On The Radar #105 Will Wilde

HOVE-BASED harmonica hero Will Wilde is set to release a new album recorded live in Hamburg this month.

Below the Wiltshire-born bluesman talks about his inspirations and biggest shows.

“Sonny Boy Williamson made me first want to pick up a harmonica. When I heard his song Help Me I was hooked. There was something about his harp sound that felt like home and it set me on the path I'm on today.

“I am influenced by a lot of the classic Chicago blues artists like Albert King, Buddy Guy, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson but my sound is much heavier than theirs. I like to think of it as Chicago blues played with a rock attitude. I experiment with effects on the harmonica and try to take it to a new dimension.

“The biggest gig I’ve played to date is the Fehmarn Festival in Germany. It’s held at the location of Jimi Hendrix's final concert, which he played in 1970. There were a few thousand people there.

“I always planned to release the 2015 Hamburg show as an album. We had played at the Downtown Blues Club a few times before and built up a good following there. I loved the vibe and the sound in the venue and the crowd are always up for a good time, so it was an obvious choice for me.

“I always try to keep a live element in my recordings. I think it is very important for the style of music we play to keep the raw energy and organic feel as much as possible. For my last studio album Raw Blues we put everything down together apart from the vocals which went on afterwards. I like to record my harmonica solos and guitar solos together with the band, so that we can vibe off of each other.

“Recording the live album was a lot of fun. It’s much easier than recording a studio album because it’s just like playing a gig. We have a very loyal fan base in Germany and people had come from all over the country to show their support. When we stepped out on to the stage the roar from the crowd was so loud it almost knocked me off my feet. I think we captured the energy of the performance perfectly and we didn't do any overdubs so the record is a true representation of our current live show.

“Live at Hamburg is mostly originals. We played tracks from my last two studio albums, plus a couple of new songs; Jealous Woman and The Girl I Love, which I play guitar on instead of harp. We covered Canned Heat's On the Road Again for our encore; we play it much louder and heavier than the original. We also played the Rory Gallagher song Philby. I started playing that song when I was asked to perform at a Rory Gallagher memorial festival a couple of years ago. It went down so well that I've kept it in the set ever since.

“In the future I want to keep writing and touring. I have already started writing for my third studio album."

Will Wilde’s next Sussex gig is at the Wisborough Festival near Chichester on Friday, June 3.

Find out more:

www.willharmonicawilde.com

www.facebook.com/willharmonicawilde

www.youtube.com/user/willharmonicawilde