Saltdog are a 6 piece semi-pro outfit based in Colchester, Essex. They gained a cult status that is usually reserved for signed bands. They play original songs, no covers and use a banjo, electric fiddle, mandolins, guitars and drums to mesmerize their audiences. Unpopular with the masses, yet more than capable of giving bigger acts a run for their money, they comfortably do what they do without trying too hard. They play angry, tuneful music.
Rev Hammer regards his music not so much as a passport to fame and fortune but as a ticket to ride. He learned to play guitar and sing at the same time and wisely thought busking was the best way to get to a standard where he could play publicly. Rev spent 18 months busking in the streets before he dared stand on a stage. Rev's debut album "Industrial Sound and Magic" was recorded in a cow shed in Essex on a budget of nothing but, given that that the backing band (which gave its services for free) was The Levellers, this offbeat album has opened up intriguing windows of opportunity.
A lifelong drummer, Mark Ayling has now branched out into the world of acoustic music, playing his own brand of raw acoustic guitar combined with direct and uncompromising lyrics. Discarding the usual Folk/Acoustic influences such as Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, Mark finds his inspiration from bands as diverse as The Jam, The Specials, New Model
Army, The Clash, Motorhead and Joy Division, creating a sound that has the energy of Punk whilst retaining the melodic elements of the acoustic guitar.