This August Pendle Leisure Trust is celebrating 24 years of bringing International Rhythm and Blues to Colne, Lancashire,
With more than 600 artistes performing at nine official venues over four days, Colne’s annual Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival is now as the key UK rhythm & blues festival on the UK calendar , held over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Following last year’s resounding success, there will be another afternoon of Jazz on the Sunday.
Gracing the Muni’s International Stage will be Rolling Stones legend Bill Wyman and his Rhythm Kings, Ginger Baker’s Jazz Confusion – look out for the new movie ‘Beware of Mr Baker’; Blues Music Awards nominee Joe Louis Walker, former Steely Dan & Doobie Brothers guitar supremo , Elliott Randall’s New York All Stars, , Lil’ Jimmy Reed, Steve Phillips & The Rough Diamonds, Paul Lamb &The King Snakes, Chicago Blues Harmonica All Stars – featuring 3 of the biggest three harmonica legends in music - Charlie Musselwhite, Sugar Blue and Billy Branch; The Swing Commanders, The Jive Aces, Ian Siegal, King King and the Chas Hodges Band. Climax Blues Band return, as well as Chris Farlowe & The Norman Beaker Band, the ever-reliable Nine Below Zero, Dr Feelgood and The Pretty Things are back to stun the Muni audience once again.
British Stage highlights include the sensational hit of TV’s Andrew Marr Show – Blues Boy Dan Owen (now under the wing of Mick Fleetwood and soon to tour with ZZ Top), Krissy Matthews and Cliff Stocker’s Slack Alice, who are guaranteed to ram the leisure centre. Look out too, for The Revolutionaires, the Maz Mitrenko Band and Midnight Train with Sam Kelly & Debbie Giles.
The Acoustic Stage continues its reputation for ‘you should’ve been there’ performances, with Deborah Bonham returning after her barnstorming International Stage performance in 2009 and fresh from recent appearances with Steve Cropper and Paul Rodgers; Krissy Matthews provides a chance to see him in a more intimate environment, with other performances coming from Gypsy Bill Williams & Del Potter; Dale Storr, Mike Sweeney & Paddy O’Hare and Babajak .
The Jessica Foxley Stage returns again, giving young, local musicians a rare opportunity to perform in front of the hundreds of fans on the British Stage through the four day event.
And The Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival will this year play host to the British Blues Awards, hopefully bringing even more people to the event.
The British Blues Awards recognises the best of Blues music, musicians and festivals in 15 different categories, including British Male and Female Vocalist, British Blues Band, British Instrumentalist and British Young Artist. The awards will be presented on the British Stage on the Sunday afternoon.
BBC Radio Lancashire will once again be broadcasting live from the British Stage at various times over the weekend.
