The Ealing Blues Festival 27-28 July: Highlights
The Ealing Blues Festival is one of a trio of annual events held over a series of weekends every summer in Walpole Park, Ealing, London. The others are Jazz and Comedy. Watch out for a review of the Jazz Festival in the near future. They are great value, very manageable and the blues and jazz festivals feature wonderful, world-class, musicians. I have to say that they are my favourite small/medium festivals in the calendar.
A nice manageable festival and a lovely appreciative crowd.
The history of the festival is interesting and it’s worth noting that it was founded by the Ealing-born musician, Bob Salmons (a.k.a. Robert Hokum) who remained the Artistic Director until his retirement in 2024. The festival also the celebrates the heritage and historical proximity to the Ealing Blues Club, founded by Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies in 1962, and which was the cradle of the British electric blues boom of the 1960s and formative for the development of the UK’s classic rock scene. So the EBF has important cultural positioning in the UK’s popular music landscape.
The Ealing Blues Club stand at the Festival.
A fabulous weekend lineup over two stages.
This year I was only able to attend the Saturday but here’s a quick take…
The Hornets are a wonderfully spirited group, playing high energy R&B of the genotype popular in London 60 years ago. Guitarist, Bailey Penny, was a standout and looks like a hybrid of Buddy Holly and Hank Marvin. Great drumming from last minute dep, Mark Freeman. Fantastic uplifting energy all round. These guys buzz and will make your day -don’t miss them!
Bailey Penny of The Hornets.
Kindred Spirit played the Park Stage. They are a captivating, prog-tinged, folk-rock quintet led by Elaine Samuels on acoustic guitar. Stevie Mitchell played flute and sax with nods to the late Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues. The band delivered a lovely, retro, floaty, sound with haunting vocals. If you are lucky enough to catch them you’ll feel you have been transported back to a festival in 1969 and the next bands on stage will be Fairport Convention and Pentangle.
Elaine Samuels of Kindred Spirit.
Chris Corcoran Big Band are a horn-heavy (2 x tenor saxes, trumpet) hard driving blues band. They blasted their way through an instrumental only set of blues standards. Band leader, Chris, on electro-acoustic guitar, was remarkable.
Chris Corcoran Big Band horn section
Paul Cook Blues Band featuring Katie Bradley. An outstandingly disciplined and virtuosic band! Paul Cook (not to be confused with the eponymous member of the Sex Pistols) on drums drove the ensemble through a diverse range of numbers. Gary Baldwin was exceptional on keys and Katie Bradley fronted the band with powerful and confident vocals.
Katie Bradley fronts the Paul Cook Band.
Jump 66: Charismatic frontman, Paul Kissaun, led these crowd favourites through a storming set of blues, jump and swing numbers. The melodramatic antics of Paul King on double bass were highly entertaining.
Paul Kissaun of Jump 66.
Selwyn Birchwood: if you don’t know him please, please track him down. He’s one of the best American electric bluesmen ever. He and his band headlined the main stage on Saturday night ighly energetic and immensely entertaining. A great guitarist too. His secret weapon is Regi Oliver who drives the rhythms and bass lines with his baritone sax but can bang out virtuosic solos, too. His signature piece “Don’t call no ambulance” brings the proverbial roof down every time.
Selwyn Birchwood -surely one of the most high energy and entertaining blues musicians out there.
The SB band’s unique driving style is augmented massively by the dark growling grooves of Regi Oliver’s baritone sax.
