Far From the Delta are a blues band with a rock edge from Devon and Bristol. Formed in 2010 by metal and punk musicians, they bring a special kind of rawkus energy to the blues.
Sighting such influences as Clutch, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Down, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, to name a few. Primordial radio presenter, Pete Bailey has described Far From the Delta as “The bastard sons of Clutch and Led Zeppelin”

Initially consisting of brothers, J and Sam Way and childhood friend, Phil Ward, the group was later completed by Leigh Pooley, who the band met through local jam nights. He started off filling in for Sam on bass a few times before becoming a permanent fixture and integral part of the band.

J, no one would argue, is very much the driving force of the band. He is the lead singer/guitarist/harmonica player and fills as many jobs as he can, keeping the band as a DIY outfit. J has also adopted many of the groups songs for mellower acoustic sets, along with some of his own originals.

Leigh’s amazing guitar skills bring further depth to the band. A little younger than the other guys, being a heavy metal guitarist, he still managed to fit in very well. Leigh also adds his vocals to many songs.

Sam, the other Way brother, is the bass player and apart from a short break, has been in Far From the Delta from the start. Not only a fantastic bass player, Sam can usually be found behind a set of turntables and occasionally co-hosts a show on local radio station Phonic FM.

As the drummer Phil is the heartbeat of Far From The Delta. He has also been in the band from the start, apart from a small break. Having donned other musical caps with Sam and J in separate groups before the formation of FFTD, Phil has always been a natural fit for the band’s dynamic. When not providing Far From The Deltas signature groove, Phil has many acting and musical interests and fronts the Ska band, Skaper.

Formed in 2010, J and Phil played together in a death metal band, The Massacre, With J on bass and Phil on Guitar and lead vocals.
Around this time J’s brother, Sam, who was also playing with Phil in indie-cum-punk band Makeshift Hammer. Both bands Broke up around the same time, so J suggested they began experimenting with the blues to fill the void left by the dissolution of the two bands.
The band carried on as a three piece, with “Woody” playing either bass or drums, for the periods where Sam and Phil had their respective breaks. This was until late 2018- early 2019, when Leigh joined on guitar. It had been on the cards for a while as it was felt the band, sonically, needed to fill more space, and after playing with Leigh at jam nights, it became obvious that he was the best man for the job.

In 2014, Far From the Delta released the album “Broken Blues” as a trio. Recorded mainly in Plymouth at Skymind Studios, they became good friends and worked on many other projects together afterwards. One track was taken from an acoustic radio performance by Sam and J. A second track was recorded at J’s home studio by himself, originally because he had to bash out a song for radio, it’s now a staple in Far From the Delta’s set. Eight other songs are originals written by the whole band.

Their energetic, passionate performances have seen the band invited back for repeat appearances. 2014 saw the guys support 'The Kast off Kinks', and Blues man Big Boy Bloater, who also has a national blues radio show on Team Rock Radio was also performing that evening. In 2017 they played at Plymouth's large blues and jazz festival on the Barbican called 'Ocean City blues and jazz festival' to a huge crowd. The same year they played at Westpoint arena in Exeter for the first ever large tattoo convention held at the arena, and performed at new national radio station, Primordial Radio’s first ever event, in November called 'The Big Bang'. They have played at Hatherleigh festival twice where they had the crowd dancing and having a good time early in the evening, before the sun had gone down and the beer had really started to flow. They have had four successive legendary performances at Sandford's 'Bands in the Square' performing to over 300 people. At the Opening of Crediton venue Buccaneers Bar, Far From the Delta headlined to a packed house. Neighbouring town Okehampton have welcomed the band on many an occasions, with several appearances at their annual Battle of the Bands, plus repeated performances in both the Kings Arms and London Inn. They frequently played at the prestigious Exeter live music pub, The Sorry Head. With charity appearances for various events in Crediton, Far From the Delta enjoy being part of the community. The bands members regularly attend both The Great Crediton jam night and the blues jams at Stoke Cannon, through which they have become regular fixtures on the local blues scene. National radio plays on Primordial Radio have received universally positive responses. A local radio performance on Jackson Cooper's show Broadcast on Riviera FM was also a personal highlight for the group. Even before 'Broken Blues' was released, Riveria FM, Phonic FM and the Mike James rock show were all asking for copies of the album. They have made an impression in North Devon too, repeat performances at 'The Chill Bar' in Ilfracombe. Moving into Cornwall, they played at the 'Blues at the Globe' night in Looe, where only the best local blues musicians are invited. These are just a handful of performances by this determined band, wanting to entertain and enjoy themselves in the process.

Quotes:

Dewsbury (Primordial Radio) After "The Big Bang" event.
"Thank you for some cracking music there were some great songs! Looking forward to seeing you guys again."

Jim Rodford (Kast Off Kinks, former Kinks)
"Really loved your set and energy"