Café Rene Gloucester Rhythm and Blues Festival

Blues guitarist John Fairhurst will be just one highlight at this unmissable summer music fest.

Celebrating its 11th year running, much-loved music venue Café Rene will once again be playing host to the annual Gloucester Rhythm and Blues Festival, with a spectacular line-up sure to impress anybody bitten by the blues bug.

Taking place from Monday 29 July to Sunday 4 August 2013, the festival will showcase the biggest and the best in the world of rhythm and blues, from award-winning bands to intimate solo performances, all in aid of the venue’s chosen charity, which last year saw more than £2,300 raised for Macmillan Caner Support.

A real highlight on the Gloucestershire festival calendar for music lovers, the week-long feast of music takes place across two venues; the intimate stage of Café Rene itself and a nearby outdoor stage in the natural amphitheatre that is Greyfriars – so keep those fingers crossed for a bit of summer sun.

What’s more, festival-goers can look forward to not only a melting pot of music throughout the week, but also plenty of family-friendly entertainment, the Real Ale and Cider Festival, a mouth-watering pig roast and the famous Rene barbecue, and much more fun to be had.

While the full line-up of this year’s rocking musical bonanza is yet to be confirmed, see SoGlos’s picks of the weekend acts:

Saturday 3 August 2013

From busking on the streets to performing at Glastonbury Festival, the mighty blues guitarist John Fairhurst is set to treat the Café Rene crowd to some ‘blues, rock and roll, and everything else that’s damn fine’, when he takes the top spot at the Gloucester festival.

Other acts lined up include New Yorker Damon T; the one-man band that is Funke and the Two Tone Baby; Stroud-based collective Gotcha; six-piece festival favourites Land of the Giants; and genre-spanning The Infinite Collective.

Sunday 4 August 2013

Multi award-winning blues songstress Connie Lush, often hailed as the UK’s answer to Etta James or Tina Turner, will be hoping to blow the festival crowd away with her powerful pipes and gusto, when she headlines the final day of festivities.

Meanwhile, blues fans can also look forward to seeing acoustic singer-songwriter Jake Watson; Classic Rock favourite The Laurence Jones Band; rock trio The Worried Men; blues guitarist Innes Sibun; and critically-acclaimed blues rock stringman Aynsley Lister, on the Sunday.

What more could you ask for than great music, food and friends all in one place? Don’t miss this year’s 11th rhythm and blues spectacular at Café Rene – with free entry, there really is no excuse.

© SoGlos

Thursday 14 February 2013