‘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. |