It
doesn’t matter where I go, whenever I’m on holiday there’s two places I like to
visit – art galleries and bars.
They
might sound like opposite passions but where would artists be without bars and,
occasionally, vice-a-versa?
Slightly
strangely, I never like to frequent the same bar over and over again – even if
it’s a favourite.
So even if I love the Blues Bar in Harrogate, which I do, you won’t find me there most nights. It’s a truly great venue, as testified by its enduring success and the calibre of live acts it puts on day after day, year after year on its tiny stage.
It’s
where many of the best free ‘Charm’ music nights I organised in the
mid-Noughties took place.
In fact,
it’s one of the few places I’ve put bands on over the years for no financial
reward (not that any was sought - it’s a passion, nothing more) where I felt
truly at home, the others being the long-gone Tube in Commercial Street and The
Library on the edge of Hyde Park in Leeds.
But you
will find me at the Blues Bar shortly, enticed by the prospect of an amazing
young band coming from out of town to play.
The 45s
(not to be confused with Harrogate band The Four 45s) are an energy-packed
teenage four-piece from Carlisle who are appearing at the Blues Bar on Sunday,
February 2.
None of
them are older than 16 yet they’ve already toured Britain, appeared on stage
with Dr Feelgood legend Wilko Johnson and had their debut single garner the
sort of reviews that ‘broke’ The Strypes.
This hot
young band’s heroes hail from two different but related camps – 60s groups like
The Beatles, the Stones and the Kinks and 50s bluesmen like Chuck Berry, Muddy
Waters and Bo Diddley.
With
floppy fringes, dark suits and thin ties, The 45s are a classic British beat
group bursting with toe-tapping vigour and catchy hooks - and I can’t wait to
see them.
Not that
The 45s are the only great act coming up soon at the Blues Bar. There’s also
Manchester blues-rock band Federal Charm and wonderful Leeds-based acoustic act
Serious Sam Barrett in the next seven days alone.
But I’ve
got a feeling The 45s will be too big by this time next year to pay a return
visit to the Blues Bar.
By Gig Scene Editor Graham Chalmers
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