Tenby Blues Blog

The fourth Tenby Blues Festival, which took place over the weekend of 13-15 November, blew the lid off all expectations with unprecedented full house signs going up all over the town. Despite the stormy weather, most of the Saturday evening venues were bursting at the seams and all the daytime events in the town did great business. The attendance at events on Friday and Sunday also exceeded those of previous festivals.

The festival adopted the successful format of previous years with paying gigs throughout the weekend at Tenby De Valence Pavilion, the Rugby Club, and the Giltar Hotel plus a whole day of free gigs on the Pub and Club Trail. New innovations for 2009 included two mornings of Blues Films shown at the Fourcroft Hotel and an Open Mic Session at the Three Mariners. The latter event attracted so many Blues fans that many had to be turned away at the door. They found plenty to enjoy elsewhere in town.

Friday’s opening event in the De Valence culminated in a sensational performance from American soul and blues star Earl Thomas with support from Paddy Milner & The Big Sounds.  Earl draws upon the rich heritage of the Memphis Soul scene from which the likes of Otis Redding and Solomon Burke emerged in the ‘60s and he proved to be a natural heir to these greats. Those who were there will never forget Earl wandering through the audience delivering his sweet, impassioned vocals without any amplification what so ever.

Meanwhile, over in the Rugby Club, the organisers had lined up three acoustic acts who proved that the Blues is indeed a broad church. I overheard an excited woman telling her companions “I never knew the blues could be so much fun and make me so happy!” The evening there ended with Dave Arcari’s pulsating punk blues defying people not to get up and dance.

That wasn’t the end of the evening though, because the late night session at the Giltar Hotel went on into what Chuck Berry maintained was “the wee wee hours”. These sessions are becoming one of the highlights of the festival where artists spontaneously jam with each other and Friday was no exception as The Big Sounds horn section got up to play with Abie Budgen. Paddy Milner himself joined in and I doubt the hotel’s piano will ever be the same again!

By Saturday most of the storm had abated so Blues fans were able to wander around the Pub and Club Trail with ease. After a short rest, the paying venues were open for business. R’n’ B legends Nine Below Zero sold out at the De Valence but for me the best bill of the weekend was at the Rugby Club where Blue Traffic and John Crampton (a man who comes over as a cross twixt early John Lee Hooker and today’s Seasick Steve) supported Chix Wiv Pix. What an amazing band the Chix were. Its unusual to see three female members of any band, let alone one with a guitar wielding woman whose tone and attack on her instrument reminded me of the legendary Bo Diddley and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The vocalist had a great voice too. The Rugby Club rocked until there wasn’t a dry sock in the house.

Later the Chix jammed with Tommy Allen & Johnny Hewitt at the Giltar Hotel until 4am but I was tucked up in bed long before that. I had to be up for Sunday to see the UK’s finest acoustic finger picking guitarist Rick Payne finish off the weekend in a fittingly mellow but heartfelt fashion with support from Pat Grover & The Hawks.

And then, in a final rounding off, The Mean Mistreaters played to a packed Lifeboat Tavern on Sunday night: a sure sign that many of the Festival fans had stayed the extra night to properly see out the weekend.

As people made their way home to all parts of the UK most were thinking ‘Roll on next year’. Put 12^th –14^th November 2010, Tenby, into your diary now.

Tenby Blues Festival takes place over the weekend of 13th-15th November 2009 and the first of the festival’s preview gigs featuring legendary R’nB band The Animals takes place on Saturday 21st February at the De Valence in Tenby. Tickets cost £tba and are available from the Box Office on 01834 843568 or info@devalence.co.uk.

The Animals were one of the best bands to come out of the British Blues boom of the 1960s and regularly achieved chart success with such memorable classic songs as “House Of The Rising Sun”, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”, “We’ve Got To Get Out Of This Place” and many more.

There have been several line-up changes over the past 40 years but the essential core of the band’s music remains as exciting and vibrant as ever. Drawing on the repertoire of groundbreaking American artists such as Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters, The Animals added their own gritty British attitude to create a unique sound that effortlessly mixed blues, R’n'B and rock ‘n’ roll, a sound which has stood the test of time better than many of their other contemporaries from the ‘60s.

The last time the band played south Wales the gig was a sell out, so get your tickets early!

Support on the night will be from Gordon Wride’s Revelators who play traditional, acoustic blues.

COMPETITION: Win a pair of tickets to the gig by answering the question below -

“Micky Gallagher first joined The Animals on keyboards in 1965 and later became a member of a band fronted by Ian Dury. What was the name of that band?”

Answers to info@tenbyblues.co.uk with your contact details. Competition closes on Monday 2nd February.

Friday, 14th November – Sunday, 16th November 2008
The picturesque Welsh seaside town of Tenby was rocking throughout the weekend of the third Blues festival as record audiences enjoyed a thrilling three days of joyful Blues in all its’ many forms.

After a hesitant beginning in 2006, this festival has now well and truly established itself on the UK Blues festival calendar. This year it delivered an engaging programme that gleefully mixed a variety of Blues styles from seasoned performers and newcomers alike, together with a healthy contingent of Welsh Blues talent.

The main venue once again was the beautifully decorated De Valence where the Spikedrivers opened the festival in fine style on Friday night on the Chevron stage. An inspired piece of programming that set the tone for the whole weekend – the band were clearly enjoying themselves and their infectious enthusiasm spread rapidly throughout the audience. Set highlights included an unusual arrangement of ‘Lil’ Red Rooster’ and a storming finale of ‘Shake Your Hips’.

The Spikedrivers were followed on stage by Pembrokeshire based jump jive, zoot suited outfit The Numbers Racket who delivered a punchy set of standards, augmented by the West Coast Horns.

Next up was headliner Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges and his band, which also featured a booting horn section. Eugene, renowned for the combination of his stinging guitar work and soulful vocals in the style of Sam Cooke, was in fine form even though several people left during his set complaining that he “wasn’t bluesy enough”. It was their loss!

Saturday night at the De Valence followed a similar pattern. Local band Cottonmouth opened followed by rising young blues star, the critically acclaimed Oli Brown, who nearly stole the evening’s the show with his incendiary guitar playing and equally firey vocals. He’s a pretty good songwriter too and his rhythm section was tighter than the proverbial politician’s wallet. Expect big things from them.

Oli was followed onto the Chevron stage by Sherman Robertson and his band Blues Move. Sherman proved himself well up to the task of performing after Oli, as you would expect from the seasoned Texan. This was a masterclass in fluid, expressive guitar work coupled with forceful, heartfelt vocals. The first highlight of his set was a walkabout in the crowd with Sherman never missing a beat or a note and then, for a finale, he brought Oli back onstage to duet with him on a version of ‘Shake Rattle and Roll’. By now Blues Move were really cooking and enjoying themselves, as were the audience who danced so much there probably wasn’t a dry sock in the house.

The Sunday lunch concert, transferred from the smaller Rugby Club because of exceptional ticket demand, started off in mellow mood (well it was noon and quite a few people had had a late night) with a powerful, passionate and witty show from slide guitarist Johnny Dickinson, a former member of Paul Lamb’s Kingsnakes. Johnny is a lovely fellow who achieved that difficult thing of seemingly effortlessly balancing the spiritual with the technical dimensions whilst also keeping it simple and in what can only be described as the groove. Wonderful! But, but, once more I heard a few mutterings from the Blues Mafia…why don’t these people get a life?

By the time the hard rocking Sean Webster Band hit the stage, the audience, fuelled on this occasion more by strong coffee than strong ale, were in dancing mood once more. Sean Webster is raw and loud. His rhythm section is also raw and loud. They acknowledged that the Blues is a broad church and they were sure as Hell gonna raise its’ roof!

It felt strange to spill out into a gray, cold, wet Welsh Sunday afternoon after such an uplifting pair of acts.

The second venue on both Friday and Saturday was the Rugby Club FBM stage, where, in more intimate surroundings, performers new to the festival were given a chance to strut their stuff. As is usual at all good festivals, there were surprises from these new acts. Abi Budgen’s delicate vocals were in sharp contrast to her abrasive guitar work. She nearly brought the house down with her rendition of ‘The Muppet Song’ in the style of Blind Blake and the Rev Gary Davies! There were standout performances too from Sean Taylor and the amazing Big Mamma’s Door.

For those who could take the pace, there were late night sessions on both Friday and Saturday at the Fourcroft and Giltar hotels. At the Fourcroft, Big Mamma’s Door reprised their cool set of ‘50s R&B and staked a compelling claim for moving to the bigger stage next year whilst over at the Giltar, Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges arrived unexpectedly, grabbed a guitar, and wowed his audience well into the wee wee hours.

Meanwhile, the pub circuit, which boasted 12 hours of free music all over town, was once again one of the festival’s little successes. So much so that it became nigh on impossible to get into some of the venues. Next year the organisers might consider expanding the programme and have some overlapping sets. Highlights for me were the acts in The Crown, where young Swansea based power trio Hideaway tore the place apart (metaphorically speaking of course) in the afternoon and where Cardiff’s Christopher Rees delivered a sublime, understated set of great beauty. This is a man to watch out for although once again I heard mutterings that he wasn’t bluesy enough. Admittedly he strays into what might be termed Americana or altCountry – but where the heck does American roots music come from? Banjos at dawn anyone?

It was good to see that although the organisers have stuck with their established template they were not afraid to make a few changes as the festival becomes more sustainable.

The first of these was an attempt to bring the Blues into venues that would not normally feature music and it was a delight to see and hear local busking trio Animal Jack (who once featured on a album by The Coral!) give customers in Fecci’s Fish & Chip shop a battering they weren’t expecting.

The festival has also developed an official fringe. Usually the festival ends with the Sunday lunch concert, but this year there was a final gig in the Lifeboat Tavern on Sunday night featuring Pat Grover and The Blues Hawks. Pat has had a long career on the UK Blues circuit, stretching back to the ‘60s and ‘70s when his band(s) backed the likes of Champion Jack Dupree and JB Hutto. Now residing in west Wales and newly installed as Blues Festival President, Pat led his band through a cracking set that was a fitting finale to a marvellous festival.

Earlier in the day Pat, or El Presidente as he is affectionately if a little unimaginatively known, had made a short but impassioned speech on the De Valence stage arguing persuasively for the continuation of TENBY BLUES FESTIVAL, an observation that brought tumultuous applause.

Festival Artistic Director, Declan Connolly, is already planning to do just that, aided and abetted by a small band of enthusiastic volunteers. He announced that
next year’s festival will take place over the weekend of Friday, 13th to Sunday, 15th of November. Book your tickets now. Tenby in November couldn’t be hotter. Details from www.tenbyblues.co.uk or www.myspace.com/tenbybluesfestival.
BB Skone.

Tenby Blues Festival is proud to be bringing the legendary Dr Feelgood to the De Valence on Friday 26th September as part of the Tenby Arts Festival programme.

Formed on Canvey Island in Essex in the 1970s, Dr. Feelgood (pictured) remains one of the most popular and exciting live rhythm and blues acts in the world.

The raw and uncompromising sound and style of their music resulted in the album Stupidity which immediately went to the number one position in the U.K. charts.

Dr. Feelgood have also enjoyed global success with a string of hit singles including Roxette, Back in the Night, Milk and Alcohol, Down at the Doctors, She Does it Right, Going Back Home and See You Later Alligator – which gave the group their first gold record.

Dr Feelgood never fail to thrill crowds with the vitality of their live show. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enjoy this band in full rockin’ mode, ring the De Valence Box Office on 01834 843568 to book your tickets, priced at only £10 each. Hurry! Tickets are selling fast!

Support band will be J44, one of the most popular soul and blues bands in Wales.

American soul and blues star Lisa Mills (pictured) returned to Tenby on Thursday 17th July to perform a concert that was a preview for this year’s blues festival to be held in the seaside town over the weekend of 14th-16th November.

A packed De Valence witnessed an electrifying show from one of the very best performers of blues music. With her sultry voice and stunning presence, Lisa captivated the audience and left them spellbound. Her ability to go from a low moan to a full throated blues wail without ever losing musicality was breathtaking. Although her wonderful voice has drawn inevitable comparisons with the likes of Bonnie Rait, Janis Joplin and Etta James, Lisa has her own unique style.

Joined on the night by long time collaborator guitarist Rick Hirsch (who has worked with The Allman Brothers and Joan Armatrading) as well as Big Town Playboys bassist Ian Jennings, Lisa’s show was a delight for fans of live music – whether fans of the blues or not. Quite simply this was a stunning, entertaining show.

The show was made all the more memorable by the warm and intimate atmosphere created in the De Valence by the use of twin stages, sensitive lighting and other creative touches.

Support on the night came from local rhythm ‘n’ booze band Cottonmouth.

The next Blues Festival gig, on Friday 26th September during Tenby Arts Festival week which features the legendary R’n’B band Dr Feelgood, is eagerly anticipated with tickets already selling well.

The Tenby Blues Festival is kindly donating 2 tickets for the De Valence, Chevron Stage for Saturday 15th November, headliner the Sherman Robertson Band, to the Dicky Puttwain Birthday Bash charity blues and rock night in aid of Withybush Hospital. and the Tenby Sea Cadets

The event, in Tenby Rugby Club, is being held on Friday 1st August at 7.30pm with top local band Hairy Diamond with support from Guy Maile.

Tickets can be purchased from Nick Thomas or on the door on the night priced £7.50

Don’t miss this concert or the chance to win these coverted Tenby Blues tickets in the raffle.

Lisa Mills, the sensationally gifted American soul and blues singer, returns to Tenby for a concert at the De Valence on Thursday 17th July, in a preview gig for the Tenby Blues Festival. Doors open at 7.30pm and tickets, priced at only £5, are available from the De Valence Box Office – ring 01834 843568 for reservations.

Mississippi born Lisa Mills, who grew up listening to old gospel tunes and Elvis Presely hits, began her musical career after watching the Blues Brothers movie – she knew then that was the music she wanted to emulate. Since then she has carved a career out for herself that has garnered critical comparisons with the likes of Tina Turner and Janis Joplin. Not for nothing has Robert Plant (of Led Zeppelin) gone on record as claiming “she has a wonderful voice”.

Her spectacular shows are always uplifting, always entertaining and always laced with humour and passion. When she played Glastonbury Festival she received a standing ovation at the end of her set.

Wade Wellborn, a leading US music journalist, was moved to describe her show as a “dynamic and inspiring performance… a wonderful listen – soothing, bluesy, rocking and sexy”.

Those of us who saw her at Tenby last year can only agree. Don’t miss out this time on hearing Lisa Mills – arguably America’s leading lady of soul and blues.

Support on the night will be one of west Wales’ top blues bands Cottonmouth.

Tenby Blues Festival takes place over the weekend of 14th-16th November 2008. Go to www.tenbyblues.co.uk for full details.

TENBY BLUES FESTIVAL LAUNCH – THE RUGBY CLUB, TENBY – WEDNESDAY 23RD APRIL 2008BULLITT & THE BAND WITH NO NAME The third Tenby Blues Festival is being held in this lovely Welsh seaside town over the weekend of 14th-16th November 2008 and on Wednesday 23rd April the festival held a launch gig at Tenby Rugby club that featured performances by Bullitt and The Band With No Name – the gig was a perfect curtain raiser for what is becoming one of the most attractive of all the UK blues festivals.

Tenby Blues Festival organisers understand that the blues is a broad church. And they are hell bent on raising its roof! Something the enthusiastic crowd who were in attendance on the night will undoubtedly testify to.

Opening act on the renowned FBM stage, The Band With No Name, featured Ollie Brindley (who will be well known to local gig goers as a former member of Animal Jack Jnr.) and they delivered a skiffle inflected good time set laced with a dusty, self deprectory wit.

Headliners Bullitt, who hail from the deep south, that is somewhere near Port Talbot, were awesome. Excellent musicians to a man, they concocted a set out of classic left field swamp rock and blues boogie that was nothing short of revelatory. Whether drawing on such signifiers of American roots music as Creedence Clearwater Revival or Otis Redding, they were stunning. In particular their renditions of classic Band tunes, such as ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’ or ‘The Weight’ moved the audience if not to tears at least to dot dot dot, now read on – there wasn’t a dry sock in the house because people danced so much. Integral to their sound was the retro wash of the Hammond organ, so rarely heard these days. And their encore of The Rolling Stones ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ was sublime. Who says they are not a blues band? The blues is a feeling, these guys felt it, and by extension so did we. Marvellous.

Next gigs for Tenby Blues Festival feature American soul/blues star Lisa Mills (supported by Cottonmouth) on July 17th and the legendary Dr Feelgood (supported by J44, a hit at the 2007 festival) on September 26th, both gigs are at the De Valence, Tenby. For full details of these gigs, and those of the festival itself, log on to www.tenbyblues.co.uk.

BB Skone.

The Tenby Blues Festival is holding the launch gig for the third festival at 7.30pm on WEDNESDAY 23rd APRIL at TENBY RUGBY CLUB. Headlining will be young Welsh blues band BULLITT who play Southern Blues Boogie at its finest. Think Allman Brothers or North Mississippi Allstars and then some! Supporting them will be THE BAND WITH NO NAME, another cutting edge young Welsh band – they are fronted by Ollie Brindley, formerly of Pembrokeshire’s much loved Bush Street Blues Band and Animal Jack Junior.

Tickets, priced at only £5, are available from the De Valence Box Office, telephone 01834 843568, or on the door on the night (if not sold out in advance).

Festival Director Declan Connolly said “This is the first of several events to be held in Tenby leading up to what promises to be the best festival so far – ticket prices have been held at an affordable level, the successful pub blues trail and late night sessions look like being an exciting feature once again, and we have some spectacular headliners lined up for the keynote gigs in the De Valence and the Rugby Club.”

Tenby Blues Festival, now in its third year and already established on the UK festival scene, will take place over the weekend of 14th-16th NOVEMBER 2008. Full details, including artists booked so far, can be accessed at www.tenbyblues.co.uk.