Blues and BBQ Festival 1st full day

The first full day of the Blues and BBQ Festival was hot and annoyingly there were large no go areas in front of the two stages reserved for VIPs (of which Ron was one). But there was plenty of good music on offer. Best act for me, surprisingly, was Canadian singer/guitarist Sue Foley (pictured above) whose set included some old school R and B, blues and rock and roll. I particularly enjoyed 'Gaslight', 'Oh Why' and 'Barefoot Rock', a real rocker.

The first act of the day Les Getrex and Creole Cookin' was another performer who was new to me but he's been around in New Orleans for over 30 years and played in Fats Domino's band. Wearing a purple suit he certainly stood out visually and although his set comprised mostly covers of songs by Fats and Bobby Bland he was pretty good.

The next act, Sierra Green and the Giants, also looked good as Sierra was wearing a bright orange dress. But her Etta James style funky soul didn't do a lot for me.

Neither did the next act Joe Krown on keyboards, with Papa Mali providing convincing Dr John styled vocals on numbers like 'Such A Night','Don't You Just Know It' and 'Mardi Gras in New Orleans'.

Following this was a tribute to James Cotton featuring two seasoned blues veterans, Mark Hummel on harmonica and vocals, and Steve Freund on guitar. Stand out numbers were 'Don't Stop Me Talking', 'Rocket 88' and 'Boogie Man'. High quality blues I thought.

I was really looking forward to the next act Nikki Hill who I've always thought was a fantastic rock and roll artist. She still looks stunning and her voice is like being hit by an express train but her guitarist husband Matt Hill seems to be leading her towards heavy rock. Nonetheless I enjoyed such songs as 'Heavy Hearts Hard Fists', 'It's A Shame', 'Every Time I See You I Go Wow' and 'Don't Be The Sucker' from her album 'Feline Roots'.

Penultimate act of the day was Chris Thomas King, son of Tabby Thomas, wearing a top hat for some reason. He's an excellent guitarist as he showed on his opening numbers 'Hideaway' and 'The Thrill Has Gone', but by the end of his set he had strayed into Jimi Hendrix territory with 'Voodoo Child'.

Finally it was the turn of Lil Ed and The Blues Imperials who put on a polished and entertaining show. Wearing a pink suit and a glittering pink fez Ed's snarling guitar playing was first rate and a good way to close out the day.