Solid Entertainments Presents WHITBY Blues Festival Acts.

‘House of The Rising Sun’… ‘We Gotta Get Out Of This Place’….’Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’ and 'Boom Boom’ (as featured in the James Bond movie, ‘Skyfall’). Featuring from the original Animals – JOHN STEEL & MICK GALLAGHER (The Blockheads) Plus Danny Handley and Roberto Ruiz

“The Animals earned their name thanks to their wild stage act. That was 50 years ago and they have calmed down since, but their music has lost none of its vigour”. (ANIMALS & FRIENDS review - Wales Online) In 1964 a wave of new energetic rock and roll swept over the youth of the world. On the crest of this wave was The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and of course The Animals. From the banks of the River Tyne came the North East's offering; a brand of rhythm n blues that the whole world seemed to grasp greedily.

Bruce Springsteen recently revealed on stage in the USA that it was The Animals, not The Beatles or the Stones who were his favourite British Invasion band." Their singles were the first full-blown class-consciousness I'd ever heard". After playing a short burst of 'We Gotta Get Out Of This Place', Springsteen then confessed: “That’s every song I’ve ever written. 'Born To Run', 'Born In The USA', all of them".

The Animals were the second British band to top the American charts after The Beatles with the now multi-million selling and legendary anthem,'House of the Rising Sun'. The band subsequently achieved over twenty global Top Ten hit records, many of which gained the Number One slot in various parts of the world. In Britain alone, the band had no less than twelve chart entries. The Animals were the first British band to tour Poland and Japan.
.The enduring influence and breadth of appeal of The Animals’ music continues ever onwards. The Animals’ 1964 debut was recently included in CLASSIC ROCK magazines’ feature - ‘50 Albums That Built Blues Rock’

“Though the band has changed, the songs remain eternal, thanks to the protesting dissatisfaction linking them together... alongside covers of Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker classics, they ensure that the nostalgic element comes with an enjoyably abrasive edge” (ANIMALS & FRIENDS review - Andy Gill, The Independent)

Serious contenders to Bob Dylan in his ‘Never-Ending Tour’, the band have in recent years embarked on two massive UK tours with Special GuestSpencer Davis, as well as tours with other Special Guests including Stax , Booker T & The MGS and Blues Brothers guitar legend Steve Cropper, The Troggs and the late, great Mick Green (The Pirates, Van Morrison, Paul McCartney, Bryan Ferry). ANIMALS & FRIENDS’ appeal continues abroad, too – with shows in Sweden, Portugal, Finland, Italy, Slovenia, Germany, Russia and Holland.

2012 marked founder member John Steel’s 55th year as performing musician. Back in 1957 he and The Animals co-founder Eric Burdon began plying their trade in and around their native Tyneside with not the slightest inking that they would - in a very few years – find themselves part of a group that would be forever bracketed with the very best of British music – The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds – and respected all over the world. The Animals were also be the second British band after The Beatles to top the American charts with their multi-million selling anthem, ‘House of The Rising Sun’. Let us not forget that it was Bob Dylan’s ‘House of the Rising Sun’ that so inspired this legendary band to record what history has shown to be the definitive take. It is even whispered that Dylan looked to their version as inspiration for his infamous ‘going electric’.

After more than 60 years, the legend still grows…

Dana Gillespie made her first record in 1964 and all these years later she is still recording, and released her 70th album at the end of 2019 called ‘Under My Bed’ for Ace Records. In the '70s she was the first Mary Magdalene in the West End musical 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and also worked with David Bowie as he wrote the song ‘Andy Warhol’ for her and she sang on his ‘Ziggy Stardust’ album. In the '60s and '70s she made many films but Blues music has always been her first love, and she considers herself as a song writer who sings! Her musicians are known as The London Blues Band and they are considered to be the cream of the London Blues scene.

Blues and soul become inextricably entwined in award-winning singer-songwriter, Kyla Brox, whose raw talent has seen her described as “the finest female blues singer of her generation”. Winner of the 2018 UK Blues Challenge, Kyla has the honour of representing the UK in Memphis at the 2019 International Blues Challenge, as well as the European event in the Azores. In a huge nod to her ongoing stature in British Blues, the UK Blues Federation made Kyla an official Ambassador of UK Blues in 2016 and she is one of only three British singers privileged to be included in the 50 Women of the Blues Spotify playlist.

Daughter of cult blues figure, Victor Brox, the Mancunian vocalist began her career as a teenager in her father’s band and has now honed her own sophisticated sound, as heard on her critically acclaimed 2016 album, Throw Away Your Blues and the scintillating, multi-faceted new 2019 album, Pain & Glory. Her voice; tender, urgent, gritty, blurring the distinction between pleasure and pain, mixed with the enchantingly fluent guitar work of Paul Farr, inspired bass playing of Danny Blomeley and in-the-pocket drumming of Mark Warburton, combine to make a unique and powerful, often joyous, always emotional experience.

Kyla also plays in duo form with her husband, virtuoso acoustic guitarist, Danny Blomeley, whose playing, by turns delicate and unrestrained, has earned him a following in his own right.

With many albums under her belt and many miles covered on the road, touring all over the world, Kyla Brox is widely regarded as one of the very best soul-blues singers the British Isles has ever produced.

The Cinelli Brothers

The Cinelli Brothers is a project born out of a common passion for the electric Chicago and Texas blues from the 60s and 70s, when Marco (guitarist, singer and composer) and Alessandro (drummer, backing vocalist and arranger) decided to form an explosive team showcasing original repertoire in the style of Chess, Stax and Motown.

After a series of successful shows around Europe (France, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal), the band decided to take things to another level. Babe Please Set Your Alarm was recorded at the Soup Studio in London and the full live and analog recording was released in May 2018 on vinyl and digital format.

This album comprises original compositions as well as a few covers, such as ‘Chain of Fools’ or ‘Back Door Man’ – which stays true to Willie Dixon’s number, as well as Prince’s ‘Kiss’, in a remarkable shuffle rhythm.

The Cinelli Brothers champion a new generation of passionate musicians sharing in the love of Blues, Soul, R&B and the true authentic sounds that have made the blues a cornerstone of music history.

CONNER SELBY Selected to appear at Wembley Stadium supporting The Who, Kaiser Chiefs, Imelda May and Eddie Vedder in July 2019, Connor Selby is a rising star. Having already played a number of iconic venues such as the 100 Club and Borderline, and having clocked up numerous festival appearances, the young British bandleader-guitarist-vocalist writes his own songs and builds on influences as diverse as Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, and Nick Drake. With his soulful vocal style and his distinctive guitar playing that evokes the British blues boom of the 1960’s, Connor has consistently captivated audiences and is making a name for himself.

The Mojo Preachers are a five-piece, female fronted, boundary-pushing outfit, delivering hard-hitting original tunes; conjuring up a melodiously intricate, authentic yet unconventional sound. Think raw riffs, psychedelic waves, rooted rhythms & thought-provoking lyrics, all with an occasional touch of sweeping, soaring, musical emotion that only progressive blues can bring.

SOLID ENTERTAINMENTS Presents... WHITBY BLUES FESTIVAL