IAN SIEGAL BAND: A CELEBRATION OF CHICAGO BLUES

30TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY: AIN’T NOTHING BUT THE BLUES BAR, LONDON By: Barry BluesBarn Hopwood When offered the chance to see one of the best singer/songwriters in the UK who swaggers along side the Blues, you don’t take it, you jump on it and wrestle it to the ground. Plus it’s taking place in your most […]

Toby Walker, Brook’s Blues Bar, Parsons Green Social Club, London

September 29th 2023 Brook’s Blues Bar is one of London’s oldest running blues gig venues. Its location has changed over the years but run by blues stalwarts, Tony & Ann Rosenberg, it remains a haven of guaranteed acoustic blues quality. September saw a rare visit to the UK club by New Jersey acoustic picker Toby […]

Orkney Blues Festival 2023 – STROMNESS, Various Venues22nd – 24th September

The UK’s northernmost Blues Festival, held in Orkney, once again proved a major success. With a mix of local and national/international blues artists, this year’s event was hailed as the best by some attendees who have been coming for over two decades. The welcoming atmosphere was only matched by the high-quality performances. VIP passes allowed […]

ORKNEY BLUES FESTIVAL 2023 – September 22nd-24th 2023 – REVIEW

Words: Colin Campbell Pictures: supplied Interview with Dylan Pepper Festival Organiser and Drummer with Andy Taylor Group First I asked Dylan about the background and how he got involved? When I was just a little boy, my mum used to take me up to it, and it was run by a clever guy called Colin […]

Graham Nash, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London

‘Some of my best songs come from ridiculously ordinary moments’ observed Graham Nash as he recounted the tale of having breakfast with Joni Mitchell one wintry day in Ventura Boulevard. After which they passed by an antiques shop wherein a vase took Mitchell’s eye. Upon returning to their home, Nash remarked that he would light […]

FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE JAZZ DE MONTREAL 2023 – review

Roaring back to full power after the enforced absences and restrictions of the pandemic, the Montreal Jazz Festival returned to optimum strength once again this July. Although the word ‘jazz’ is in the title, it shouldn’t deter you from checking out this annual masterpiece of festival planning and programming, because the Festival operates on a […]

Black Deer Festival, Eridge Park, Kent

Black Deer Festival, Eridge Park, Kent June 16 – 18, 2023 Black Deer is mostly billed as the primary UK Americana music festival and generally speaking the artists booked reflect that fact. But this year, the line-up featured the wonderful US blues artist, Bonnie Raitt. Closing a hugely successful UK tour, Raitt was simply on […]

CHRISTONE KINGFISH INGRAM live at THE GARAGE, LONDON

A Tuesday night gig out for me,is something I haven’t done in a long time but the excitement of seeing this young up and coming artist play some Blues had me drooling at the mouth, especially as I’ve only seen him via the Internet, which doesn’t compare to seeing him, or any other artist live. […]

LIVE AT THE 100 CLUB, London

The 100 Club on London’s Oxford Street is one of the country’s most iconic venues. It has been hosting live music since 1942 when it went under the name of, The Feldman Jazz Club. It was renamed The 100 Club in 1964 playing host to most of the bands that were starting to cut their […]

James Burton And Friends at The London Palladium – 04/06/23

Following a false start, in fine showbiz fashion, Brian May whipped up the highly expectant audience into a frenzy by introducing legendary guitarist James Burton. With Ronnie Wood, Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter, May, and his protege Arielle, they began tonight’s set, with the Leo Green Orchestra on belting form, as May took over vocal duties on […]