Tag Archive for 'north wales'

Gig: Dave Kelly – Worthenbury Blues and Roots Club – 05 Feb 2010

Dave Kelly

Dave Kelly

Goin’ Up The Country Blues & Roots Club, Worthenbury Village Hall
Friday February 5th- doors 8pm, show 9pm – £12

Following on from the brilliant night with The Blues Band’s Gary Fletcher earlier this month, Dave Kelly from the same band plays solo at Worthenbury for the first time on February 5th.

As a founding member of the legendary Blues Band with Paul Jones, Tom McGuinness and Gary Fletcher, he has been at the forefront of the British blues scene and since the early days of the 60, he has played  and recorded with many of the American  blues legends including Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Son House, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and John Lee Hooker.

He has rightly been regarded by many as the UK’s number one blues guitarist and won the British Blues Connection’s award for top acoustic guitarist for 5 consecutive years.

Tickets are selling very steadily and the gig will probably sell out so early reservation is recommended by mailing me on pete@hookerblues.co.uk or ringing me on 01948 770215

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Gig: Rhythm Zoo – The Academy, Buckley – 23 Jan 2010 – *POSTPONED*

rhythm zoo

Rhythm Zoo

Appearing live at The Academy, Buckley

Saturday January 23rd 2010

Rhythm Zoo hit you on every level. Driving rhythm, blistering guitar, and the captivating vocals of Andi Harrison. This band holds the music close to their hearts. You have to see them to understand.

Rhythm Zoo are rapidly becoming one the premier blues groups in the UK. Never bound by any one style, they can stretch out and do great traditional, Chicago, and Delta blues. Their sets are carefully constructed to give you a great blend of original and standards with boundless enthusiasm. These guys are easy to work with and great people. The Zoo are audience friendly, any audience, and they are building up a very loyal following wherever they play.

They manage to skirt the line between fidelity to the genre and honesty to the listener. They won’t try to pretend that Muddy Waters has laid his golden hand on their heads and that they are somehow the rightful heirs to a ghostly tradition, but they will pay homage to the forebears without making you feel like you’re watching a “Blues as a Themepark” nightclub act.  A top notch band with one of the best sounds in the Midlands.  If you feel like the word “blues” has gotten a bad name, you’ll be sold on Rhythm Zoo without feeling like you were ever asked to buy.

[Update 22 Jan 2010]

This gig has been postponed until 15th May

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Gig: Gary Fletcher Band – Worthenbury – 15 Jan 2009

GaryFletcher

Gary Fletcher Band at Goin’ Up The Country Blues & Roots Club, Worthenbury Friday January 15th

The new season of cracking live music at Worthenbury kicks off on Friday January 15th when Gary Fletcher,founding member of the legendary Blues Band along with Paul Jones, Dave Kelly and Tom McGuinness, brings his own band to the village hall.

Backing guitarist Gary is a band brimming with talent including on drums Pick Withers who was drummer for one of the greatest rock bands ever, Dire Straits on all their top hits. Completing the line-up is Gary’s son Jack on bass and stunning young lead guitarist Steve Ling.

They will perform a set of blues influenced soft rock described by top Radio 2 DJ Bob Harris as”Very pleasantly Mark Knopflerish”

To reserve a ticket(£12) for the gig which starts at 9pm call 01948 770215 (eves)

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Gig: Tommy Allen Band feat. Johny Hewitt – Sun Inn, Llangollen – 09 Jan 2010

The Tommy Allen Band including ace harp man Johny Hewitt will be appearing at The Sun at Llangollen on Saturday.
This venue has been a good little live music venue for years and has been visited by a number of very good acts in the last few years. It is also a recognised CAMRA ale house with a superb selection of cracking ales. The band will be on stage at 9pm. (check 01978 860079 in case the weather gets worse)

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Gig: Worthenbury lineup for 2010

Goin’ Up The Country Blues & Roots Club at Worthenbury Village Hall

For tickets and info please ring 01948 770215 OR MAIL pete@hookerblues.co.uk www.hookerblues.co.uk

Unless stated, entry is £10, doors open @ 8pm and music starts 9pm

TICKETS MAY BE PURCHASED AFTER CONFIRMING AVAILABILITY, BY SENDING A CHEQUE MADE OUT TO HOOKER BLUES CLUB, TO OAK COTTAGE, WALLINGTON LANE, WORTHENBURY, WREXHAM LL13 0AL – ENCLOSE A SAE PLEASE

WE NOW REQUEST THAT TICKETS ARE PAID FOR IN ADVANCE AS SOME PEOPLE HAVE NOT TURNED UP FOR GIGS AFTER ORDERING TICKETS. THIS HAS MEANT THAT WE HAVE NOT ACCEPTED SOME BOOKINGS AT SELL OUT GIGS. WE THANK OUR REGULARS FOR THEIR UNDERSTANDING IN THIS MATTER.

THINGS THEY HAVE SAID…

“The best little blues club in Europe…”  Otis Taylor, Oct 2006

“I wish I could bottle your audience and take them with me” Sonny BlacK, March 2007

“You’ve got something special here” Geoff Muldaur, April 2007

“This is just like a Mississippi juke joint” Big George Brock, June 2007

“I’ll be back, I guarantee that” Harper July 2007

“We’d love to come back if you’ll have us” Gerry McAvoy (Nine Below Zero) Jan 2007

“The best gig we’ve done in ages” The Spikedrivers Feb 2008

“I’ve been looking forward so much to coming here- it’s cracking” Jim Crawford March 2008

“Had a great time – been raving about the club ever since” Roland Chadwick March 2008

“Playing your club is an absolute true blessing for any artist” Little Toby Walker Sept 2008

“Thank goodness there are still blues clubs like this” Dave Kelly & Paul Jones  Jan 2009

“This is unreservedly one of the best places I’ve ever played at” Peter Price Feb 2009

“This really is an amazing little place” Bob Hall & Fruteland Jackson June 2009

“That sure is one unique venue!” Mike Thomas – Cadillac Kings  December 2009

“I’ve heard so much about this place – it’s wonderful – Mike Hellier December 2009

FRIDAY JAN 15th THE GARY FLETCHER BAND – Gary, the bass player in The Blues Band brings his excellent band to us for the 1st time. Playing guitar, Gary gives the bass playing duties to son Jack whilst on drums is Pick Withers of Dire Straits and on 2nd guitar is Steve Ling. A great night is promised with Bob Harris on Radio 2 stating “Very pleasantly Mark Knopflerish” £12

FRIDAY FEB 5th DAVE KELLY  This gig is the reorganized one from Dec 4th and sees Dave leaving Paul Jones and The Blues Band at home to play songs that have influenced his career as arguably the UK’s top blues guitarist. Early booking needed. £12

FRIDAY FEB 26th THE HAMSTERS AT OVERTON VILLAGE HALL
Britain’s top blues rockers now approaching their 23rd year and 4,000th gig make their 1st appearance in the area for years. The band is rated as one of the best exponents of the work of Jimi Hendrix and ZZ Top and guitarist Slim is regarded as being in the top ten of all time British guitarists alongside Clapton, Green and Gilmour. To get the full impact this band has made on the British blues/rock scene check   www.thehamsters.co.uk £15

FRDAY MARCH 26th RICK PAYNE Guitar teacher Rick is one of the UK’s most gifted guitarists playing all styles from classical through to jazz but it is as a blues guitarist that he has made his name. Often referred to as the English Ry Cooder his guitar workshops are much in demand and he has composed themes for many TV programmes.   £10

FRIDAY APRIL 23rd JIM CRAWFORD Back by popular demand, acoustic guitarist Jim featured in one of our best ever gigs when he mesmerized the audience with the quality of his playing. A great entertainer originating from Lancashire but now living in Devon, someone remarked that “It was like Peter Kay meeting Robert Johnson”. Singing sensation Beth Rowley recently recorded Jim’s “When the Rains Came” on her new cd.  £10

FRIDAY MAY 7th TBC

FRIDAY JUNE 4th RORY ELLIS The Aussie sensation who was the star of our festival in June 2009 returns with Alex Roberts on slide guitar. Possessing an amazing voice Rory delivers a superb  selection of self penned songs to back up the top quality musicianship     £10

SAT JULY 3rd TBC WORTHENBURY BLUES & ROOTS FESTIVAL

We don’t want to clash with a possible England football game in the World Cup so by our reckoning, if England play reasonably well and reach the semi final stage, that game would be staged on the Sunday. However, we won’t be caught out as we were in 2006 and we will have a dedicated TV marquee for those sad enough to want to watch soccer!

Download Flyer Here

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Gig: Derrin Nauendorf – Goin’ Up the Country Blues and Roots Club, Worthenbury – 18 Dec 2009

DerrinNauendorf

The final gig of the year takes place at Goin’ Up the Country Blues & Roots Club, Worthenbury village hall on Friday 18th December when top young Australian roots acoustic guitarist and singer Derrin Nauendorf appears with his band.

He is rated as one of the finest guitarists in his homeland and also has a massive following in this country appearing regularly on BBC Radio 2.

He is backed on double bass by Ian Jennings ( Robert Plant, Lisa Mills, Jools Holland, Jeff Beck and others) and Mike Hellier on drums.

Tickets for the gig which starts at 9pm, cost £12 and can be reserved by contacting 01948 770215

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Gig: December line up at Worthenbury

There have been some changes to the forthcoming gigs at Worthenbury.

Dave Kelly was due to appear next Friday December 4th but has had to postpone the gig as The Blues Band have been asked to support Chuck Berry on his UK tour.

However due to a cancellation of one of their gigs in the north, The Cadillac Kings will now make a very welcome appearance on Saturday December 12th. This will follow on from their appearance at Warrington the night before so there will be two chances to see this outstanding UK band who are probably playing as well as ever at the moment.

Tickets are also selling very rapidly for The Derrin Nauendorf Band on Friday December 18th. Derrin is simply one of the finest acoustic guitarists on the circuit and is backed by Ian Jennings on double bass and Mike Hellier (Movin’ Music Agency) on drums.

Contact Pete Evans on 01948 770215 or pete@hookerblues.co.uk for tickets

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Gig: Cadillac Kings December dates

Cadillac Kings  - The Ent shed

One of Britain’s best bands have two dates in the region in December.

The Cadillac Kings will bring their blend of blues, swing and RnB to the following venues.

Fri Dec 11th: Warrington R&B Club
Sat Dec 12th: Worthenbury Village Hall, nr Wrexham

The band are in stunning form at the moment and are really not to be missed.

Flickr photo my Maxine Ford.

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Gig: Cadillac Kings – Buckley – This Friday – 20 Nov 2009

One of the finest bands in the country will be playing the beautiful Academy venue in Buckley this Friday night.

The Cadillac Kings are acknowledged as one of the top bands in the country and the current line-up is the best that they have ever had.

  • Mike Thomas – lead vocals, guitar & things you can shake
  • Gary Potts – big fat harmonica, vocals & packed lunches
  • Roy Webber – drums, vocals & Essex tourist information
  • Mal Barclay – guitar, vocals & five o’clock shadow
  • Henri Herbert – red-hot piano & the occasional cider
  • Paul Cuff – double bass & good advice

Instrumentally the band cannot be beaten and in band leader Mike Thomas the band have one of the finest blues songwriters that the UK has ever produced.

With their intoxicating brand of R&B The Cadillac Kings are masters at entertaining audiences, from clubs to theatres, from dance-halls to festivals, the length and breadth of Europe. If you like your harmonica fat-toned & your guitar T- boned, this is the band for you.   You’d be crazy to miss it.

Only £8 on the door.

http://www.cadillackings.co.uk

http://www.myspace.com/thecadillackings

http://www.dance-hall.info/

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Gig: Woody Mann and Tom Doughty – Worthenbury – 06 Nov 2009

woody mann

WOODY MANN & TOM DOUGHTY

Worthenbury Village Hall Friday November 6th
doors 7.30pm, music 8.15pm

Goin’ Up the Country Blues & Roots Club at Worthenbury Village Hall presents a major coup with the appearance of New York acoustic guitarist Woody Mann – www.woodymann.com

Not only is he a big name in the jazz world but he was taught blues guitar by the legendary Reverend Gary Davis and has played with Son House and Bukka White.

He is also a renowned guitar tutor and taught guitar to none other than Paul Simon and his workshops are legendary.

He is supported by Cheshire guitarist Tom Doughty, a remarkable slide guitarist who despite being seriously injured in a car accident, plays beautiful guitar from his wheelchair.

Tickets (£12) for this gig are going very quickly indeed and the gig is expected to be sold out before long so a rapid response is needed to confirm availability. Call 01948 770215 or 01978 312755

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Gig – Catfish Keith – UK Tour 2009

catfish

A mammoth tour as ever for Catfish Keith.  Here are the ones in Northwest England and North Wales.

October 28th – Bluefunk, Poynton
October 31st – Community Hall, Poulton-le-Fylde, nr. Blackpool
2nd November – Victoria Hotel, Menai Bridge, Anglesea
3rd November – Guitar workshop, Menai Bridge, Anglesea
4th November – Theatr Harlech, Harlech
5th November – The Ironworks, Oswestry
17th November – Pacific Road, Birkenhead (part of the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain)
21st November – Powis Hall, Bangor University, Bangor

Full details at www.catfishkeith.com

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Gigs this weekend

I am going up to Worthenbury tonight to see Little Toby Walker then tomorrow my own band Down at Antone’s will be playing at The Academy in Buckley.

I am looking forward to seeing some of you at these two events.

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Gig: Little Toby Walker – Worthenbury Blues Club – 23 Oct 2009

toby walker promo

Goin’ Up The Country Blues & Roots Club, Worthenbury on Oct 23rd

LITTLE TOBY WALKER

American guitarist Little Toby Walker makes a very welcome return to Worthenbury on Friday October 23rd just 12 months after his amazing 1st performance at Goin’ Up the Country Blues & Roots Club.

Toby honed his skills at the feet of legendary Mississippi bluesmen R.L. Burnside, Eugene Powell and Jack Owens and since those days he has developed into one of the finest American guitarists to visit the UK.

Last year’s gig sold out and this gig is expected to follow suit.The doors open at 8pm and the music starts at 9pm. To reserve a ticket please ring 01948 770215

So you know what to expect, here is a YouTube of Little Toby Walker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIOhoJDy-oI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_NNOGtmEFU

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Gig: Down at Antones – Academy, Buckley – 24 Oct 2009

Down at Antones white bg

Down at Antone’s

Buckley Academy, North Wales

24 October 2009

One of the best loved north west blues bands of the 1990s make a rare outing in North Wales this month.  Since reforming earlier this year the band have taken on very occasional reform gigs.  You have a chance to see one of those rare appearances in Buckley.

On Sat 24th October Down at Antone’s play at  the beautiful dance hall in the centre of Buckley that is known as The Academy.  The room is delightful, featuring a fully sprung wooden dance floor, a spacious stage with excellent viewing, comfortable seating for all, a bar and plentiful parking just outside.  Buckley is in North Wales, just a few miles over the border from Chester.

During the gig, you can expect to see a heady blend of rough and tough Texas blues, a spicy New Orleans flavoured gumbo with a dash of smooth jazz to mellow the heat.

The band feature Neil Partington on guitar and vocals. Neil has a huge pedigree in music having been born into the famous musical Brown family – with Joe Brown and Sam Brown as close family.  During his long career (he has been playing since his teens) he has shared the stage with musical legends such as Jools Holland, Lee Oscar and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour.

Ken Peace is featured on Harmonica – famous only for a mile wide tone and riffing harmonica chops.  The rest of the band are Glen Lewis on classy keys and the dynamite rock solid grooving rhythm section of Nick Lauro and Steve Brown.

Expect an evening of highly charged grooves to keep the beat at the feet.

The Academy, Mold Road, Buckley on Saturday, 24th October – doors open at 7.45 pm, band on stage at  9 pm. Tickets £8 on the door, or by phone (07812 369702).

http://www.dance-hall.info/

Picture by Jon Hill.

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Gig: Cadillac Kings in the region in 2009

Here are the dates for the Cadillac Kings in the northwest winter 2009.

17 Oct 2009 20:00
Telford’s Warehouse Chester
20 Nov 2009 20:00
The Academy, Buckley North Wales
11 Dec 2009 20:00
Warrington R&B Club Warrington

Featuring six of the UK’s top blues & roots musicians, The Cadillac Kings play music inspired by the sounds & styles of the ‘40s & ‘50s. A mix of mostly original songs with a few well-chosen covers from the likes of T-Bone Walker, Roy Brown & Champion Jack Dupree have made the band firm favourites on both the blues & jump-jive scenes. With their stunning musicianship & exciting stage act, this is a band that knows how to entertain audiences across the board, from arts centres to dance-halls, from intimate clubs to major festivals.

With backgrounds including Otis Grand’s Band, James Hunter’s Jokers, The Poorboys, Big Joe Louis, and Little George Sueref, The Cadillac Kings came together in the year 2000. They became an immediate hit at venues & festivals all over the UK . 2001 saw the release of their debut CD ‘Lou Ann’ which received wide airplay in the UK & abroad, culminating in a nomination for the 2002 USA Swing Awards.Tour dates have included London’s 100 Club, the Great British R&B Festival, the Burnley Blues Festival, London’s Hackney Empire, the Black Horse World Music Festival in Sussex, Crawley Folk Festival, Soho Jazz & Heritage Festival, UK Arts Council tour, the Gloucester Blues Festival, (Norway’s huge) Notodden Blues Festival, the Ørland Blues Fest, the Drobak Festival, Denmark’s annual Blues Cruise, the Duvel Blues Festival in Belgium & the Rotterdam Bluezy Festival in Holland.

Now signed to ‘33’ Records, home of Don Weller, Stan Tracey, Tina May & the cream of UK jazz & world musicians, November 2004 saw the release of the band’s second CD ‘Highway 17’. Not such a strange label signing when you consider the words of 33’s boss Paul Jolly – “this band truly swings!”

In December 2004 the music critics of The London Times agreed and included ‘Highway 17′ in their list of the best 24 CDs of the year and chose it overall best blues CD. Ashwyn Smyth of Blues Matters’ Magazine also chose it as his CD of the year, and Blues in Britain Magazine listed it in the top releases of the year.

More recently, and for the third year in succession, The Cadillac Kings have won the categories for ‘best blues band’ & ‘best harmonica player’ in the 2005 Wychwood Brewery/ Running Horse Awards, as voted for by the audiences at Nottingham’s top live blues venue.

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Gig: Smokehouse Blues – The Academy, Buckley – 26 Sept 2009

Jonny Hewitt guests with Down at Antones_DSC7757

Smokehouse Blues

The Academy, Buckley

26 September 2009

This month sees a welcome return of one of the regions most well respected and well loved bands to North Wales.

Top North West blues band, Smokehouse Blues are to appear at The Academy, Mold Road, Buckley – a traditional style venue, with licensed bar, large dance floor and comfortable seating.

The Runcorn-based band deliver an explosive mix of West Coast and Chicago blues – led by the dynamite harmonica and vocals of Johnny Hewitt – one of the country’s finest players – and Barney Barnett’s fine guitar work.

The band is completed by the rhythm section of Russ Williams (stand-up bass) and Mark Donaldson (drums) – expect some of their own material, and covers by blues masters such as Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter and William Clarke.

Catch Smokehouse Blue at The Academy, Mold Road, Buckley on Saturday, 26th November – doors open at 8 pm, band on stage approx. 9 pm. Tickets £10 on the door, or by phone (07812 369702).

www.dance-hall.info

info@dance-hall.info

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