Award-winning blues rock duo When Rivers Meet have announced the release of their third album Aces Are High out later this summer and available to pre-order now here. The exciting news of the new album precedes their April and May UK Headline Tour which starts April 28th. Tickets for the UK tour are available from www.whenriversmeet.co.uk/tour.
WRM will also perform on Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping The Blues Alive Mediterranean III Cruise which departs Athens on August 17th. Cabins are available from www.bluesaliveatseaeurope.com. The cruise also features Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Blackberry Smoke, Joe Bonamassa, and many more.
Regarding the forthcoming album the duo say, “As our music is progressing, we’re finding our sound even more. When we went in the studio this time, we’ve never been so sure on what we wanted to create—we had a really clear vision and have stuck to it.
“Before we held back on being too rocky, but this time we allowed ourselves to create what we wanted to hear, without restricting ourselves. We also allowed ourselves to express the different colours to our music with tracks like ‘Golden’ and ‘By Your Side’, so this album has more extremes. We still call upon our influences from all the years but remain true to ourselves to create music we love.”
The pair lay their first hand from the new record with the scorching lead single ‘Play My Game’, a groove-laden, driving blues track with rich riffs and searing vocals. It’s a bold statement of intent with a badass video to boot, capturing a poker game gone south leading to a high-speed car chase and daring aeroplane escape. Watch the music video HERE.
Since their formation in 2019, the husband-and-wife duo Grace Bond (vocals, mandolin, violin) and Aaron Bond (vocals, guitar) have been quick to prove themselves one of the most exciting names in British blues rock. Blending Americana, folk, blues, and rock in a distinctly unique manner, they have been showered with many awards and accolades.
Their forthcoming album Aces Are High follows two critically acclaimed records: We Fly Free (2020), which reached No.1 in the iTunes Blues Album Chart, and Saving Grace (2021), which charted at No.2 in the UK Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart, No.5 UK Official Album Downloads Chart, and No.6 UK Official Independent Albums Chart. These were based purely on chart reporting digital sales and didn’t include physical sales.
When Rivers Meet were the first band to win four awards at the UK Blues Awards 2021 and another three awards in 2022, including Blues Band Of The Year on both occasions. In 2021 When Rivers Meet were voted Best New Band at Planet Rock’s The Rocks Awards, and in 2022 won Planet Rock’s Blues Power Award and Album Of The Year Award with Saving Grace.
Aces Are High finds the duo returning with a more powerful sound than ever before. Aaron’s gnarled riffs hit harder alongside his deep vocal tones, while Grace’s vocals range wider with tantalising bite as they effortlessly climb scales like her striking slide mandolin which accompanies the likes of ‘Trail To Avalon’.
The immediacy of the new record is showcased from the off with the hard-hitting opener ‘Infected’, while no punches are pulled on the kick-out-time anthem ‘5 Minutes Until Midnight’. Nevertheless, its contrasting sides find delicate moments such as the reflective acoustic song ‘Golden’ and the shimmering Americana of ‘By Your Side’.
ACES ARE HIGH – TRACK LISITING
1. Infected
2. Seen It All Before
3. Play My Game
4. Golden
5. Aces Are High
6. Trail To Avalon
7. Perfect Stranger
8. The Secret
9. By Your Side
10. 5 Minutes Until Midnight
When Rivers Meet developed a powerful live reputation and with their first headline tour last year, which they played to capacity crowds across the country. They will be hitting the road again throughout April and May 2023 on a UK headline tour, with special guest Arielle, and includes a date at London’s Lafayette on May 6th. Ahead of this they will be touring the UK with REEF while in the summer When Rivers Meet have also been announced to play a number of festivals.
WHEN RIVERS MEET
BREAKER OF CHAINS UK TOUR 2023
WITH SPECIAL GUEST
“ARIELLE”
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM
Colchester, Arts Centre
Friday 28 April 2023Norwich, Waterfront
Saturday 29 April 2023Brighton, Komedia
Thursday 4 May 2023
London, Lafayette
Saturday 6 May 2023
Bristol Fleece
Thursday 11 May 2023
Birmingham, Asylum
Friday 12 May 2023
Southampton, 1865
Saturday 13 May 2023
Tavistock, Wharf
Sunday 14 May 2023
Barnard Castle, The Witham
Friday 19 May 2023
Glasgow, The Garage
Saturday 20th May 2023
Newcastle, University Students Union
Sunday 21 May 2023
Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
Thursday 25 May 2023
Bradford, Nightrain
Friday 26 May 2023
Manchester, Academy 3
Saturday 27 May 2023
FESTIVALS
May
28th – Festival In The Gardens, Braintree
July
1st – Linton Festival, Ross-On-Wye
2nd – Alford Rock and Blues Festival, Alford
7th – Bures Music Festival, Bures
28th – Steelhouse Festival, Ebbw Vale
August
4th – Cambridge Rock Festival, Horseheath
11th – Firestorm (Manchester) Rock Festival, Stockport
17th/22nd – Keeping Blues Alive At Sea III, Athens
October
6th – Cornwall Rocks Festival, Looe
November
12th – Whitby Blues, Rhythm & Rock, Whitby
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Photo by Rob Blackham
