About The Band
reillo
Pronounced 'Raylow'
What’s in a name?
“Reillo” is simply the surname of our lead singer, James Ollier, spelled backwards – a playful twist that perfectly captures our spirit!
Reillo is a four-piece originals band rooted in the Liverpool area. Each member brings decades of experience from previous bands, delivering seasoned, heartfelt performances.
Formed in early 2023 to showcase James Ollier’s original songs, we blend classic blues-rock with echoes of Dire Straits, The Traveling Wilburys, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty – think storytelling lyrics, soaring guitars, and irresistible grooves.
In April 2025, our founding drummer Ken Clare retired, making way for the talented Aleksandar Gjorgjievski (Alex) to join on drums, bringing fresh dynamism and power to the lineup.
Based in Liverpool, we rehearse at the state-of-the-art Sort Rehearsal Rooms in the vibrant Baltic Triangle. Over the past three years, we’ve been steadily building momentum with local gigs across Liverpool and the North West, honing our sound and winning over audiences one show at a time.
The lineup:
• James Ollier – Lead Vocals & Lead Guitar (songwriter and driving force)
• Aleksandar Gjorgjievski (Alex) – Drums & Percussion
• Steve Dunbar – Bass Guitar & Vocals
• Rob Higgins – Guitar & Vocals
If you’re after an authentic blues-rock quartet playing original material with passion and craftsmanship, your search ends here.
Book Reillo for a memorable night of live music!
“We hope you enjoy the music and look forward to seeing you out on the road.”
James, Alex, Steve & Rob
Reillo
james ollier
Lead Vocal & Lead Guitar
James has been playing guitar since the age of 14. At age 18, James became the bass player of 'As You Get It', playing live around South West Scotland. James then progressed to lead guitar with the band 'Where's Hector?' once again gaining extensive live experience.
James is the heart and soul of Reillo. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist, he has been writing original blues-rock music since his early twenties. During the Covid lockdown of 2020, James decided to invest in an 8-track recording desk to professionally record his music. He played all of the instruments on the recordings as well as lead and backing vocals, and published these demos to the internet. At the beginning of 2023, James wanted to take his music to a live audience, and therefor sought out like-minded musicians to achieve this.
Chapter 1 of Reillo's story was now complete.
Gig Bag: Fender Stratocaster Guitar, Marshall JCM 900 100W Head, Marshall 1960B 4x12 Inch Cab, Zoom G1X Effects Unit, Shure SM58 Wired Microphone
Aleksandar Gjorgjievski
Drums, Percussion & Vocals
Aleksandar is an accomplished drummer with 18 years experience behind the kit. In his home country of Macedonia, Alex played in a number of bands playing large events to the highest level. In Liverpool, Alex has played in 2 rock bands playing both covers from popular bands and original material.
In April 2025 Alex joined Reillo as their new drummer bringing his experience and versatility to the Reillo sound.
To quote Alex "Drums are my first love and music is my life"
steve dunbar
Bass Guitar & Vocals
Steve is an accomplished musician proficient in a number of instruments including Guitar, Bass Guitar and Keyboard. He started his musical journey as a drummer during the 1980s, before switching to guitar in the early 2000s. Steve spent the next 20 years building up extensive live and recording experience as a lead and rhythm guitarist in bands such as 'May Contain Nuts', 'Random Thoughts' and 'Rattleshake'. Steve has composed and recorded a large number of original songs, where he has performed all of the instrumentation as well as production.
At the beginning, of 2023 Steve became part of the backbone of Reillo, lending his talents to the position of bass guitarist. His energy and enthusiasm helps to create the unique driving sound of Reillo.
Gig Bag: Fender Player Plus Jazz Bass Guitar, Stingray 4 Bass Guitar, Blackstar Unity 500 Bass Combo Amplifier, Line 6 Relay Digital Wireless System
Rob higgins
Guitar & Vocals
Rob has over 35 years of live and recording experience in a number of different genres. He started as a lead guitarist, and sometimes lead vocalist, in a number of classic rock cover bands, playing pubs and clubs around the North West. In 2007 Rob became the bass player in a successful country band as well as playing ganjo, mandolin, guitar and ukulele when required. The band played a number of large outdoor UK festivals over the years as well as the local Glastonferry Festival. Rob has written a number of original songs, one of which was recorded by a local North West band and another featured on BBC radio.
In early 2023 Rob joined Reillo as the second guitarist to give a warmer, fuller sound to the live and studio environment and compliment the guitar parts of James.
Gig Bag: BMG Red Special, Fender Stratocaster, Vox Valvetronix Amplifier, Behringer Pedal Board Stomp Boxes, Roland GR33 Guitar Synth, Shure SM58 Wired Microphone