Pacey King & Doley
The Bellhops
Declan Kelly
When three of our best local Australian musicians come together, one needs to stand back and just savour the moment in time, this is going to be worth every moment.
SHANE PACEY has had over the last four decades, an outstanding career in music and with recent accolades from the Sydney Blues Society as 2019 Best Male Vocalist and 2021 Song Writer of the Year. This extraordinary talent is loved by audiences all over the country. Shane is also lead vocalist / guitarist and songwriter for the Bondi Cigars, Shane Pacey Trio, and the legendary Foreday Riders.
SALLY KING is considered blues royalty and a pioneer of women in blues in the Sydney blues scene. She has worked with the likes of Bo Diddley, Jimmy McGriff, Hightide Harris, Jacky Orzarsky. Sally is truly blessed with an irresistibly authentic voice that settles into the groove from the first note. Whether singing her own beautifully crafted songs or putting a unique stamp on classic – audiences warm instantly to Sally’s vibrant stage presence. The fabulous Sally King is the real deal. Winner Sydney Blues Society “Favourite Female Vocalist” 2021
CLAYTON DOLEY is one of Australia’s most in-demand singer, keyboard player and songwriters, brandishing all things Hammond and beyond. Clayton won the 2019,2020 and 2021 Sydney Blues Society Keyboard Player of The Year. His skills’ have brought him international recognition having shared the stage with some of the world’s biggest names in music including Steve Cropper, Donald Duck Dunn, Joe Bonamassa, Dan Aykroyd, Jimmy Barnes, The Divinyls, Richard Clapton and Harry Manx, to name just a few.
PACEY KING & DOLEY together, are to be backed by a stellar rhythm section.
Featuring:
DAVID GREEN on Bass Guitar & Vocals
(Lana Cantrell, Hot City Bump Band, Seals and Croft, Sally King Band)
DAVO FESTER on Drums
(Shane Pacey Trio, Glenn Cardier & Sideshow, Genevieve Chadwick, Clarence Bekker)
The Bellhops are an award winning 6 piece Blues, Jump’n’Jive and Swing band from Sydney and the 2003 Australian Blues Awards Band of Year. Their album No Reservations was voted 2003 Australian Blues Album of the Year while their debut release Room Service was 1999 Runner Up for Blues Album of Year. In 2010 they released their first live recording, The Great Con Job, recorded at the Goulburn Conservatorium of Music as part of the Australian Blues Music Festival.
The Bellhops can be compared to Canada’s Powder Blues Band or the USA’s Roomful Of Blues with their main musical influences being the Swing and Jive era of the late 40’s, the Rock’n’Roll of the 50’s, the Soul and R&B of the 60’s and the Blues music legacy of so many great blues artists. The Bellhops pay tribute to these influences in their recorded work and also in their live performances, recordings and original songs, with material drawn from, and inspired by, artists such as Louis Jordan, Big Joe Turner, BB King, Chuck Berry, Albert King, Ray Charles, Howling Wolf and Wilson Pickett
The Bellhops can be found regularly playing around the Greater Sydney Region, Wollongong and the Illawarra Region, Newcastle and the Central Coast Lakes Region, Goulburn and the Southern Highlands Region. They have even been spotted as far south as Victoria, (especially those Ski Field gigs) and as far north as Byron Bay (especially those resort gigs), as far west as Wagga Wagga or Mudgee (especially those Winery gigs).
Music runs through Declan Kelly’s blood. It’s been a part of him since the very beginning. With an Irish father and a Maori mother, herself a talented musician, he was encouraged to learn the drums and guitar at a young age. He’s aligned himself with some of the greatest Australian musicians we’ve seen, plying his trade with The Beefs with Alex Lloyd and The Bondi Cigars, before releasing his debut album ‘Tales From The Neighbourhood’ in 2005 with support from the late great Andy Glitre.
Late 2019 saw Declan Kelly release his fourth studio album ‘Views With A Room’, which saw Declan searching for answers while tackling issues of masculinity and despondency. Declan Kelly has a way of captivating fans with his roots and his rhythm. ‘Views with a Room’ – featuring the beautifully stripped-back singles ‘Catch Your Ego’ and ‘Take Me in Tonight’ – was a deep and reflective project that engaged with themes too rarely discussed by male artists. It is easy to see why Declan has gained the respect of fans, media, and esteemed colleagues such as Bernard Fanning, Katie Noonan, Bobby Alu, and Kasey Chambers through his authenticity and spectacular musicianship.
During the 2020/21 pandemic, Declan put aside touring plans and spent the lockdown period back in the studio. Conceived over the years when Covid locked us all down, gigs were cancelled, and for Declan and his partner, a baby (Billie) was born. The album title ‘Headlock’ says all that needs to be said about the last three years. “It’s the right call with this madness, it’s a major haul for us to carry, we’re caught in a headlock with these roadblocks, it’s time to say goodbye to hard knocks” sings Declan.
Co-produced by Declan and his close friend Justin Stanley (King Stingray, Prince, The Vines, Beck, Mark Ronson, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton) in Declan’s studio in Sydney’s Surry Hills called The Nest. The album was mastered at King Willy Sound and features Declan’s closest musical friends helping when called on to add another layer of beauty.