“Poised, intelligent, genuine… hell, they might even single-handedly extinguish the cultural cringe about Australian folk.”
- Rhythms Magazine

“Starboard Cannons put storytelling at the forefront with deft
instrumentation and deceptively sophisticated songwriting, all given a
uniquely Australian spin.“
- Time Out Sydney

“The duo’s dark tales of love and loss in the harsh Australian landscape
turn ears in bars with ease, even stealing the occasional tear."
- Australian Guitar

Moving through super-fast bluegrass terrain, across the realm of the sparse and haunting folk ballad, and head first into full-blown, beer-spilling, shout-along sea shanty territory, Starboard Cannons make music that sits somewhere between the Scottish Highlands and the Aussie bush.

The creation of Ash Bell and Matt Bone, Starboard Cannons is fundamentally an acoustic duo. Based in Byron Bay’s forested hinterland, the gents craft string-based gems that come alive with bush characters and folklore.

Their debut album, ‘Somebody’s Opus’(Vitamin) put them on the map back in 2012. Now, with the recent release of their second album, ‘The Valiant and the Brave’(Vitamin), the ‘Cannons have truly established a solid position at the forefront of modern Australiana.

In the live arena they combine drums, fiddle , banjo and mandolin with their own guitar and upright bass blend, transcending folk traditions and promising a rousing good time for the musicians and audience alike.Storytellers with a knack for songwriting, Starboard Cannons represent the trademark larrikinism that underpins Australiana, with the prowess and ability to walk the line between alt-country, folk and bush balladry with ease and sophistication.

“Drawing on folk and Celtic traditions as much as the contemporary alt.country movement, Starboard Cannons put storytelling at the forefront with deft instrumentation and deceptively sophisticated songwriting, all given a uniquely Australian spin thanks to Ash Bell's unadorned Oz-inflected vocals and suburban front-bar narratives."
Andrew P Street, Time Out Sydney

“Backed by an arsenal of well-travelled traditional instrumentation, the duo’s dark tales of love and loss in the harsh Australian landscape turn ears in bars with ease, even stealing the occasional tear from the unsuspecting punter."
Lachlan Marks, Australian Guitar

“Akin to either the Irish influenced Australian folk that gave us everything from Banjo Patterson to The Bushwackers or the timeless storytelling of Paul Kelly.”
Kim Cheshire, Country Update Magazine

“Bell has a way of painting portraits that are genuine and familiar, you believe every word he breathes is out of personal experience - both his and ours.”
Martin Jones, Rhythms Magazine

“Ash’s pure tenor voice is the centrepiece of the Starboard Cannons sound and once you hear it, you’ll definitely want more.”
Sista Mary - ‘Mystery Train’, BayFM 99.9 Byron Bay

"..Terrific and very strong songs-some based partly in the Celtic tradition and some partly in the Aussie bush tradition."
Les Siemieniuk, Penguin Eggs Magazine Canada