THREE KINGS

Already being described as a Melbourne blues super group, Three Kings brings together a trio of this country’s most dedicated, authentic blues artists (Ian Collard, Benny Peters & Jason Liu), with down and dirty, totally inspiring results. With special guests: THE BREADMAKERS

DOWN & DIRTY: THE BLUES REIGN IN MELBOURNE

Officially formed in 2011 by Ian Collard (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Benny Peters (vocals and guitar), and Jason Liu Soon (drums), Three Kings’ self titled debut album took out the award for best blues CD in The Age Victorian music awards only a fortnight after release. The album entered the Australian Blues and Roots Airplay Chart at number two before shooting up to first place.

Three Kings’ hard-hitting, greasy blues style takes you on a dangerous joy ride through the back roads and juke joints of American music history, combining the sounds of artists like Kid Thomas, John Lee Hooker, Slim Harpo and Jerry McCain with their own original spin.

Collard and Peters are well known for their own combos, Collard Greens and Gravy and Benny and the Fly By Niters, as well as other line-ups and both have played to appreciative USA and European audiences. Liu Soon has supplied the beats for Chris Wilson and The Detonators. Together the tight knit trio rocks hard and blue.

United by their passion for the world’s greatest blues, all three members of Three Kings have traced the paths of the genre’s pioneers, riding Greyhound buses through placs such as LA, Memphis, Texas, Chicago, New Orleans and St. Louis to get to the source.

The Three Kings CD launch played to a sold out crowd at Melbourne’s Caravan Club and alt-country star, Justin Townes Earle (winner of the 2011 Americana Music Award for Song of the Year), said, “No one should have to follow these guys on stage. No one,” after witnessing their debut gig.

On stage the Three Kings sound like an old 45, you can practically hear the record crackle and the needle pop. As The Age newspaper reported, “Peters and Collard spent about a year working on getting a harmonica to sit tight with an electric guitar, Chicago-style, before calling Liu Soon to glue it all together. The qualities they were looking for – words like aggressive, frightening, dangerous, raw and trashy – come up.”