Anton Hultqvist Trio

A Gig and a Rehearsal, and Then a National Title

Anton Hultqvist Trio formed in 2022 in Gislaved, in the Småland forest country of southern Sweden. Anton Hultqvist plays guitar and sings, William Karlsson is on drums and Isak Rydh on bass — a young trio with an old-fashioned idea of what a blues band should do.

In October 2024 they won the Swedish Blues Challenge at Orangeriet in Borås, against a field that included Slap Back Joe, Annika Andersson and the Boiling Blues Band and Blueass Blues Band. The jury, chaired by Hans Peter Nilsson of the Malmoe Copenhagen Blues Connexion, praised them for "new energy well anchored in the blues" and called them a tight and dynamic band with the future ahead of them.

Split, Croatia

The win carried the right to represent Sweden at the European Blues Challenge in Split, Croatia, held from 3 to 5 April 2025. It also brought nominations for Newcomer of the Year and Band of the Year at the Bluespodden awards.

Sessions

Their repertoire honours Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler and Jimi Hendrix while pushing the arrangements toward modern production. The debut album Sessions, recorded in Gislaved and mastered by Stefan Pettersson, is due on 27 November 2026.