bluesinthenorthwest.com

KEIGHLEY BLUES CLUB

http://www.keighleybluesclub.net

KEIGHLEY COUGARS RLFC

HALL OF FAME BAR

ROYD INGS AVENUE

KEIGHLEY BD21 3RF

VIA BUS FROM KEIGHLEY BUS STATION

The 727 Keighley to Cullingworth bus, which leaves the bus station at 19.40 & 20.40, takes the following route:

From Keighley Bus Station, via Bow Street, North Street, Cavendish Street then left into Lawkholme Lane, left again at the junction into Hard Ings Road, up to and right round the roundabout, back down Hard Ings Road.  Alighting from a convenient bus stop on Hard Ings Road you should be able to access Keighley Cougars through the metal gate next to the entrance to Keighley Cricket Club.  If this is closed, walk down Royd Way, along Royd Ings Avenue and in through the main entrance to the ground (see bluesinthenorthwest.com venue map).  The entrance to the Blues Club will then be facing you.

I have received news of a new Blues Club running at a Liverpool venue.

There is a new Blues Club at a brand new bar in Liverpool called Chameleon. It is a really great performance space and a very well designed venue. There will be regular performances from Naomi Mather and Xander And The Peace Pirates every Thursday along with other local and national blues acts each week.

Below are the links to the bar and the house bands.

www.chameleonbar.co.uk

www.myspace.com/naomimather

www.myspace.com/xanderandthepeacepirates

Chameleon 7-9 Back Colquitt Street, Liverpool, L1 4NL

Telephone 0151 707 0283

A new venue in Liverpool has been brought to my attention.  They are called Baby Blue and are situated in the Albert Dock.  They have some gigs upcoming with some interest to bluesinthenorthwest.com readers.

16-Dec    -    Ben Waters
25-Feb    -    Nine Below Zero
03-May    -    Dr Feelgood
17-May    -    The Hamsters
09-Jun    -    Albert Lee

http://www.blue-venue.co.uk/

I have added a new feature to the bluesinthenorthwest.com site.  We now feature an interactive blues venue map.

You can access the map from the page header links above or the links menu to the right hand side of the screen.

Please feel free to contribute to the map by suggesting new venues or correcting details on existing venues.

bluesinthenorthwest.com blues map

Bluefunk Rhythm and Blues Club

Royal British Legion Social Club

Poynton. Cheshire.

We would like to mention this Club having recently discovered its existence by spotting a gig date in December last year in the excellent publication Blues in Britain.

The gig in question was Bernie Marsden with the brilliant Stoke based Jim Kirkpatrick band Heavy Weather. We travel regularly to Warrington Blues Club, The Harbourside in Liverpool and many other venues large and small. Corrie, Eastenders et al are no competition when there is live music to be had! Anyway, back to the Bluefunk club, as with all these venues it is organised by one or two enthusiastic people who have a great interest in keeping music live and introducing live entertainment to the public at large. Gary and his Son - both in Bands of their own - are the main guys here. The venue itself is renowned for its Real Ale and is featured in the Good Beer Guide, the club room has its own bar and in house sound system. Generally gigs are monthly on a Thursday evening but extra gigs are often organised giving young bands, for instance, an opportunity to play in front of an audience also fund raising events. Capacity is around a hundred and for the Bernie Marsden gig it was packed to the gunnels. Bernie and co had a great time and the atmosphere was perfect for all concerned. We have been again in January to see the Cheshire based Dave Richmond Band, a four piece with Dave providing main vocals and some very slick Fender guitar. Own penned songs and some classic covers were presented to the appreciative audience, the presence of a wonderful old Leslie speaker gave the keys that lovely authentic Hammond sound and the solid rhythm section kept the band nice and tight. Its about a 30 minute drive from west of Bolton where we live and is pretty central for easy access with plenty of free, safe car parking. Check this place out you won’t regret it. See you there.

http://www.myspace.com/bluefunkblues

Andy and Chris

Andy and Chris later added…

The club is run by a guy called Garry White. The club did have a website up until recently but something happened and he has lost everything. So until it is up and running again he can be contacted at garrywhite10@yahoo.co.uk.

I have been contacted by a new venue for the blues in Oswestry, Shropshire.

We are a relatively new venue [Dec 06] covering a range of music, but with an emphasis on blues/roots music

www.the-ironworks.co.uk

The promoter Craig can be contacted on 01691 679123 or info@the-ironworks.co.uk.

Upcoming shows are

• Fri 22 June - Tony McPhee
• Wed 27 June - Lisa Mills
• Thu - 05 July - Sherman Robertson

Location: Worthenbury is situated near Wrexham in North Wales on the B5069 between Bangor-on-Dee and Malpas. The village hall is in the centre of the village (post code: LL13 0AW)

Map

Promoters:

Pete Evans (tel: 01948 770215 pete@hookerblues.co.uk)

Paul Taylor (paul@hookerblues.co.uk)

Ian Wiliams (ian@hookerblues.co.uk)

Club Profile: the Worthenbury venue is under the aegis of the promoters of the well-established Hooker Blues Club that meets at Wrexham Rugby Club. The venue is home to the extremely popular Going Up The Country series of acoustic gigs. Artistes who have already appeared at the club include Otis Taylor, Eddie and Frank Thomas, Kent Duchaine and Lisa Mills (all from the USA) and Phil Bates (of ELO Part 2 fame), The Hokum Hotshots, Harry Skinner & Dave Saunders and Michael Messer from the UK. The club provides limited bar facilities, which usually include a barrel of real ale.

Please note that the picture above is atypical of the venue. Normally the seats are arranged less formally, around small intimate tables; the picture above shows a particularly high ticket sales night when Otis Taylor was featured recently . For this event, to satisfy a higher than normal demand for tickets, the seats were arranged in rows.

Gigs in 2009
Saturday, 24th January: Nine Below Zero (at Overton-On-Dee Village Hall)
Friday, 13th February: Rick Payne
Saturday, 7th March: The Groanbox Boys
Friday, 20th March: Mud Morganfield
Saturday, 25th April: Louisiana Red + Michael Messer
Friday, 8th May: Kent DuChaine
Saturday, 30th May: Fruteland Jackson

Entry Fee: varies but usually £10

Website: www.hookerblues.co.uk/

Location: The Citadel, Waterloo Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1PX
Map

Venue Profile: The Citadel Arts Centre promotes a wide range of musical and non-musical events. The latter have consistently included a significant number of high quality blues artistes: Eric Bibb, Connie Lush and Blues Shouter, Charlie Musselwhite and Michael Hill’s Blues Mob, to mention just a few.

It is a terrific venue, which invariably provides a great atmosphere. There is a comprehensive bar and parking is available in nearby public car parks.

Contact: tel: 01744 735436

email:info@citadel.org.uk

Entry Fee: varies

Website: http://www.citadel.org.uk/

Location: Warrington Town Football Club, Loushers Lane, Latchford, Warrington WA4 2RS

Map

Promoter: Ray OHare, 6 Cawdor Street, Stockton Heath, Warrington WA4 6LU

Tel: 01925 601347/07835 176528

Club Profile: the Warrington Rhythm and Blues Club meets every three to four weeks in the very pleasant surroundings of the function room at Warrington Town Football Club. The venue provides excellent bar facilities and ample car parking.

Gigs feature a range of top class British, American and European bands, which have included Simon Honeyboy Hickling, The Nimmo Brothers, the Ruddi Rotter Band, Marcus Malone, Paul Lamb, Nicky Moore, Hamilton Loomis, Russell Hitman Alexander, The Stumble and Ian Siegal.

In addition to the regular gigs at the club, special events are organised from time to time at a larger venue (Alford Hall, Manchester Road, Warrington WA1 3NJ).

Gigs in 2009:
Friday, 6th February: Aynsley Lister
Friday, 27th February: Down At Antone’s + The Harpbreakers
Friday, 20th March: Paul Lamb and The Kingsnakes
Friday, 24th April: Dani Wilde

Entry Fee: normally £10 per head.

Website: www.wrbcblues.co.uk

Location: Liverpool Marina, Coburg Wharf, Sefton Street, Liverpool L3 4BP.

Map

Promoter: John Welsh

Telephone: 0151-428 2855

Email: johnswelsh@hotmail.com

Club Profile: The club promotes a broad spectrum of top quality music ranging from Delta and Piedmont acoustic styles through Chicago and West Coast influences to Texas rocking blues. The venue boasts extensive bar facilities and provides ample parking. Performers at the club have included Ben Andrews, Little Toby Walker, the Rocky Athas Band, Doug MacLeod and Kent DuChaine from the USA, UK favourites The Stumble and Honeyboy Hickling and, from Liverpool, Albie Donnelly’s Supercharge.

Gigs in 2009:
Thursday, 22nd January: Kent DuChaine
Friday, 20th February: The Stumble (at Haig House, Garston British Legion)
Thursday, 12th March: The Backbones
April: Watermelon Slim and The Workers (to be arranged)
Thursday, 7th May: Hamilton Loomis Band
Thursday, 25th June: John O’Leary Band
September: Harper (to be confirmed)

Entry Fee: Normally, £11 a head in advance (£12 on door)

I just stumbled across a listing of a lot of UK blues clubs at electricbluesclub.co.uk.  This may be useful if travelling or if you are a band looking for gigs outside your main areas.

Location: the Village Inn is situated at 206 Green Lane, Leigh, Lancashire WN7 2TW.

map

Promoters: Mick Healey and Barbara Burt (tel: 01942 670491)

Club Profile: the club was formed in 2006 and puts on monthly gigs. Booked artistes include Adrian Byron Burns, Mick Abrahams (Jethro Tull/Blodwyn Pig) and Dave Onions.

Entry Fee: varies, dependent on the status of the artiste, between £3 and £8.

Website: http://www.thevillageinnleigh.co.uk/