Bare Knuckle Blues to celebrate milestone

A BAND from Sidmouth won’t have the blues when they celebrate a century of gigs.

Five-piece Bare Knuckle Blues are set for their 99th and 100th public performances – seven years after staging their first practise session in someone’s back garden.

The quintet– made up of a Tesco worker, plumber, brick-layer, district council employee and plasterer – were formed off-the-cuff by lead guitarist Bob Carter in the summer of 2004.

The ‘in your face’ rhythm and blues outfit had never played together before. They’ve since released two CD albums.

Bob, drummer Harry Humphries, bass player Rick Boraston, keyboard player Richard Tusom, and singer and front-man Simon Hudson, say they still get on like a house on fire.

The band will be 99-not-out when they perform at Sidmouth Cricket Club next Saturday, October 29, and a week later will hold their 100th gig at the Black Horse pub on November 5. Both sets will take place from 9.30pm to midnight.

“I realised straight away that we had something that was going to work,” said founder Bob, 54, of Russell Street.

“I didn’t expect the band to get off the ground.

“I’m quite surprised we’re still going, but we’re all very good friends and have a good laugh.

“One-hundred gigs is a bit of a milestone and, hopefully, we can carry on.

“We’ve never had any reason to fall out with each other, which is quite unheard of in a band.”

Bare Knuckle Blues play at the Volunteer every year during FolkWeek and at the pub’s annual cancer charity fundraiser.

The band have performed a New Year’ Eve gig for the last three years at the Cannon Inn in Newton Poppleford as the landlady gives them a free rehearsal space.