Town gearing up to sing the blues at new music festival

Several thousand visitors are expected to flock to the town over the Bank Holiday weekend of May 27 to May 30 to see 50 bands from across Britain, Europe and the USA playing in a variety of venues including the Trades Club, Hebden Bridge Picture House and Calder Homes Park.

As the festival will concentrate on artists performing new material and taking the blues into the next decade, rather than those who have been on the road playing the same sets for many years, there has been a lot of interest nationally.

One of the organisers, Hebden Bridge businessman, Jason Elliott, said: “It’s great to have the opportunity to bring so many high-calibre musicians into Hebden Bridge. We’ve had bands from all over the world, particularly the USA, contacting us in the hope of getting a slot so the quality of the acts is extremely high.

“Another great benefit of an event like this is the amount of revenue generated for the local economy. This many people coming to the town for a long weekend will certainly give a welcome boost to some of our local business in these tough times.”

Full details have yet to be finalised, but some of the fastest-selling events are likely to be the appearance of American blues star Lance Lopez on his first visit to Britain and supported by Bex Marshall. Another blues outfit, 24 Pesos, will be performing in a marquee in the park, Paddy Milner and Marcus Bonfanti will play together at the Trades Club while Jon Amor will headline the closing party. A Women of Blues night is planned for the Picture House, headlined by Chantel McGregor.

The hub of the Hebden Bridge Blues Festival will be the Trades Club which, together with hosting the opening and closing night gigs, will be running a special “midnight jamming” hour where artists who have been playing at other venues during the day will get the chance to play together.

The festival’s reach will spread across the town with several of the local pubs and bars putting on bands.

With so many people in town, organisers are also employing a team of litter-pickers to try and keep Hebden Bridge looking at its best as well as arranging for additional temporary recycling facilities to be installed.