‘Blue Collar Jane’ is the first piece of original material to emerge from the fledgling Irish band following 2012’s ‘Young, Gifted & Blue’, an EP of covers plucked from the lesser-known corners of the blues vault.
Exploring the micro-details of a romantic fling in the boys’ hometown of Cavan, ‘Blue Collar Jane’ speaks of humbler and more innocent moments but with an electrifying energy apparently bottled from a ‘50s dance hall.
Singer Ross Farrelly, bassist Pete O’Hanlon, drummer Evan Walsh and guitarist Josh McClorey all have one thing in common – a deep love for the blues.
The four are players with chops way beyond their years, the hard-earned result of years spent honing their craft in Irish pubs, hotels and music halls, where they’d often play for up to two and a half hours at a time. Their influences are atypical of what their peers would usually concern themselves with – Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters and Doctor Feelgood, all unfamiliar names in many teenage boy’s record collection but all paid homage to by the band.
The Strypes' days of gigging around Ireland in a converted disabled access van eventually got them noticed. Now signed to Mercury Records, they are setting about preparing their debut album, and writing new material to add to live favourites ‘Mystery Man’ and ‘Blue Collar Jane’.
Despite their age, despite the whirlwind excitement surrounding them, the band are keeping their feet on the ground for now. Guitarist Josh said: “We don't care if we're not famous – we just want to play rhythm and blues.”
To mark Record Store Day on April 20th, the band will be releasing a special, limited-run double gatefold 7” vinyl, featuring ‘Blue Collar Jane’ as well as six other live favourites across two discs.
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