Several members of the Nottingham Blues Society spent the weekend at The Butlins Rock and Blues Festival in Skegness. Here we share our experience of the festival and photographs and videos. If you would like to add your own review or tell us about your weekend at The Butlins Rock and Blues Festival then send it to us on an email and we'll publish it here. tony@nottinghambluessociety.com
If you took any photographs at the festival then why not enter our Photography Competition. It's open to everyone
Sue's Views - Sue Hicking - Nottingham Blues Society Secretary
I cannot understand Butlin's grading system for Standard, Silver and Gold but I was more than happy with our full board “Standard Apartment” when we arrived with our baggage on Friday afternoon. We no sooner closed the door behind us when the snow came down heavily and settled. Time for a cuppa, so I located the bag with the tea, coffee and sugar in and promptly spilled sugar all over the floor. No brush and dustpan to be found so I cleaned it up as best I could and that area of the spare bedroom became a no go area for the rest of the weekend. Ho hum.
We turned all the heaters up full, closed the curtains and went for our evening meal before getting ready for the night's entertainment. Fortunately our friends Barry and Caroline had a place near the front of the queue for Centre Stage and we broke our vow not to queue and joined them. We settled near the front and just about had enough space for our other friends Simon and Marie who had arrived late and would join us later. With a wheelchair and mobility scooter this was no mean feat!
Up, breakfast and ready on Saturday morning the snow was still on the ground and dangerously icy underfoot, but the sun was shining and the sky was blue. Once again we queued for a decent seat in Centre Stage with our friends and enjoyed the afternoon's proceedings. During our wanderings and outside visits for a cigarette, we bumped into many friends and acquaintances we have got to know over the festival years and it was great to catch up and chat.
The afternoon music opened with an enjoyable acoustic set from Gary Fletcher of The Blues Band, followed by another acoustic set from his fellow band member Dave Kelly and the superb Maggie Bell. The afternoon rocked to a close with Animals and Friends, always a festival favourite with a mix of old and new numbers.
Unfortunately the DJ for the weekend in Centre Stage chose to play music very loudly between the acts all weekend, so this made conversation very difficult. The DJ in Reds was more considerate.
Opening the show was Ben Waters Band, and they kicked off with some excellent boogie piano blues, setting a real festival atmosphere. I shall definitely look out for these guys again.
More loud music and difficult conversation followed, and Tony and I managed to locate our missing friends and they joined us for the rest of the evening.
Next up was The Blues Band, and as always they entertained with a variety of numbers and shared vocals from Paul, Dave, Gary and Tom. One of the most enjoyable sets we've seen from this band.
We didn't stay for The Yardbirds. Frankly this band should have a different name as there's nothing much left of the original band, and we weren't too impressed the last time we saw them. This prompted an ongoing debate about when does a band become a tribute band? We retired to our apartment and stifled in the sub tropical heat from the very efficient heaters which we had to turn down so we could sleep.
Back to Centre Stage, we found Barry and Caroline and squeezed into the seat they had managed to hold on to for The Mick Taylor Band. I can't say I was particularly impressed, and was mostly preoccupied with a leaky glass of cider which I had to drink in a hurry before I lost it all. On top of a few Jack Daniels I was pleasantly numb for the maniacal Eddie &The Hot Rods. What a great evening!
Sunday morning dawned, another blue sky sunny day but still very cold with patches of snow and ice around. Breakfast, ready and out, we first of all visited the Front Room for a bit of NBSoc business. Simon and Marie had decided to go home, so that just left Tony, me, Barry and Caroline, and we joined the queue outside Centre Stage again. Frankly the afternoon's entertainment wasn't anything to get excited about, but we managed to chat a bit and it was a pleasant afternoon all in all.
We would have liked to have gone to Reds on Sunday night for Deborah Bonham, and from all accounts she did a super set, with Chantel joining her. However we once again queued for Centre Stage and had a brilliant night with Roadhouse, Stan Webbs Chicken Shack and Nine Below Zero who did a stunning set. We can't be everywhere, more's the pity. We didn't stay for Oli Brown but I'm sure he was as good as ever.
All in all a great weekend, and I'm looking forward to reading about the experiences of others who went. For me it was especially good with great company to share it with.
Dinner, change and back to queue, this time outside Reds. The evening kicked off with The Jay Tamkin Band. Our first time, we were impressed with his obvious skill and musical talent, but his stage persona bordered on silly at times. With experience and a little maturity this lad should go far, but sometimes less is more.
Next came the lovely Chantel MacGregor with her band, and having seen her before we knew we were in for a treat. She was on top form and absolutely blew us away with a stunning performance. For us the best band of the weekend.
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