bio

Billy Blynde have recently released their debut album The Great Muggi Bandits and the Hoo Haa Experience and created a buzz on social media. The three piece are a multi-instrumentalist family band from the rolling hills of Devon, England where their familiar flat caps and cheap sunglasses are symbolic of the South West rural coastal town of Torbay, which they have called home since 2009.

Featuring South African born Larry and Lou, who started their musical journey playing drums and bass respectively. The two earned their music stripes playing in their hometown of Durban, in a couple of bands performing in a lot of weird and wild live shows and releasing a couple of studio albums which had a great reception. But the thirst for adventure and travel was too much to stay in South Africa. In 2002 they left their little town nestled along the Indian Ocean for the big city and sights of London, England. With both holding dual Nationality new adventures were only a plane ticket away and the two sold their beloved gigging equipment to fund a new life abroad.


Fast forward to September 2019 and Dale started High School and after a few days asked if she could start to learn the bass. She had told her music teacher all about her home recording studio and musician parents and after learning keyboard and ukulele she decided she wanted to be like Mom and play the bass. Soon band practice become Lou playing guitar whilst teaching Dale the bass.

A creative explosion saw Lou and Larry writing of a lot of new material, reworking old songs and Dale writing Erm. By Christmas the collection of instrumental songs become affectionately known as the Muggi Bandits and the idea to upgrade their Demo songs to something more meaningful was born. Scouring the South West for second hand tube amplifiers and a forever guitar for Lou saw her own a PRS guitar after just 3 months of playing. It was also time for Dale to attend a real music concert and in early March the family saw Joanne Shaw Taylor and Sonia Leigh perform raw explosive sets at the Exeter Phoenix music venue, one of the last live concerts for the rest of 2020. The moment was a light bulb moment for the potential of the Muggi Bandits material.

Despite the worldwide Covid lockdown work life and music continued in the Blynde household. Recording of drums, bass and guitar went down smoothly and the writing of lyrics and singing vocals was the next hurdle to overcome. It was something neither had done before. In the old days that was the singer’s job. Soon lyrics came out thick and fast and summer was spent laying down vocal tracks and mixing down. The theme of their musical journey become the story of the album that would become The Great Muggi Bandits and the Hoo Haa Experience.

Each song is a chapter in the story that is their musical life from the Alice Cooper inspired AC Blues which is really about loving a band but not wanting to sound like them or follow the rules of musical genres to Around the World which tells the story of music in 2020. Dale played bass on Erm which tells the story of Bluella her brand new bass and the right of passage of anyone starting out on an instrument.

The Great Muggi Bandits and the Hoo Haa Experience was released on the 9th November 2020 and distributed through Distrokid.

We hope you enjoy our musical story as much as we loved making it. Look out for Erm video in early 2021 and a five song EP in the Spring. Love in Music

The Blyndes