Burnley Blues Festival this weekend!

With the arrival of the one-day 23rd annual Burnley Blues Festival, the town will soon be rocking out to the sound of

live music.

The main event is a one-day concert on Saturday at the Burnley Mechanics in Manchester Road with the son of a blues legend headlining it promised to be a brilliant show.

Bernard Allison, son of the late, great Luther Allison, possesses the guitar feel and vocal intonations necessary to carry his music into the next century. He knows the energy level necessary to hold his audiences and combines showmanship and spontaneity to push his performance in innovative directions.

For the first time in more than a decade Bernard Allison and his full American band return to the home of British blues to play the Burnley National Blues Festival.

Joining him will be national guitar favorites Todd Sharpville, Aynsley Lister and Chantel McGregor.

Aynsley Lister’s recent crossover into blues-meets-well-written-rock territory has been well-received by press and public alike confirming his international reputation as one of Britain’s best blues rock guitarists a path that Chantel McGregor is now treading, with sold-out signs at gigs all over the country indicating that on their own these are two mighty English blues performers

For more information and tickets call 01282 664400 or log on to www.burnleymechanics.co.uk

On the fringe

The FREE Fringe Festival at The Bridge Beir Huis, The Talbot and The Coach & Horses will run from Thursday through the Easter weekend.

The bands at the Bridge are: Thursday – 9 p.m. The Blackjacks. Friday – 3 p.m. Rob Livesey, 6 p.m. Scott Whitley, 9 p.m. Doc Brown’s Blue Band. Saturday – 3 p.m. Twisted Wheel, 6 p.m. Backwater Blues, 9 p.m. Ofay. Sunday – 3 p.m. Moons of Venus, 6 p.m. Dean Casement Trio, 9 p.m. International Rescue.

At the Talbot: Friday – 6 p.m. Linus, 10 p.m. Subliminals. Saturday – 2 p.m. Right Band Wrong Planet, 6 p.m. The Mockingbirds, 10 p.m. Hallowed. Sunday – 3 p.m. Uptown Band, 8 p.m. Shyster.