Roadhouse Live at the Blues Bar Harrogate – 23/8/2013
From the expanses of the big stage at the Cambridge Rock Festival to Simon & Sharon Colgan’s iconic little venue in the heart of Harrogate. Personal issues on band members made it appropriate the hire a tour bus for the weekend and setting off on bank Holiday Friday at 11am we were lucky t make the gig. the traffic was at an all time bad and pulled up at the Blues Bar at around 19.20 (We could have driven to Germany in that time). We set up close and personal on the little stage and as usual for this cool place kicked off to a full house of music lovers.

Roadhouse live in Harrogate - Photo by Steve Dulieu
Roadhouse live in Harrogate – Photo by Steve Dulieu

Due to the fact that the Colne festival was on this weekend, there was not as much hard core roadhouse support in the room. Its a real shame that after our 7 successive years on the big British stage at Colne, with 3 shut outs due to packed numbers, that we do not play there any more. Our record Company (Blues Matters at the time) lost that stage and as a consequence we’ve not even been considered to return, still who said that life was fair! So we threw a few covers into the set. The crowd response to ‘Hell On Wheels’ was great and they loved Mandie belting out ‘Blues Motel’ and Sarah’s superb version of the ‘Big Easy’. It’s brilliant to see loads of new people loving the original songs. we played Not Fade Away for the first time in ages and we even gave the girls a rest for Danny, Bill Roger and I to slog our way through an epic version of ‘All along The Watchtomwer’

Roadhouse at the Blues Bar - Photo by Steve Dulieu
Roadhouse at the Blues Bar – Photo by Steve Dulieu

The first half was packed and then as it drew near the witching hour the crowd thinned out a bit. But there was still time for ‘Preacher Man’ to send everyone off happily into the night.
Rocking the Blues Bar - Photo by Steve Dulieu
Rocking the Blues Bar – Photo by Steve Dulieu

Our 4th great gig at this venue, give it your support
Gary