When Rivers Meet

Since bursting on to the UK Blues scene with their debut record ‘The Uprising EP’ in April 2019 followed by their second EP ‘Innocence Of Youth’ in May 2020, Grace and Aaron have been going from strength to strength. The British husband and wife duo have an ever-growing online fan base and have gained the attention of Cerys Matthews’ The Blues Show on BBC Radio 2.

Their unique harmonic vocal-led approach to song writing, dirty electric guitar, slide resonator mandolin and fiddle create a unique distinctive and contemporary blues rock sound that echoes 1970s classic rock with hints of the 1930s blues that inspire them.

Before lockdown, the duo toured the UK in their self-converted VW camper with an impressive tour schedule. Since the lockdown, the duo live stream on Facebook every Saturday at 8pm BST for their ‘Rock The Lockdown’ series attracting hundreds of thousands of views on a weekly basis. Fan engagement is second to none, while WRM fans continue to organically multiply on Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter.

On November 20th, 2020, the duo released their long-awaited debut album ‘We Fly Free’, to critical acclaim from the UK radio and rock music magazine media. Chris Kimsey, the Rolling Stones record producer praised the album saying that “The performances are exemplary, the sound is magnificent, the songs are gorgeous. I love the drama. I love everything.”

In October, WRM’s first single from the album, ‘Battleground’, was added to the main playlist on the UK’s leading classic rock radio station Planet Rock.

In late November, the band followed up with a second single, ‘Did I Break The Law’, that was played on BBC Radio 2’s The Rock Show with Johnnie Walker. The single was also played on Planet Rock throughout December 2020 and into January 2021.

The UK rock music press were unanimous by praising ‘We Fly Free’ as one of the most striking, refreshing, and impressive debut blues rock albums of 2020.

Classic Rock said of the band’s debut, “Wheel-spinning out of Dodge like Bonnie and Clyde on opener ‘Did I Break The Law’, Grace and Aaron Bond prove capable getaway drivers on a debut album that unfolds like a road movie,” while Blues in Britain described it as “A stunning album of
pure alchemy.”

Vive Le Rock said that ‘We Fly Free’ was “urban blues with the brakes off,” and gave the album with a 9/10 rating, while Guitarist Magazine described at album as

“electrifying, it’s a great debut.” Fireworks Magazine praised it as “One of the best blues rock albums of the year.”

On October 26th, ‘Battleground’ won “Tracks of the Week” on Classic Rock’s Louder Sound website, who described it as “Primal old-school blues (more John Lee Hooker than Stevie Ray Vaughan) – dressed up in biker leathers and wreathed in arthouse smoke.”

November 2020 saw two more accolades when WRM graced the magazine covers of Blues Matters and Blues in Britain featuring stylish and provocative photographs taken by one of the UK’s leading rock photographers, Rob Blackham.

Blues Rock Review voted ‘We Fly Free’ #9 in their Top 20 Albums of 2020 poll.

The album was also made Rock and Blues Muse’s “Top 20 Blues, Rock and Roots Albums of 2020,” alongside Joe Bonamassa, Larkin Poe, Walter Trout, Shemekia Copeland, The Allman Betts Band, Marcus King, Kirk Fletcher, Savoy Brown, Bernard Allison, and King King.

When Rivers Meet’s debut album cemented their name and signified a bold move in their trajectory that singled them out as innovative risk takers, willing to take their influences, and putting their own stamp over it.

After two years of hard work, everything came together. The WRM buzz was in full swing. Guitarist Magazine, was quick to catch when they reviewed the debut album by saying, “It’s a tough job to make a new blues-based record that really arrests the listener’s attention, however,
WRM’s sound is built of simple but powerful elements, handled with taste but delivered from the
gut.”
The music magazine reviews continued to pour in. HRH Magazine proclaimed, “For blues lovers, ‘We Fly Free’ is a purist’s paradise,” while Powerplay Magazine said, “They may be a duo, but they make a big noise.”

Maverick Magazine said, “This is the start of what should be a hugely successful career, while RNR Magazine focussed on the album’s production standards by saying, “The use of authentic techniques, including tube tape echoes and reverbs, adds to the overall production, reproducing a splendid live, vintage sound that reinforces the appeal.”

When Rivers Meet released their third single ‘Walking On The Wire’ on 26th February 2021. The single had an exclusive 24-hour premiere on PlanetRock.com on Thursday 25th February. The music video was filmed in North Essex accompanied with stunning aerial footage and
cinematography courtesy of a drone.

In early May, “Walking On The Wire” was added to Plant Rock Radio’s main playlist, making this the third single from the band’s debut album to be played on Planet Rock (previous two singles were “Battleground” and “Did I Break The Law.”

On Sunday 9th May 2021, When Rivers Meet won four awards at the 2021 UK Blues Awards including “Blues Band of the Year”, “Blues Album of the Year”, “Emerging Blues Artist of the Year” and “Most Inspirational Online Performance of the Year”. This set the record for any artist or band winning four awards on the same night.

In May 2021, the band started recording their sophomore album; released in November 2021. On Friday 11th June, When Rivers Meet won Planet Rock’s “The Rocks” Award for Best New Band. Listeners of Planet Rock banded together to give WRM the public vote.

In October 2021, When Rivers Meet will be very special guests on King King’s UK tour.

In April 2022, WRM will embark on their first headline tour of the UK.