Well the summer is almost over, kids back at school next week and then it will soon be Christmas!
After a bit of a break over summer we are really hitting the ground running this autumn with no less than 5 gigs at the Cross Keys through September, October and November and I have to say every single one of them is looking to be an absolute belter.
We start off with Geminii Dragon on 13th September and if you haven’t let me know about your ticket requirements for this yet then don’t hang about. We have been presented with a great opportunity to host this rising U.S star at our little club and it would be great if we could fill up the place and give them a big Yorkshire welcome sending them back to Louisiana with tales of what a great place Leeds is. Have a think about bringing a guest to this one too as I think they will have some broad appeal. Geminii herself certainly has a touch of the Tina Turners about her.
After that on October 5th we have another fine female talent. Emilia Quinn is a local lass and we are hosting her on the first date of her new U.K. tour. Emilia is a young person with loads of talent and has been picked up by a number of big promoters and is certainly on a trajectory to big things. She would certainly not describe herself as a blues singer and is very much part of the Americana scene but I have never been a blues purist and always wanted Leeds Blues club to showcase different flavours of blues or in Beastie’s words ‘music touched by the blues’ as well as helping to support local artists so Emilia definitely ticks those boxes. Her previous shows in Leeds have always been sold out so please let me know if you want tickets for this one and remember it is a Saturday night rather than a Friday for a change.
Less than 2 weeks after that we have a visit from Dust Radio on October 18th. I was lucky enough to get to Colne at the weekend for the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival and Dust Radio were appearing on one of the main stages. For my money they are one of the most underrated bands on the current scene. Fronted by the brilliant Paddy Wells who is just a master on the harmonica. They have great songs and some great guitar stuff too. They are one for anybody who loves blues music. Sheer class.
Heading into November we have Big Wolf Band on 8th November and the welcome return of Emma Wilson on the 22nd – more about them in the next newsletter but if you want to reserve your tickets now let me know. Most of you will know that Big Wolf Band were scheduled to play in March but had to cancel due to illness. We had actually sold out as well so it was a real shame but this is their rescheduled visit.
Talking about Colne, it was a great line up as usual not only Dust Radio but many other outstanding performers. Dom Martin in particular was outstanding and just seems to get better and better every time I see him. I managed to get a chat with him and his management team and am trying my best to get him to Leeds again although it would appear that he will not be in the UK quite as much in the future and spending more time in Europe and Scandinavia but I am going to try my best to get him for 2026 although by then he may well be playing the Royal Albert Hall. His talent certainly justifies it.
Another fantastic band on the big stage at Colne was the Milk Men who went down a storm, just like they did when they played at the Cross Keys in April. On that note I am delighted to tell you that they will be returning to play for us again next June. They really enjoyed playing for us and were really keen to come back and I must say we are really keen to have them back. they are such a great band.
As usual thanks for all your support. Please spread the word about Leeds Blues Club and bring along any friends who appreciate live music in a small venue with some friendly people, and for those of you who have so far just obtained a free membership, please consider going for the full membership option which is great value for only £15 a year with lots of perks or even better the Heritage membership for £100 a year gets you a ticket for each of our events. That’s at least 12 gigs for less than the cost of one gig for that Manchester band that are making a comeback!
