Who’s in the band and what are your roles?

We have Murray Collins on the double bass, Rich Webb on keys and sax and Rayna Vandel on drums, alongside myself – Josh Locke – on vocals and guitar.

What’s your ‘origin story’?

Back in 2014, I was playing in a covers band on a ferry, mostly doing classic hits, but we snuck in a couple of rockabilly numbers from Elvis and Chuck Berry. Those songs lit a fire in me—I realized I wanted to dedicate myself to this sound full-time. So I called up some of my best friends, who luckily happen to be incredible musicians, and the next decade is history. From those first rehearsals to local gigs and full-blown shows, we’ve been chasing that authentic rockabilly vibe ever since.

Which bands / artists are your biggest influences?

We draw inspiration from the greats: Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash, but we also love blending in some modern stuff like The Delta Bombers, The Hi-Jivers and The Bellfuries. It’s all about that mix of classic roots and raw energy.

Do you adapt your sound between shows/gigs/recordings?

We like to keep everything live in the studio so it sounds just like us on stage. At the same time, we’ve built up such a big set of originals and covers that we can adapt to any audience, making sure each show hits the right vibe while staying true to our sound.

How would you describe your sound?

We love the roots of the blues in rockabilly and how that shaped the evolution of rock music. That’s really what drew us to the genre in the first place. Our goal is to take those classic rockabilly vibes and infuse them with influences from outside the traditional “rockin’” genres, bringing something fresh while still keeping it authentically twangy and raw.

What’s your favourite song to play live and why? 

We all have a different favourite! Rayna loves playing Red Wine Lips, Rich always goes for I Don’t Care, Murray is all about Joy, and I can’t get enough of Indecisive Blues. Each one brings a different energy to the stage, and seeing the crowd react to all of them is what makes playing live so much fun.

What’s been the highlight of your music career so far?

There have been so many incredible moments, it’s hard to pick just one. We’ve played Glastonbury five separate years, supported some of our heroes like Darrel Higham, Slim Jim Phantom, Restless, and The Guana Batz, played main stage slots at Red Rooster and Hemsby, and released four albums of our own material. Personally, one unforgettable moment was when I proposed to my wife live on stage—luckily, she said yes! Every one of these moments reminds us why we do what we do.

Have you faced any difficulties or setbacks in your music career so far? How have you overcome them?

Getting into the rockabilly scene hasn’t been easy. We don’t have management, and we’ve never been part of the “in crowd,” so we’ve always been outsiders. We get past it by being close friends, supporting each other, and focusing on being satisfied with what we do have rather than worrying about what we don’t.

What’s coming up in the future for you? 

I’ve been working on a concept album for the last decade, and I’m also drawing a comic book to go alongside it—so that’s still very much in progress! We’ve got a show with The Spunyboys in March, plus gigs for the Crazy Cavan Memorial in Newport and the Goodwood Revival in September. We’re also lucky enough to play a lot of people’s weddings, which is always an honour, and we have plenty of that lined up this year.

TELL ME ABOUT:

Your last album…what was the process there?

We were lucky enough to be invited by Darrel Higham to join him, Clive, and Graham at Embassy Studios to record a full album. The only problem was that I’d only written four songs at that point, so I had to get another six written in just a couple of weeks—which was definitely a challenge! Once we got into the studio, though, it was an amazing experience. It was a real honour to have Darrel feature on our song Rev It Up, the title track of the album. We had a great time and came away with something we’re really proud of.

Favourite song of yours?

It’s a toss-up for me between Rev It Up, because Darrel Higham features on it, and Red Wine Lips, which always makes me want to bop. Both capture different sides of what we love about making music.

Your craziest tour experience?

During our first year playing Glastonbury, it rained so much that we almost slid off the road on the way there during a lightning storm. Once we arrived, our tents were completely flooded from day one. Despite all that chaos, it was still one of the most memorable experiences ever and a story we’ll never forget!

Your dreams for the future! How would you describe them?

We’d love to get more gigs abroad. I’m a music teacher, so I rarely get to trave because it’s so expensive, but being able to play events like High Rockabilly or Viva Las Vegas—even if it’s hard graft—would be amazing. It’s something to really look forward to and a big dream for the band.

Is there anyone you’d love to share a stage with, living or dead? Why?

We’d love to share a stage with Brian Setzer, Imelda May, Jools Holland, and Darrel Higham. Darrel is especially exciting because we’ve supported him and even recorded with him, but we’ve never actually shared a stage—so that would be a dream come true. They’re all just incredible musicians.

Did you always know what kind of music you wanted to make, or did it come to you gradually?

Honestly, I still don’t know! It’s always evolving, and that’s part of the fun—exploring new sounds, influences, and ideas keeps it exciting.

Are your lyrics in character or based on your life?

It’s a mix of both. Some songs are part of the concept album I’ve been working on—a sort of Sin City meets Batman murder mystery set in a rockabilly noir universe—while others are drawn directly from my own life. We like to keep it authentic, whether that’s storytelling or personal experience.

Was there a song or moment that made you fall in love with rockabilly?

For me, it was Marty McFly playing Johnny B. Goode, and the two Eddie Cochran songs that were on the Air Guitar compilation albums in the early 2000s. They both had a huge influence on my playing from when I was about 12, and that’s really what hooked me on rockabilly!

We just had to take another listen to their latest album, ‘Rev It Up’…

This album is first class! It has fantastic production and the quality of the musicianship is up there with some of the best artists that have ever been classed as ‘Rockabilly’! This sort of sound from this sort of band is exactly what’s needed to make people sit up and take notice and to reinforce the fact that there still is a bright future in this genre.

It really is a gem of an album, Josh’s voice just effortlessly blends together all the great and classic vocals of rockabilly, from the mid 50’s right up to the present day and all the above influences can be heard within his guitar playing, which is just superb! It definitely sets it massively apart from a lot of rehashed covers that can be too common on the scene. All of this absolutely relates to the fact that this is an album of original songwriting, but you as the listener, might be thinking ‘ I’m sure I’ve heard that before! ‘, ‘ Is that an original 50s number? ‘ , ‘ Who did that in the early 80s? ‘ And the answer will be that it’s all brand new!

REV IT UP (featuring Darrel Higham)

The guitar engines fire up immediately for this hot rockabilly track. Darrel’s sound is unmistakeable, blending with Josh’s cool and raw vocals. This is the soundtrack to Hot Rod’s cruising around and draggin’ without a care in the world.

HAND ME DOWNS

Ooohhh, that’s a dirty sax sound to start! Then into a rockin’ blues groove! I get a very Blues Brothers mixed with an 80s vibe from this, a great saxophone gives it a Huey Lewis & the News feel to it!

PLAYING WITH FIRE

JS & the Lockerbillies do a mix of Johnny Burnette & The Stray Cats on this cool track which has a fab slap bass driving it all along, with a hot guitar telling us all to watch out, keep away and don’t get burned!

RED WINE LIPS

Immediately breaking into a Southern Rockabilly style, reminiscent of the likes of Jason & the Scorchers, this could also have been written by the Big Bopper, it has that sort of vibe, especially with Josh’s voice! Great lyrics to this raunchy track that could be a lament to a one night stand.

ROCK ME DEAD

Right on into a full on rockin’ tune! A great bopper for any DJs to pick up on this, definitely a dance floor filler! Raw rockabilly, very catchy & memorable with an awesome bass! It’ll wear them out on the floor!

RAISE SOME HELL

Very fast track which sounds like it’s right out of the mid fifties, with fantastic backing vocals ! This could easily be a Bill Haley track! Great piano break! A devil’s jiver!

YOU SHOULD BE SMILING

Now a change in pace, slower country feel to this. Great stroller. This could have been written by Buddy Holly! Lovely guitar break, great production, it sounds like it’s been around forever and debuted at The Grand Ole Opry!

A PARTY IN MY HEAD

This a very fast, raw rocker! Pure rock n roll! They’re going crazy and wild at this party! Definitely can’t get it out of his head, Wanda Jackson crossed with JD McPherson and amazing guitar and backing. Yeah!!

INDECISIVE BLUES

Wonderful guitar start to this rockin track! Love this ! A real audience participation track, I would like to think that this a highlight at their gigs because of that!! Influences from The Big Bopper again, mixed with The Blues Brothers! Get up off your seats and dance, clap your hands and do it!!

DRYIN’ MY TEARS

Slow start that picks up into a fantastic jiver! This could have been written in the Fifties from the general feel of it! So catchy! A song about losing your lover and being left behind and trying to deal with it! “I wave goodbye, the other hand’s dryin’ my tears”! Love it!

Nick Constantine

Buy a copy of ‘Rev It Up’ here