You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

So small they’ve even abbreviated the ‘Little’ in his name, the diminutive Lil’ Ed Williams and his band have been making music out of America’s Midwest since the mid-80s. As musical trends have come and gone, they’ve stuck steadfastly to playing the kind of Chicago blues that can rattle hard or sing the saddest song.

Lil’ Ed’s guitar playing is impeccable, while his band can swing or groove to order. But it’s his rich baritone that pulls you in.

Whether it’s the striding funk of If You Were Mine, the charged Kick Me To The Curb or the yearning, eternal blues paean to the one that got away, You Burnt Me, he bends each song to his indomitable will.

Philip Wilding is a novelist, journalist, scriptwriter, biographer and radio producer. As a young journalist he criss-crossed most of the United States with bands like Motley Crue, Kiss and Poison (think the Almost Famous movie but with more hairspray). More latterly, he’s sat down to chat with bands like the slightly more erudite Manic Street Preachers, Afghan Whigs, Rush and Marillion.