THERE is only one reason why Stringybark McDowell plays a square guitar.

"I'm a nutter," he says. "If I were rich, I'd be an eccentric."

The guitar is hand-crafted by Stringy, 39, from Victoria, Australia, and certainly attracts people's attention when he strolls on stage.

"My background is in metalwork," he said. "I've always had a hands-on approach to things. The guitar is made out of old fence panels.

"It's got no manners - it's a gravelly old instrument. It's strung up very heavily and it's got a few naughty pick-ups."

Stringy is spending the year in England, where he is hoping to kick off his blues career, although he's no stranger to the festival.

Out in his native Australia he was more known for playing 60s covers with a band, before he stumbled across 20s and 30s blues material.

He said: "I liked people like Leadbelly and Blind Willie McTell. Any of the old stuff, I just love - some people for the lyrics and others just for the way they play.

"But my band didn't want to do traditional stuff, so I started teaching myself."

Catch Stringy at the Lord Rodney on Saturday at 5.30pm.