Formed in 2010 Rusty Shackle are a difficult to pigeonhole Welsh quintet whose debut album combine elements of folk, pop/rock, bluegrass, gospel, blues, rockabilly and skiffle to emerge somewhere between The Zutons and The Coral with hints of Dexy's and The Pogues thrown in for good measure.

Inspired by the likes of Springsteen, Seth Lakeman, Johnny Cash and traditional Celtic and bluegrass music the 12 tracks on Wash Away These Nights have a real ‘feel good factor' that combines some fine melodic pop sensibilities with some captivating traditional banjo, guitar and fiddle playing.

Song writing duties fall to Liam Collins (who also plays guitar and piano) and guitarist James McKeon, while Scott McKeon (fiddle, banjo and vocals), Baz Barwick (bass, mandola, vocals), Owen Emmanuel (drums and percussion) complete the line up.

It's an accomplished debut that brims with ‘joie de vivre' and one that should find the band attracting a growing following on the indie and festival circuits. But unlike many of their ‘flash in the pan' contemporaries there's a depth here that suggest Rusty Shackle may appeal to a far wider audience and could become a name to conjure with for many years to come.

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Review by Pete Whalley