Henry's Funeral Shoe

Playing bluesy hard rock with plenty of attitude, a classic rocker's appreciation of history, and a punk's sense of concision, Henry's Funeral Shoe is a power duo from South Wales consisting of Aled Clifford on guitar and vocals, and his younger brother Brennig Clifford on drums. Aled's early musical inspiration came from his father's collection of LPs, as the youngster began checking out the work of iconic rock bands such as the Beatles, the Who, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, as well as a variety of blues acts ranging from Robert Johnson to Peter Green. Aled took up the guitar, mentored by musician Ned Edwards (best known for his work with Van Morrison), and he began playing solo acoustic shows, focusing on blues-oriented material. After several unsatisfying experiences playing with bands, Aled chose to return to solo work when he was asked by his brother Brennig to get together and jam. Brennig, ten years younger than Aled, was inspired to take up drumming by the fiery stickwork of Keith Moon, and the brothers soon found that Aled's forceful, blues-rock style and Brennig's frantic percussion made for an effective combination. In 2008, the two began performing as Henry's Funeral Shoe (the name coming from an unpublished short story written by Aled), and while several bassists were auditioned to round out the group, the Clifford brothers felt that they worked well enough as a two-piece to do without. The group came to the attention of Alive Natural Sound Records, an American label that's home to several contemporary punk-blues acts, and in 2009, the label released Henry's Funeral Shoe's first album, Everything's for Sale. After extensive touring in Europe and the U.K., the duo returned in 2011 with their second LP, Donkey Jacket, featuring guest appearances by Justin Beynon of Broken Vinyl Club on keyboards, Pete Hurley (a former member of Welsh hard rockers Lone Star) on bass, and Aled's one-time teacher Ned Edwards on harmonica.