Matt Woosey

Event information

Matt Woosey’s refreshing musical song writing and playing style combines acoustic blues, folk and rock conveyed with an accomplished vocal delivery which has been defined as The WooseyBlues. His ability to combine originality with a broad musical knowledge has gained him praise from sources as varied as Paul Jones (BBC2), Tom Robinson (BBC 6 Music) and blues News.de who quote Matt as being “The Best British bluesman since Rory Gallagher”.

Matt’s song writing focuses strongly on combining the meaning and message of the lyrics with the composition and atmosphere of the music. He wants people to absorb the words, the music and enjoy his song writing. His catalogue covers a wide spectrum delivering a powerful blend of tracks spanning 7 albums such as beautifully melodic songs like Noah*, moving to the folk styled Elsie May* and through to the raunchy rock of Black Smoke Rising*. His on-stage presence has to be seen, with such a strong singing voice that he barely needs any amplification making every gig a unique and entertaining experience.

Gigs have featured strongly in Matt’s career and in 2012 & 2013 he was averaging almost a-gig-a-day! With tours in Europe, South Africa and Australia he has expanded his fan base and so far, in 2014, has appeared on the Paul Jones Blues show on BBC 2 with his EP ‘Hook, Line and Sinker’. A simultaneous broadcast of the EP’s title track on 39 BBC local radio stations and numerous media interviews has raised Matt’s profile significantly.

Matt is now being invited to support internationally acclaimed touring artists such as the ‘Brand New Heavies’, The Band Of Friends (Rory Gallagher) and Mark Flannigan (Jools Holland) A major 2014 headline tour is in the pipeline. Matt also appears as a duo with Dave Small, percussionist and singer, and as ‘The Matt Woosey Band’ with Hammond organ, electric guitar and drum kit. Currently Matt is averaging 20 gigs a month with new tours scheduled in the UK and Ireland, Europe, New Zealand and South Africa.

Matt’s music career started aged 15 when he played the drums in a Thin Lizzy tribute band, ‘Black Rose’, which was paramount to Matt’s appreciation and understanding of rock’n’roll. Matt swears that it was the finest education a young man could have when starting out on the circuit!! He was soon frequenting open mic gigs and local clubs crafting his acoustic guitar playing style, including his own slap & pick right hand technique. Today, Matt’s playing is often compared to Jimmy Page’s extraordinary blues-rock style, Rory Gallagher’s improvisational flair and John Martyn’s heavy handed acoustic onslaughts.