Zac Schulze – Louisiana Bristol

Heavy-hitting, Blues-rock trio Zac Shulze Gang are pushing the Blues forward with unrelenting passion. They showed at their sell-out Louisiana gig in Bristol that the genre’s raw emotion and virtuosity are alive and kicking.

Zac and his band, drummer and brother Ben Schulze and bassist Ant Greenwell delivered a night filled with fiery solos, soulful vocals, powerhouse drumming and high-octane bass playing, reinforcing their reputation as one of the most exciting new acts on the blues circuit.

For those who love discovering the next big thing before they go mainstream, now is the time to catch them live.Heavily inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Rory Gallagher, Zac has crafted a sound that is both rooted in the traditional Blues and fiercely modern.

Opening with their new single from their forthcoming album, Woman – slinky, sexy, bluesy in all the right ways – Zac’s guitar tone is already dialled in, warm in the low end, biting in the highs, but with a rasping edge that cuts through the room like a jagged bottle neck.

Gary Moore at his blues best, with the guitar style as well, and some blistering drumming and basslines.

They followed with a brand-new track, Hi Roller, inspired by the glitz of Vegas slot machines. This follows and cements the tone of the night: this is not a polite nod to Blues tradition. This is Blues weaponised.

Then Ant takes to the mic for the ode to the leaf, Hole In My Pocket, from last year’s Made of Three EP  which has classic Blues spirit and mischievous undertones; a track drenched in a smoky, late-night atmosphere.

The setlist also included raucous covers of Dr. Feelgood’s She Does It Right, Rory Gallagher’s I Take What I Want and Off the Handle, delivered with a fiery, personal twist, and a real funky version of Dry Spell written by the Cinelli Brothers.

The blistering cover of Feelgood’s 1975 hit saw Zac’s fast, aggressive playing mirroring the late Wilko Johnson’s style, a love letter in distortion and drive with the crowd hooked on every sharp, stinging note.

‘Blues weaponised’ – Zac’s guitar playing is firey and ferocious

Keeping the momentum high, next came a punk-Blues version of Rufus Thomas’ Walking the Dog, dropping the tempo just enough to turn the strut into a swagger before launching into their forthcoming single, The Rocker, fast, fun, and distinctly Irish.

And then a ferocious Hellhounds on My Tail, that sounds like Delta Blues dragged screaming into the now.

Bassist Greenwell lightened the tone with a stand-out comic rendition of Jerry Reed’s Framed. His voice is smooth, soulful and rich, a perfect counterbalance to Zac’s rasp.

The final part of the set started with Ballyshannon Blues, a blistering version of the Rory Gallagher classic, which Zac filled with scorching solos and intricate riffs, flying across the stage, throwing shapes and pulling grimaces.

The trio play hard and have a good line in grimaces

The fast pace didn’t stop as they launched into another Rory classic Messin’ With The Kid. The song also blended into a thunderous cover of Oh Well by Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, Zac’s playing fierce and precise, the solos blending technical prowess with raw, untamed energy as the band ended their set.

They came back for the encore, a cover of Freddie King’s Going Down with an extra band member, guitarist Jesse from Bristol support band The Keepsakes. The two guitarists nodded to each other with that mutual respect and proceeded to trade licks all the way through.

It’s a roaring, spiralling rendition, two guitars weaving in and out. A fitting end to a gig from a lean, thunderous, take-no-prisoners rock trio destined for even bigger things.