The Graveltones talk heavy riffage and Denmark Street

"There's a certain type of magic that comes out of doing something on the spot."
"There's a certain type of magic that comes out of doing something on the spot."

Two-pieces are taking over. In recent memory we've had Derby duo Drenge, the world-conquering Black Keys and arty riffers, That F**king Tank.

Blues rock 'n' rollers The Graveltones consist of two London-dwelling Australians who met at the capital's instrument Mecca, Denmark Street. "I was working in Wunjo Guitars and Mike [Sorbello] was working over the road in the drum shop," explains guitarist Jimmy O.

"I just went in and we got talking. The next thing we knew we had a rehearsal, and a couple of days later, played at the 100 Club."

The gruesome twosome make a ridiculous amount of noise. Think of a Tom Morello-esque take on Black Keys' blues riffs, interspersed with biting lead guitar via octave pedals, a 1969 Vox Tone Bender fuzz and a modded Gibson Les Paul Special.

"I split my signal, so I'm using an Orange bass amp and a Fender Twin," says Jimmy. "I can boost the highs for solos through the guitar amp, rather than using the bass amp as well - it seems to work."
Now the band's momentum's building: they've just released a deluxe version of debut album, Don't Wait Down, and the festival diary is filling up rapidly.

"We just try not to over-think things," concludes Jimmy. "There's a certain type of magic that comes out of doing something on the spot."

For more information visit the official Graveltones website, or connect with the band on Facebook and Twitter.

Matt Parker

Matt is a freelance journalist who has spent the last decade interviewing musicians for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.