Reviews - read what the press say about Will Killeen
"Ireland's finest acoustic blues export since Rory Gallagher, he is considered to be one of the foremost slide guitar players in Europe"
Castlebar Blues Festival
Castlebar Blues Festival
"...Irishman Killeen has established himself over the last few years as one of Europe's top country blues players, mixing original guitar style with self-penned material. A number of radio appearances have led to recorded outings and two hugely successful tours of Italy".
Pete Feenstra
Pete Feenstra
"Arriva...The king of the slide guitar - al secolo l'irlandese Will Killeen!"
Belluno Festival
Belluno Festival
"...an exciting blend of gutsy, foot-stomping blues...he's travelled extensively in Europe and the USA delighting audiences with his seemingly incongruous mixture of gentle personality and fiery musicianship"
..."A unique acoustic style and wild harp make Will's original reworkings of blues classics unmistakable...he's not to be missed"
Brentwood Blues Festival
Brentwood Blues Festival
"...Will Killeen is one of the most underrated blues slide guitarists around, backed only by a harmonica and a gravelly voice. Will plays a mixture of original and traditional acoustic blues and his ability to perform numbers in the manner they would have been composed has won him a cult following."
Windsor Arts Centre
Windsor Arts Centre
"Catch him wherever you can!"
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WILL KILLEEN LIVE AT THE BLACK LION, HEREFORD 18 JUNE 2011
REVIEWED BY
SUE THOMPSON
Will Killeen the raggle-taggle maverick arrived at The Black Lion, Hereford, quietly set up his amps, guitars, stomp box and kicked off his set with wheezy harmonica and swooping bottleneck, appearing 100% genuinely pleased at the first audience whoop of the night. He sings like a native injun mashed on mescaline, yet there's also an influence of other styles, from the blues to celtic /country folk, all blended like a fine, Old Bushmills Original... I do declare, that man can play guitar! Personally I prefer the Irish Jig to the Ala-Kazam, but there's enough variety in his gigs, from self-penned ditties like 'Black Hearted Rider', to covers of bad man ballads such as 'Little Sadie', to tap your toes to
No hype!
Everytime I've seen him play it's been a great night out, the cat's pajamas. There's always a friendly crowd of all ages up for the crack. It's free, you're supporting the ale house industry and Will is genially predisposed to chat to anyone, even a cheeky puckling like me. This bloke deserves a break. Not only is he a musician/songwriter but he's a painter too, check out his website: willkilleen.weebly.com. Furthermore, the album 'Black Hearted Rider' is available NOW from Amazon. PLUGG! He can even tame wild horses and bamboozle back country badgers with his charm!! However he has no hype in his bones, so this is where Mel ('Corker') Price comes in handy, initiating Will into 21st Century communique. Europe & the U.S. have already fallen for Mr.Killeen, so why not come by Castlebar Blues Festival, County Mayo, Ireland, 3-5th June, followed by the Upton Blues Festival, Worcestershire, 16th July and see if you take a moonshine to his music. Mr.and Mrs.Joe Public, submit to The Craythur; albeit not your usual tipple, nevertheless I guarantee the song 'Kokomo' will be ringing through your head the morning after, as it did mine. Sue Thompson
All photos by Mel Price