Giles Robson and The Dirty Aces have been getting some serious attention on the British music scene of late. Sure, we love ‘em.. Giles has featured in Blues in Britain a couple of times in the last year.. but you’d perhaps not expect the likes of Tom Robinson and Chris Evans to be singing their praises on the BBC.

However, when you listen to the effortless ease with which the boys swing through The Mighty Incinerator (the lead track from the upcoming album Crooked Heart Of Mine), it’s easy to understand the plaudits they’ve been getting and just what a force they’ve become. Giles is a terrfic harp player, no doubt, but this is great ensemble playing. He meshes superbly with his song writing partner and zippy lead guitarist Filip Kozlowski, Ian Jennings slapping the bull fiddle and Mike Hellier thumping the skins.

Grab this track, then go see ‘em!

Download: ‘The Mighty Incinerator’

Tour:

Tuesday April 26th – The Musician, Leicester
Tuesday 10th May – Blues Kitchen, Camden, London (album release party)
Wednesday 11th May – Greystones, Sheffield
Friday 13th May – Cleethorpes Pleasure Island, Cleethorpes
Sunday 15th May – The Hope Tavern, Holton-Le-Moor, nr. Market Rasen
Monday 16th May- The Famous Monday Blues Club, The Bullingdon, Oxford

- by Keith Shackleton

Giles Robson is based in Jersey, in the Channel Islands, which have a special status within Britain. Harmonica player and singer Giles fronts The Dirty Aces with his song writing partner and guitarist Filip Kozlowski; Ian Jennings is on bass and Mike Hellier is on drums. The band, which is Mud Morganfield’s touring band of choice in the UK, has an album coming out, called Crooked Heart of Mine, which they will launch in May. I interviewed Giles by phone when he was in Jersey, the day before the band flew to Poland to finish recording the album.

Canadian acoustic artist Matt Andersen has been touring in the UK in March, but Michael Ford of Brontë Blues Club interviewed him on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, in January, while they were sailing in the Caribbean. Matt was on board because he won the 26th International Blues Challenge, in Memphis last year. The trip was part of the award. Matt will play at Glastonbury this year.

No festival reports this month means we have been able to catch up with the backlog of live reviews, some from last year, of which there are many. Thank you to all our contributors, reviewers, photographers and this month’s extra editors; your work is invaluable!

The blues scene continues to thrive, whatever is thrown at it. We have more gigs in the gig guide than four pages can properly accommodate; you have to use a magnifying glass to read some of it! Good news from Parliament suggests that the stringent restrictions imposed on small music venues are likely to be relaxed soon. Go out this Spring and enjoy some blues!

Fran Leslie

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Trevor Hodgett landed an interview with Hammond player James Taylor who was playing at the Guinness Blues On The Bay Festival. You can read this very frank article as well as Trevor’s review of the festival. Reviewer Bob Chaffey went to the Boogaloo Weekend at Alvaston Hall in Cheshire and has sent in his report of the festival. It sounds like fun.

We have two e-letters this month. Harmonica player and frontman, Giles Robson and his band The Dirty Aces are touring in July with Mud Morganfield from Chicago, one of Muddy Waters’ sons. Giles has sent in an e-letter to describe how they got together and what to expect. They will be promoting the album Mud and The Dirty Aces: Live, which they recorded in Jersey, where Giles comes from.

Feed Me is a very youthful band from Cumbria, which won the Maryport Battle of the Bands and the right to open the Maryport Festival. In his e-letter, guitarist Jamie Francis introduces the band, which has opened up for visiting artists and is beginning to tour in its own right. The band’s album Blood On the Moon is all ready selling well at gigs.

As we go to press, there is a busy blues weekend coming up and it looks like July will be the same. There are so many festivals that when the press release for the Edinburgh Blues Festival came in, late, there was no room in the gig guide. There are some great artists playing there, including Canned Heat Woodstock Reunited Band , which has three members of the original Canned Heat. More details of that and loads of other festivals are in the Blues News pages.

Make the most of all the wonderful music being played this summer. With the economy as it is, we may not get the opportunity so often from now on. I will be going to the Ealing Festival on 24th July. Perhaps I will see you there.

Fran Leslie

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