the storyteller and there was wonderful diversity to the textures and rhythms, light and shade of his songs as he weaved his way through the set with the crowd foot-tapping along and loving every minute of it.
In the second set (Solo Elektro), Ashton played songs from his 2017 album ‘Solo Elektro’ and was joined on stage by bass guitarist and close mate, Peter Beulke. During this set, the intensity increased and he cut loose playing various electric guitars. Watching the connection Ashton shared with Beulke on stage was wonderful. Ashton said they have played together overseas and in Australia and you could see and feel that special bond that they shared.
I’ve seen many blues artists over the years, but there is something extra special about Ashton’s musicianship and blend of raw, gritty, rockin’ blues, garage and boogie rock that really stands out. This talented rocker is clearly at the top of his game and is pure quality. One of the finest one-man shows I’ve ever seen!
If you have the opportunity to go and see Gwyn Ashton, here are his upcoming Victorian shows before he heads back to South Australia for a string of shows and then heads back overseas
21 March – Tarwin Lower (Vic)
22 March – Upwey-Belgrave (Vic)
23 March – Seaford (Vic)
