Mike Gledhill & friends entertain the Wednesday Market shopping crowd with good old fashioned acoustic Blues & Americana, fuelled by Joules.
Mike Gledhill hosts this year’s festival Leek Blues & Americana Acoustic Session.
Now a regular monthly feature at the Cock Inn, expect some of the local areas amazing musical talent on display includeing Jaxhill, Pete Latham, Bill Dyson amongst others.
Phil and Mike met at university many moons ago. We wrote songs and played them in folk and blues clubs across the midlands. We lost touch for many years as jobs and families took centre stage. We’re back playing live now, growing older disgracefully and having a very good time.
Lo- Fi Rock n Soul & Rockabilly fueled with energy!!
Cajun, Zydeco, Swamp ‘n’ Roll from the bayous of Staffordshire
“For the past 25 years Elvis Fontenot have turned traditional cajun and zydeco music, eclectic covers and original songs into their own trademark high energy Swamp’n’Roll. Expect an infectious and danceable good time.”
Local acoustic open mic host Pete brings alittle bit of country to the mean streets of Leek
Singer-songwriter Benjamin Bassford is a dynamic and versatile artist whose retertoire spans Blues, Roots, Folk and Country. While tipping his hat to the greats, Benjamin brings his own cards to the table to create a unique and innovative style.
Liam Ward is one of the UK’s most respected harmonica players. He is a winner of the National Harmonica League Player of the Year, and fronts his own band, The Liam Ward Band, as well as playing with the Rumblestrutters and The Jake Leg Jug Band among others.
‘Benjamin has certainly put himself up there with the best’ – Blues Matters Magazine
‘Liam Ward is a great harmonica player!’ – Paul Jones, BBC Radio 2
Steve Ajao and Stewart Johnson combine the musical influences of early country blues, invoking the sound of the Mississippi Delta juke joints. They embrace material from a wide collection of artists including Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and many more.
If you like hoodoo harmonica and electric blues,
Automatic Annie is the blues band for you.
Their combined musical experience
is a genuine vintage number.
Jump on This Train and get your Mojo Working.
Enjoy the ride with Automatic Annie and their electric blues machine.
All Aboard!
Ged Wilson is now well established on the British blues scene. He has toured the nation and has three albums under his belt. With much radio airplay and favourable reviews Ged is now starting to make his mark.
The Bluesmakers, the former John Waterhouse blues band from North Staffs, still going strong after 30 years!
Zacc Rogers performs using the latest looping technology to create a sound scape which includes beat boxing, harmonica and guitar. All this is done live in front of the audience (no prerecording). Zacc also likes to perform songs which are as traditional and as far away from modern technology as you can get. At the heart of Zacc’s music is a strong Blues sound but he also blends and brings to the mix elements of Soul, Jazz, Yee-Haa, Rock & Roll, Gospel, Folk and Reggae.
Anders is an artist and songwriter from Fauske in Nordland, starting his band career early in the teens, where he sang and played the guitar. He comes from a musical home with several singers and musicians, and has sung in several genres over the years, but country music is closest to his heart. Anders is today also vocalist in Dusty Boots, one of the most popular country bands in the Norwegian northern counties.
Lawson Vallery:
Lawson Vallery sure has come a long way since taking guitar lessons from Roy Orbison. He grew up in the Texas oil fields listening to WSM radio broadcasting songs from the Grand Old Opry about cowboys, broken hearts and trains. At 15 years old he quit school and took to the sea as a sailor, and worked as cook on an oil tanker. At the age of 17 he entered the military, and after three years as a soldier, he returned to civilian life in the south of Louisiana and worked as a welder in the oil industry. It was the oil industry that led Lawson to Stavanger and Norway, as project co-ordinator for the construction of two offshore platforms. Poetry and music have always been a passion, but one he kept in his back pocket until just a few years ago. In 2011 he published a collection of poems and lyrics in his book, From The Heart. Regular work with his band has led Lawson Vallery to being commissioned to perform for the US embassy in Norway, as well as the 4th of July festival. Lawson was also one of the vocalists at the All-Star event that paid tribute to his friend Kris Kristofferson in Oslo. Lawson Vallery Band is made up of first class musicians, people who have worked with acts like Mercury Motors, Grenseland, Kenny Loggins, Joe Sun, Paul McCartney and Casino Steel. The album “TEXIANA” was released to great reviews in June 2018.
Lawson Vallery Band:
Lawson Vallery – vocals
Tone Stojka – guitar, pedal-steel
Erik Nielsen – harmonica
Thor-Erik Molstad Johansen – bass, vocals
Tracee Meyn – vocals
Øyvind Hansen – drums