10th February 2012

ILMINSTER: Mojo promotions offer the best of the blues

THE legendary Steve Gibbons makes a rare appearance in Somerset when he appears at the Square and Compass at Windmill Hill, Nr Ilminster on Saturday, February 18th. Tickets are £12 in advance or £15 on the door. Phone 01823 480467 for bookings.

Regardless of venue, whether a club, festival or New York's Madison Square Garden, Steve has the magic of enthralling an entire audience. Fans and professional musicians are in awe of The Steve Gibbons Band, which is one of the tightest and best in the business of rock & roll. Musicians involved with The Steve Gibbons Band through the years read like a Who's Who of British rock & roll superstars: Trevor Burton (The Move), Denny Laine (Moody Blues, Paul McCartney), Mike Kelly (Spooky Tooth, Joe Cocker), Robbie Blunt (Robert Plant), Alan Wickett (Paul Young), Alan White (Yes), Dave Pegg (Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull), Richard Tandy (E.L.O.), Albert Lee (Eric Clapton).

Formed in 1971 The Steve Gibbons Band were spotted by Pete Townshend of The Who. This led to The Steve Gibbons Band joining The Who's management stable, recording their first Polydor album "Any Road Up" and touring with The Who in Britain, Europe and the USA. Playing the concert arenas, they shared the stage with acts like Little Feat, Lynyrd Skynyrd, E.L.O., Geils and Nils Lofgren. The English Top 10 hit "Tulane" led to three more albums with Polydor. This was Steve's second Top 10 hit, the first being his recording debut in 1965 with The Ugly's, whose "Wake Up My Mind" reached #1 in Australia.

In 1981, after a change in personnel, The Steve Gibbons Band recorded "Saints & Sinners" for RCA and later responded to an invitation from the German Democratic Republic to become the first western rock band to tour the major cities of East Germany. All through the 1980s and 90s and and now the 00s the touring continues.

Boogie Woogie King Ben Waters brings his new project to the Square+Compass on February 25th. Tickets are also available for Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash, and Talon - The Acoustic Collection at the Square + Compass on March 4th and March 10th respectively.

Promoters Mojo Promotions (www.mojopromo.co.uk) are also bringing one of the UKs top Blues bands The Producers to The Gateway at Seaton on Friday, March 9th. One of the most exciting and stylish new wave bands on the circuit, Bournemouth based The Producers are among the leaders of the the current Blues phenomenon topped by Joe Bonamassa and John Mayer. Concerned with feel and attitude rather than slavishly copying 'hand me down' American music, The Producers move effortlessly between their own well crafted material and seriously reinvigorated classics stamped with their own characteristic identity.

Being invited to play prestigious Festival slots is always a sign of a band on its way, however receiving invitations to open concerts from luminaries like John Mayall, Taj Mahal, Dr John, Peter Green and Robert Cray has quickly led to The Producers becoming a major attraction in their own right. With seven acclaimed albums, air play and live appearances across Europe, the States, Australia and New Zealand, The Producers are now playing headline dates and rightfully assuming a prominent position on blues awards podiums.

Advance tickets for The Producers Seaton gig cost £10 and are available from The Gateway.

ILMINSTER: Mojo promotions offer the best of the blues

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