The Perth blues-rock guitarist returns with a hard-driving new single, his first studio album of original material in years and a December performance at Fremantle’s Duke of George.
West Australian blues-rock guitarist Matty T Wall has released Tornado Of Love, the first single from his forthcoming studio album Dust & Dynamite, scheduled for early 2027. The new track puts Wall’s guitar-driven sound front and centre, with a punchy rhythm section and a horn arrangement that expands the familiar blues-rock format. Wall will also perform at The Duke of George in Fremantle on Saturday 19 December, in what has been announced as his first live show of 2026.
Tornado Of Love is a direct, energetic introduction to the next phase of Wall’s recording career. Bassist Leigh Miller and drummer Ric Whittle provide the rhythmic foundation, while Nashville horn section The Smoking Section adds another layer to the arrangement. The result retains the force of a blues-rock power trio while giving the single a broader sound.
Wall has described the song as “real, real punchy”, with lyrics centred on lust and physical attraction. He sees the subject as one of music’s oldest themes, approached here with the urgency and attitude that have long been part of the blues tradition.
The song’s central idea is reflected in its title. Rather than pursuing a reflective or restrained mood, Tornado Of Love is built around momentum, guitar attack and a lyric that embraces the heat of the moment. The horns provide additional weight without displacing Wall’s guitar as the defining instrument.
For Wall, the single also offers an early indication of the direction of Dust & Dynamite, his forthcoming studio album of original material. The record is scheduled for early 2027, making Tornado Of Love the first public look at a new collection from a guitarist whose catalogue has drawn on both traditional blues and heavier rock influences.
Wall’s musical development began with metal. As a teenager, he gravitated towards Metallica, Pantera, Sepultura and AC/DC before exploring the blues and blues-rock records in his father’s collection. Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin provided a pathway to earlier influences including Robert Johnson, Buddy Guy and Albert Collins.
That progression helped shape a style that draws on several traditions without being confined to one. Wall has also studied jazz, Gypsy jazz, swing and flamenco, broadening his technical vocabulary while retaining a direct, guitar-led approach. Those influences have contributed to a sound capable of moving between blues phrasing, rock intensity and more intricate playing.
His recording career includes the albums Blue Skies and Sidewinder, as well as Transpacific Blues Vol. 1, released in 2019. The latter brought Wall together with an international group of blues guitarists, including Walter Trout, Eric Gales, Kirk Fletcher and Kid Ramos, alongside Australian slide guitarist Dave Hole.
Those collaborations placed Wall’s playing in an international blues context while maintaining a connection to the Australian scene. His work has also received recognition through nominations at the Independent Blues Awards in the United States and a Western Australian Music Award.
In 2022, Wall released the live album Live Down Underground, documenting another side of a career built around performance. His live approach places the guitar at the centre of the music, supported by a rhythm section that allows the arrangements to remain forceful without losing their shape.
Dust & Dynamite will extend that catalogue with a new studio collection. The forthcoming album follows a period in which Wall and his band worked through a substantial body of material, with the final selection intended to represent where he was musically at the time. Further details, including the complete tracklisting and release date, have yet to be announced.
Tornado Of Love suggests that the new record will retain the riff-driven energy associated with Wall’s performances while allowing room for different instrumental textures. The contribution from The Smoking Section is one example of how the arrangements can move beyond the standard guitar, bass and drums configuration.
The December performance at The Duke of George gives West Australian audiences an opportunity to hear the new single in a live setting ahead of the album’s release. The Fremantle venue is a natural fit for Wall’s blues-oriented repertoire, placing the emphasis on musicianship and the interaction between the players.
With Miller on bass and Whittle on drums, Wall continues to work with the core rhythm section featured on Tornado Of Love. Their playing gives the single its drive, leaving space for the guitar, vocal and horns to build the arrangement.
The release marks a return to new studio material for Wall, with Dust & Dynamite set to follow in early 2027. For now, Tornado Of Love provides the first indication of what is to come: a blues-rock recording built around strong riffs, a forceful rhythm section and a willingness to push the arrangement beyond the traditional trio sound.
Matty T Wall’s Tornado Of Love is out now. Dust & Dynamite is scheduled for early 2027.
Matty T Wall Live
Saturday, 19 December 2026, Fremantle, The Duke of George
Tickets: https://www.dukeofgeorge.com.au/
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
