Paullie Bignell And The Thornbury Two

Imagine mixing the fiery spirit of Hound Dog Taylor, the gritty swagger of Keith Richards, and the raw energy of George Thorogood into a potent blend of rootsy Rock ‘n’ Roll—that’s Paulie Bignell. Hailing from Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, Paulie is a true product of the blues, but to label him just a "Blues revivalist" would be like calling T-Bone Burnett just a sideman. Dig a little deeper into Bignell’s musical DNA, and you'll discover his rich blend of Rockabilly, Country, soulful R&B, and straight-up Rock ‘n’ Roll.

On his first two albums, Red Eye Flight and Lost and Dangerous, Paulie mixed powerful original songs with a few choice Blues and Country covers, always fine-tuning his sound and vision. But in 2017, when it came time to work on his third album, he let his eclectic influences run wild. No genre was off-limits: greasy funk (“Boots On”), 80s Power Pop (“Colour Of Hurt”), Southern Soul (“You Pick Me Up,” “Happy Town”), a tribute to Chuck Berry (“Eight Tracks and Cadillacs”), trippy Doo Wop (“Only You”), relentless Blues Rock (“Driving All Night”), the best song Mick and Keith never wrote (“Express Elevator”), and a wild, twisted take on the Blues (“Blues Free For All”).

These raw riffs and grooves were all captured and crafted in Paulie’s home studio, Hailstone, a beloved hub for Melbourne’s Blues and Roots scene. Over the years, a who's who of local talent—from Catfish Voodoo and White Lightning to Scotty Baker and Rusty Pinto—have come through Hailstone, leaving with some of their finest recordings. That’s a testament to Paulie’s sharp ear and his uncanny ability to capture lightning in a bottle. As a producer and engineer, he’s not interested in the surface—he’s all about capturing the soul of the sound.