Blues
2025
January 10th
Doc K’s Blues
Band
https://www.lemonrock.com/docksbluesband
Originally founded in Muswell Hill in 1964 by bass player Ashley
Hutchings, Doc K have undergone a number of changes in
personnel but still provide some of the finest Chicago Blues in London. 'Mad
Dog' Dave Barnes and Chris Hargrave provide the vocals for a sublime set of
classic blues while Doctor Ika on lead guitar has finally provided the band
with a genuine M.D. in the lineup. The rhythm section of Mick Parker on drum
kit and Dave Thomas on bass provides a rock solid
foundation for the others to strut their stuff. Always popular and always
getting asked to return wherever they play, (we can’t remember how many times
they have played at Marigolds) if you are serious about your blues, you really
should not miss Doc K’s Blues Band.
DOORS AND LICENSED BAR OPEN AT 7.00PM
MUSIC
AT 8.00PM
Tickets £12 on the door
Backporch
Mike Rushmore, half Canadian and half Adnams, percussion and vocals, Steve Graham, the Harpman, with a lung capacity of over 2,000 litres,
Jonny Miller, a true legend of the 6-string guitar and Toni Vines, veteran
of the blues guitar.
Back by popular demand Backporch
are an extremely enthusiastic, up tempo, semi-acoustic band with a happy take
on the blues. Plectrums, thimbles and harp reeds flying everywhere but
extremely unusual, thoroughly entertaining and a breath of fresh air.
Their unusual and unique variety of
foot-stomping acoustic-ish good-time blues with a
Southern States tinge and a dash of skiffle, has seen them build a strong
following. With their trademark foot stomping rhythms and a lot of laughter,
they seem to be able to switch from humour to heartbreak in the blink of an eye.
Their music regularly features on local radio and they
are well-known in the thriving East Anglian live music scene.
Back Porch’s live shows remain an experience
not to be missed. This band will make you laugh, cry and tap your feet! After
the Back Porch experience, you’re sure to leave feeling better than when you
arrived!
DOORS
AND LICENSED BAR OPEN AT 7.00PM
MUSIC AT 8.00PM
Tickets £12 on the door
Dave Ferra and
Katie Bradley Blues Band
https://www.facebook.com/p/Katie-Bradley-Music-Page-100063839915526/?locale=en_GB
Dave Ferra guitar, vocal, Katie Bradley
vocal, harmonica, Dr Bob bass, Gary Smith-Lyons drums, Dom Thatcher saxophone.
Dave Ferra is much in demand and has one of
the longest gig lists on the music scene.
Multi-talented on guitar, harp and vocals
Dave is fully aware that people come out not just to listen, but to have a good
time. And a good time they have.
Katie has toured the UK and the world with
the best musicians and her stage presence, talent and luminosity wins her new
fans so mush so that Katie has been complimented by
Paul Jones for her intuitive playing.
DOORS AND LICENSED BAR OPEN AT 7.00PM
MUSIC AT 8.00PM
Tickets £12 on the door
Martin McNeil’s Bottleneck Blues
Martin McNeill guitar, vocals, West
Weston harp, Tim Huskisson piano, JJ Zarbo double bass,
Roy Webber drums.
Martin
McNeill is an old-school blues performer with a distinctive slide guitar style,
a finalist in the 2024 UK Blues Awards. He has received high praise for his
live performances, recordings and online livestreams. Radio presenter and music
promoter Stephen Foster calls him “one of the country’s finest bottleneck blues
guitarists.”
As a
veteran of the UK blues scene, Martin has garnered a considerable repertoire of
blues songs coupled with a good knowledge of the material and the original
artists. A renowned blues elder statesman playing proper blues.
Backed by a stella line up this is a gig full of promise and not to be missed.
DOORS AND LICENSED BAR OPEN AT 7.00PM
MUSIC
AT 8.00PM
Tickets £12 on the door
http://www.theuntouchablesblues.com/about.html
Keith Parker, harp and vocals, Peter Ellison,
guitar and vocals, Paul 'Chuck' Green, doghouse bass, Malcolm 'Eddie the
Legend' Buckland, drums.
Although they had played at the Cricket Club
a few times before, The Untouchables were the first band to play at Marigolds
Blues Club in January 2008 and again in January 2023 they were the first band
to play after lock down. In between they have
performed at Marigolds many times.
They are one of London’s finest champions of swinging blues,
with a raw, soulful sound inspired by the great artists who recorded for Chess
Records in the '50s. You are transported back to the days of rent parties when
the great blues masters kept crowds dancing until the early hours.
It has been said that,
“The Untouchables play sparse, tasteful Chicago blues. Not blues rock but
tight, swinging, focussed, authentic sounding urban blues, with every element
honed to its bare essentials in an unostentatious
display of taste and restraint’ and ‘The band have lived and breathed the style
until it's so much a part of them that it oozes out of their pores. Tthey are incredible entertainers
creating a great atmosphere and interacting with the audience that can have the
whole room dancing. Utterly superb
DOORS AND LICENSED BAR OPEN AT 7.00PM
MUSIC
AT 8.00PM
Tickets £12 on the door
The Cadillacs
Kings
https://www.cadillackings.co.uk/
Mike Thomas vocals, harmonica, slide
guitar, Mal Barclay lead guitar, vocals, Tim Penn piano, accordion,
vocals, Jason Reay drums and Paul Cuff double bass & Fender bass.
Inspired by early rhythm & blues styles with a distinctly
modern take lyric-wise, the Cadillac Kings have earned a reputation for
entertaining and wowing audiences from night clubs to festivals, from theatres
to dance halls, the length & breadth of the UK & Europe.
This is arguably the UK's premier blues &
roots band with a well-earned reputation for their unfailing ability to put on
a great performance, with warmth and humour and producing good time blues at
its very best and guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
It's difficult to classify them, they play r 'n' b, they swing, and
they rock 'n' roll, while staying true to a very bluesy sound. One thing's for
sure it's always fun to see and hear these guys play pure good time music that
leaves audiences weak at the knees, long after they’d left the building. They
rate as one of the most swinging acts around.
DOORS AND LICENSED BAR OPEN AT 7.00PM
MUSIC AT 8.00PM
Tickets £12 on the door
Fobo Jug Band (but without the jug)
Harpo harmonica and washboard, Speed Dial
Simmonds guitar, vocals and kazoo and Cripple Fingers piano.
Another band back by popular demand, the FoBo Jug Band are an acoustic stomping and hollering blues
trio, singing blues, country and ragtime classics from the early 1900s with
fantastic ability and love for the music they play. FoBo
are one of the most impressive ragtime and blues trios on the circuit.
Their sound is totally unique, an excitable
experience with their music full of toe-tapping joy... and not a jug in sight!”
You won’t find anything else like them.”
They have played gigs across the UK and
abroad: from the Ignite Jazz Sessions at the Royal Albert Hall; to the Crazy
Coq’s Cabaret, to The Bull’s Head in Barnes; to UK and International jazz and
blues festivals and have held monthly residencies at the Bar Nightjar in
Shoreditch and the Green Note in Camden
With one foot firmly rooted in the sounds of
the Mississippi, these three talented young men will hypnotise you with their
take on melodies of old. So if you like to holler and
stomp and party like it’s 1922, (2025) don’t miss them and a great gig.
Unfortunately, the boys don’t have a jug so
please come along and give generously.
DOORS AND LICENSED BAR OPEN AT 7.00PM
MUSIC AT 8.00PM
Tickets £12 on the door
Chad Strentz and the Chadillacs
Chad Strentz
guitar, vocals, Pete Farrugia guitar, vocals,
Orlando Shearer bass, upright bass, Mike Thorne drums.
Chad is known as one of the best blues
singers in Europe, and beyond. He has been singing since the age of 15,
starting his adventure singing Rock 'n' Roll & Rockabilly.
Chad's vocal style has matured over the years and he has a vast range of styles
he somehow manages to combine together, with his charismatic way of performing
on stage.
From Rock 'n' Roll to Country, Soul, & Rhythm & Blues, Chad covers all
these styles, and more, and puts his own stamp on them.
The Chadillacs are
all accomplished musicians in their own rights and together with Chad they
bring an exciting not to missed performance each time they take to the stage.
DOORS AND LICENSED BAR OPEN AT 7.00PM
MUSIC AT 8.00PM
Tickets £12 on the door
Dave Kelly solo
https://www.facebook.com/dave.kelly.393950/
David William Kelly, better known as the
legendary Dave Kelly, doesn’t really need any introduction here. Born out of
British Blues Boom in the late 60s and playing great slide guitar and with a
gifted blues vocals, Dave along with his late sister Jo-Anne** formed Tramp but
more famously they later joined the John Dummer Blues Band. Dave formed his own
Dave Kelly Blues Band but became a member of the highly successful Blues Band
(Paul Jones, Tom McGuinness, Hughie Flint, Gary Fletcher etc) when they formed
in 1979 and remained until they disbanded in 2022. In that time Dave became
known as a first-class exponent of the slide guitar and with a gifted blues
vocalist style, influenced by his American blues idols such as his friend and
touring partner Howlin’ Wolf.
** For those who don’t know, Jo-Annes music
can be still heard on You Tube and is well worth a listen.
DOORS AND LICENSED BAR OPEN AT 7.00PM
MUSIC AT 8.00PM
Tickets £12 on the door
October 10th
The Incredible
Blues Puppies
https://www.thebarcodes.co.uk/Pages-IBP/IBPhome.html
Alan Glen vocals, harmonica, Tim Hain
vocals, guitar, Bob Haddrell vocals, keys, Chris
Belshaw Bass,
Peter Miles drums, Belinda Campbell, vocals.
The
Blues Puppies are some of the best blues hounds around playing a mix of
original material and some of the best Blues classics.
Described
by Paul Jones on BBC Radio 2 as a dream line-up - one of the best blues bands
around' and echoed by
Humphrey
Lyttelton on BBC Radio 2 as down to earth, straight
ahead, no nonsense urban blues - these guys know their stuff'
Their
gig last year was knock out good blues and a great sound.
DOORS
AND LICENSED BAR OPEN AT 7.00PM
MUSIC AT 8.00PM
Tickets £12 on the door
Rag Mama Rag
Formed in 1991, the English duo Rag Mama Rag, have
consistently built up their reputation as one of Europe’s finest Country Blues
acts.
With an interesting and wide range of instruments, (Ashley Dow, Henderson
Acoustic Guitar, National & Dobro Resonator
Bottleneck Guitars, Weissenborn Acoustic Lap Steel, Ukulele and Vocals,
plus Deborah Dow, Harmonica, Washboard, Percussion and Backing Vocals), Rag Mama Rag create an exceptionally full and hard driving
rhythmic sound which soon has audiences feet tapping.
Their repertoire is 20s and 30s
Blues based, but extremely varied, encompassing Mississippi Blues, East
Coast Ragtime sounds, early White Country tunes, Original Compositions, and
many other regional styles of the 20s and 30s period.
After 30 odd years of touring, they are still on the road and have clocked up well over 2000 concerts
and have played at many major festivals in UK, France, Belgium and Germany
including Marigolds on many occasions.
DOORS AND LICENSED BAR OPEN AT 7.00PM
MUSIC AT 8.00PM
Tickets £12 on the door
Spikedrivers
http://www.spikedrivers.co.uk/aboutus.html
Ben Tyzack guitar, vocals, harmonica, Constance Redgrave bass, vocals,
percussion, Maurice McElroy drums, vocals & percussion, Roger Nunn vocals
& percussion.
Unfortunately, and very sadly, Spikedrivers
have decided to disband while they are at the top of their powers and this gig
will be one of their last hence this additional blues gig in December.
Spikedrivers have played at Marigolds since 2010 and it
will be nearly impossible to replace them with a band of equal ability and
entertainment value.
Spikedrivers are one of the most original,
innovative and exciting bands around. Four superb and talented musicians
demonstrating the mastery of their instruments and the pure pleasure they got
from performing whilst experimenting to evoke unusual and contemporary sounds
whilst keeping their feet firmly rooted in the past with the music they clearly
love.
Their combination of gutsy slide guitar,
rock-solid bass, infectious grooves and highly distinctive vocals, creates a
sound that is uniquely their own. They take you on a journey, from southern
juke-joints and lazy front porches to the huge open spaces of dust bowls and
railroad tracks disappearing into the distance.....
DOORS
AND LICENSED BAR OPEN AT 7.00PM
MUSIC AT 8.00PM
Tickets £12 on the door
Split Whiskers
https://www.splitwhiskers.co.uk/media
Gilby
J. Fletcher on vocals & blues harp, Johnny 'Magic Boy' Wright on vocals
& acoustic, resonator & electric guitars, Matt Willshaw on keys, Robbie Stewart-Mathews on bass, Rick Hudson on drums.
Returning
to Marigolds after several fantastic gigs in recent years Split Whiskers have their
roots firmly planted in Chicago blues, crossing into different genres with more
than a hint of the Delta. They are one of the busiest bands at blues venues
around the UK and are in particular in great demand on
the Festival circuit. As with all their previous gigs at Marigolds their superb
musicianship, along with their infectious humour on stage, promises a great
evening’s entertainment.
As their website says, paraphrasing the lyrics from, ‘Let the good
times roll’, ‘Go tell everybody Split
Whiskers are back in town, they got a dollar and a quarter and they're ready to
clown!
Paraphrasing Blues Matters magazine, they are a must
see band.
DOORS
AND LICENSED BAR OPEN AT 7.00PM
MUSIC AT 8.00PM
Tickets £12 on the door
2026
January
TBC
February
TBC
March
TBC