The music of The Flaming Mudcats is characterised by a fusion of original compositions and carefully selected covers, drawing from a diverse range of influences. This eclectic blend results in a repertoire that spans booty-shaking belters to soulful grinders, delivering a dynamic and engaging live experience.

Sixteen years ago blues drummer Ian Thomson knew he’d found the perfect front man for his new rhythm and blues band. He had just seen vocalist and harmonica player Craig Bracken rock the audience at what was then Auckland’s famed Kings Arms Tavern.

Soon after, Ian uncovered Tauranga-bred guitarist Doug Bygrave who relished the opportunity to play his Texas and Southern style shuffles, rhumbas, slam-down, four-on-the-floor blues. In anticipation of the good things they were sure would come, Doug christened the band The Flaming Mudcats.

Bass man Sean McCarthy jumped at the chance to join up after hearing about this new band.

Playing songs from an eclectic list of Chicago, West Coast, Texas and Louisiana artists, before long, Sean and Craig began to contribute original songs. From the outset they were determined to do the hard yards necessary to achieve recognition and success. The Mudcats would strive for the power, variety, originality and standards delivered by international bands.

By 2011, they had performed at gigs and festivals in Auckland, Whitianga, Tauranga, Nelson, Melbourne, Samoa and Fiji.

The Mudcats’ first album followed in 2012, with 13 of their own tracks cut in, and in 2013 they were discovered by a blues festival organiser who invited them to perform at his inaugural Field of Blues Festival in Rockford, Illinois, just 30 minutes outside Blues Mecca, Chicago. Sean managed to make the most of their time in the Windy City and booked four more gigs before heading over to Rockford. It was a pinch-me moment for the guys.

“It felt incredible to be so warmly welcomed by everyone. There I was, a kid from Onehunga, New Zealand, and I was living my life-long dream playing blues clubs in Chicago. I know the other guys felt the same way. Even more than that, the American audiences loved it when we played our own stuff,” Ian said.

Since then, the doors have continued to open for the Mudcats with more invitations to play in the States (Chicago again, plus another blues festival in nearby Byron, Illinois, and a chance encounter leading to a gig on 6th Street in Austin, Texas, famed home of the Texas blues), and around New Zealand.

Albums three and four followed, and a few new fellas have become Mudcats, filling out the band’s sound: bassist Johnny Yu from San Francisco (until Covid sent him back home), electric bass guitar and acoustic upright bass player Pete Parnham, and keyboardist Liam Ryan. And, at the discovery of a dusty sax hanging out at Craig’s home and prompting from the guys, Craig now adds tenor sax when he’s not playing his chromatic harp.

The Mudcats have proved themselves as one of New Zealand’s premier contemporary rhythm and blues combos.

If you listen to the Mudcat albums in order, what’s obvious is the developing sophistication shown by the heavyweight songwriting team of Craig and Ian, supplemented by the band members, providing a constant stream of new material to refresh the band’s live sets and impress their audiences. Songs like “Hey Margarita” and “Good Behaviour” carry the highs and lows of real life, mixed with memorable and catchy hook lines that promise a heaving dance floor.

“Still, when you hear us live, you’ll hear songs from all our albums. One thing you can be sure of is that we will always play classic Chicago and Texas style blues in the set, and when we do, it is like lighting a fire under the band.”

In November 2024 the band released their 15-year anniversary album, “Black Limousine” on vinyl, with tracks chosen to reflect their progression and growth as songwriters and musicians.