'BEST BRITISH BLUES FESTIVAL' RETURNS 24-27 AUGUST

This August Bank Holiday, Pendle Leisure Trust is celebrating 23 years of bringing Rhythm and Blues to Colne, with more than 600 artistes performing at nine official venues over four days.

Last year, Colne's music extravaganza was named The Best British Blues Festival in the British Blues Awards 2011. It was voted for by festival-goers, confirming just how popular, and well liked, this Festival is.

World-renowned talent graces the Muni’s International Stage, including Stax legend Booker T Jones, Joan Armatrading, The Blues Band and Hundred Seventy Split – an exciting amalgam featuring Woodstock veteran Leo Lyons and Joe Gooch of Ten Years After.

The man that both Eric Clapton & Jimmy Page had to follow in The Yardbirds – Top Topham – has hooked up with a more recent member of that illustrious band for the Top Topham & John Idan Blues Band. The Troggs will be steaming through their fantastic catalogue of songs...

The Mick Ralphs Blues Band make their Colne debut, as do the sons of the late iconic and influential guitarist Mick Green – The Green Brothers.

Spencer Davis, Zoot Money and Mungo Jerry join the line-up this year; whilst satisfaction is guaranteed from Dr Feelgood and from the R&B ‘Royal Family’ Linda Gail Lewis looks set rip it up.

Del Bromham (of Stray) brings his Blues Devils to the International Stage following a fabulous set last year. A set from Steve “Big Man” Clayton is much anticipated and, fresh from his much acclaimed ‘Boogie With Stu’ project (marking the life and music of Rolling Stones alumnus, Ian Stewart), the festival welcomes back Ben Waters and also King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys.

New for this year and to add a new dimension to the Festival and entice a new audience, an afternoon of Jazz is being introduced to the International Stage on the Sunday, with sax-player Courtney Pine heading the bill.

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.

An extra official roadhouse has also been added at Colne Tacklers Club, in Knowsley Street, will be joining the Festival to make a total of six official roadhouses.And there'll be some popular favourites and new faces keeping the music going on the British Stage and the Acoustic Stage, too.

Sponsoring the Festival again this year will be Barnfield Construction, East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership, John Smith's and Radio Lancashire.

BBC Radio Lancashire will once again be taking over and broadcasting live from the British Stage on the opening night - Friday, 24 August.

And, of course, the Festival isn't just for music-lovers, it's for the whole family, with a funfair at Pendle Leisure Centre and buskers all along Albert Road will make sure everyone is thoroughly entertained.

Festival organiser, Alison Goode, said: "We are hoping our award-winning status will bring even more people to Colne. We were absolutely delighted to be crowned Best British Blues Festival last year, putting both Colne and the Festival well and truly on the map.And what made it even more special was the fact we were nominated for the award by someone who attends and enjoys the festival.

Together, this should qualify our recognition as being The Best Blues Festival in Britain!"

JOAN ARMATRADING IS OUR FEATURED ARTIST IN JUNE; NEW ALBUM 28 MAY

Singer songwriter Joan Armatrading releases her new album on 28 May - 'Starlight' - and starts an extensive UK tour this month, including several summer festivals and a full theatre tour starting in September.  She is our Featured Artist in June

Songwriters, Sunday 3 June at 18:00 Joan talks about her career

Ian Anderson has announced he will hit the road again in April 2012 for a 19 date UK tour commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Jethro Tull’s 1972 Billboard No. 1 ‘Thick As A Brick’.

The band’s chart-topping record will be played in its entirety - as initially recorded - for the first time since its original tour in 1972.

‘Thick as a Brick’ was a concept album based on a poem written by a fictitious 10 year old boy Gerald Bostock – in reality Anderson himself, who wrote both music and lyrics.

It only featured one seamless 45 minutes long track, although it was split to accommodate the album on vinyl and cassette. It reached number 5 in the UK charts.

Tickets for the 2012 tour go on sale from 7th September.

‘Thick As A Brick - Whatever happened to Gerald Bostock’ promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience, rediscovering a timeless milestone of progressive rock.

The performances will also incorporate video projection and other theatrical elements. Ian Anderson performs some of his finest work with the added maturity and skill acquired across a 40 years strong career.

Anderson says: "I never thought I would do this music again in its entirety but, over the last couple of years, I have grown to rather like the idea and the prospect of a Prog moment of profound excess.

Question is: will I now become filled with some dark and nefarious need to take this murky, anal business further? You never know..."

During the ‘Thick As a Brick’ tour Anderson will be joined by John O’Hara on keyboards, David Goodier on bass, Florian Opahle on guitar and Scott Hammond on drums as well as guest performers.

Full details are:

April

14th Perth Concert Hall 01738 621 031 £22.50/£25.50/£28.50
15th Glasgow Theatre Royal 0844 871 7627 £25.50/£28.50
17th Newcastle City Hall 0191 261 2606 £25.50/£28.50
18th Liverpool Philharmonic 0151 709 3789 £25.50/£28.50
19th Sheffield City Hall 0114 2 789 789 £25.50/£28.50
20th Blackburn St George's Hall 0844 847 1664 £26.50
21th Harrogate Royal Hall 0845 130 8840 £25.50/£28.50
22th Manchester Opera House 0844 847 2484 £25.50/£28.50
24th Derby Assembly Rooms 01332 255 800 £25.50/£28.50
25th Ipswich Regent Theatre 01473 433100 £25.50/£28.50
27th London Hammersmith Apollo 0843 221 0100 £25/£28.50/£32.50
28th Bristol Colston Hall 0117 922 3686 £25.50/£28.50
29th High Wycombe The Swan Theatre 01494 512 000 £26.50/£29.50
30th Birmingham Symphony Hall 0121 780 3333 £26.50/£29.50

May

2nd Oxford Apollo 0844 847 1588 £25.50/£28.50
3rd Reading Hexagon 0118 960 6060 £25.50/£28.50
4th Guildford G Live 0844 7701 797 £28.50/£31.50
5th Cardiff St David's Hall 029 2087 8444 £25.50/£28.50
6th Southampton Guildhall 023 8063 2601 £25.50/£28.50

NAZARETH: UK 'BIG DOGZ' TOUR IN MARCH

DEBORAH BONHAM supports where indicated.

www.nazarethdirect.co.uk

Nazareth are perhaps best known for their breakthrough albums, 'Razamanazz' and 'Loud n Proud'- (both 1973) and their chart-storming singles, 'Bad Bad Boy', 'Broken Down Angel' , 'Love Hurts', 'My White Bicycle' and their remarkable adaptation of Joni Mitchell's 'This Flight Tonight'.

Photo: Noel Buckley for GRTR!

GENESIS' THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY HITS THE UK IN MARCH

THE MUSICAL BOX, the only band in the world to obtain the performing rights and access to the full original archives for "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" from Peter Gabriel and Genesis, will perform 4 shows in the UK in March.

The critically acclaimed production has been performed with great success in some of the most prestigious venues in the world, such as London's Royal Albert Hall and the Olympia in Paris. In 2005, Phil Collins joined the band on stage in Geneva, Peter Gabriel takes his children to the shows and Steve Hackett has joined them onstage on more than one occasion. Collins once said "I watched and listened. They played that stuff better than we ever did."

One of the very first Rock Operas in history, ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway' was released as a double album in 1974. The tour that followed was a ground-breaking theatrical production, which The Musical Box reproduces in its entirety in painstaking detail. The show is supported by over 1200 original slides, original costumes and props together with an arsenal of visual effects and pyrotechnics.

The UK dates are:

March

Tue 13th Bristol Colston Hall
£25/£21.50 0117 922 3686
Wed 14th Glasgow Clyde Auditorium
£25 0844 395 4000
Thu 15th Manchester O2 Apollo
£21.50/£25.00 08444 777 677
Fri 16th London HMV Apollo
£23.50/31.50 08448 444 748

Tickets through www.ticketmaster.co.uk, Tel 08448 844 0444. Doors open at 7pm. All tickets subject to booking fee.

The Musical Box version of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway debuted in Montreal in October 2000, more than 25 years after the last Genesis performance with Peter Gabriel; the show was sold out and has been going around the world ever since.

Photo: Andrew Lock/GRTR!

HAMMERFEST IV ANNOUNCES BANDS