Davy Knowles
Hot Box, 28 Viaduct Rd, CM1 1TS Chelmsford Kort
lau. 05.12.2026 13:00
Any guitarist looking for a quality blues rocker to emulate couldn’t do better than latch onto Rory Gallagher. But Davy Knowles went one better; he hired Gallagher’s band to support him. They share equal billing on MKO, released on Oct. 17. Bassist Gerry McAvoy (M) and drummer Brendan O’Neill (O) have toured extensively with Knowles (K) as Band of Friends (they once played all Gallagher material) but this is the first time they have collaborated on a studio album of original songs. The eight tunes are penned and sung by Knowles and while they share some of Gallagher’s driving approach and the power trio lineup he favored both in his own work and that of his previous band Taste, this is no copycat outfit. Knowles, like his biggest influence, knows that successful blues rockers need firm melodies with memorable lyrics, as well as succinct, gripping guitar solos. He displays the sum of those talents on material such as “High Horse,” a kiss-off to an old flame with “It’s the same ol’ record playin’,…You ain’t got nothin’ good to say”. He unleashes his slide on a flaming solo as bass and drums deliver swampy backing. It’s such a cool vibe, you’ll wish it would extend past its three-and-a-half minute length. It’s an impressive start for what seems like a project that has legs. In MKO with McAvoy and O’Neill, Knowles has found a rhythm section that meets his high standards; a duo road-tested, approved and certified by one of the blues-rock greats.
Flytjendur
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Davy Knowles
“MY FAVORITE MODERN BLUESMAN” – JOE SATRIANI
“DAVY KNOWLES HAS IMMERSED HIMSELF IN THE STYLES OF MANY GREAT PLAYERS, EMERGING WITH HIS OWN BRAND, AND PLAYING WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE. ” – BERNIE MARSDEN
“#6 DAVY KNOWLES. KNOWLES PLAYS THE BLUES WITH THE SINCERITY OF SOMEONE TWICE HIS AGE” – DANIEL ERIKSSON, GIBSON TOP 10 MODERN BLUES GUITARISTS
Knowles first burst onto the scene in 2007 with his band ‘Back Door Slam’, garnering rave reviews, national US television appearances (Jimmy Kimmel Live, Good Morning America), extensive triple-A radio airplay, and two top 5 Billboard Blues charting albums. Since then, Knowles has independently released two more studio albums, 2014’s ‘The Outsider’ and 2016’s ‘Three Miles From Avalon’, which also hit the top 5 on the Billboard Blues chart. An EP, ‘1932’, showcasing his talents on acoustic guitar, specifically a 1932 National acoustic guitar, was released in early 2017.
An extensive tour schedule has ensured he has put in more than his ’10,000 hours’ on the road, including appearances with The Who, Jeff Beck, Gov’t Mule, Lynrd Skynrd, Kid Rock, Joe Bonamassa, Sonny Landreth, Peter Frampton, Joe Satriani, and the Sammy Hagar-fronted supergroup ‘Chickenfoot’ among many others. “It’s your job to be the worst player in the room, and absorb like a sponge” says Knowles of sharing the stage with his heroes. And it’s not just his heroes he’s played for, in 2010, he became the first musician in history to play live directly to the International Space Station from Mission Control in Houston.
