Goin' Up The Country Blues Club

15/09/2026

THE SWAPS on Friday September 25th
Tickets £16 contact [email protected]

Just some more information on the gig with the Swaps on Friday September 25th at Worthenbury. . The band will be now be a four piece and will be featuring its new drummer.

We are very excited about this gig. We saw the band at the UK Blues Awards in 2025 and we thought they were amazing and couldn’t wait to book them.

Acoustic guitarists James Knight and Adam Phillips weave beautiful patterns with their instinctive interplay whilst backing up the wonderful vocals of Beth Brooks. The dynamics and variety of textures they achieve with just two guitars and three vocals is quite astonishing.

Tickets cost £16 so please let me know if you’re coming. You can hear the band on our website
www.hookerblues.co.uk

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The home of Goin' up the Blues and Roots Club based at Worthenbury Village Hall near Wrexham, North Wales in the United Kingdom. Live blues and roots music perfomed by local, national and international artists.

03/09/2026

Hope you all had a good summer despite the heat. If you hit any festivals, did you see any talent you'd love to see again? Let us know in the comments.

We're about to enter an exciting time as Goin' Up The Country Blues Club heads into it's 30th year of presenting live blues, some exciting things are cooking, more on that to come.

Our first gig of the new season on September 25th is one we're really excited about, when the acoustic trio The Swaps make their first appearance in the region.

Acoustic guitarists James Knight and Adam Phillips create beautiful patterns with their instinctive interplay while backing up Beth Brooks' wonderful vocals. The dynamics and variety of textures they achieve with just two guitars and three vocals is quite astonishing.

Tickets are £16, so please let me know if you want to come [email protected]

Check out The Swaps page

28/06/2026

Hi everyone! Quick update about Fran McGillivray & Mike Burke – 3rd July at Worthenbury.

Sorry for the recent silence — I’ve had a complete internet meltdown for the last two weeks and I’ve now sold my soul to Starlink. It literally was the only option available to me.
Anyway… who wants tickets for next Friday’s gig? Shout up and I’ll sort you out.

07/06/2026

**Coming up next at Worthenbury**
FRAN McGILLIVARY & MIKE BURKE
Fri 3rd July • 8–11pm
Worthenbury Village Hall, Church Rd, Worthenbury, Wrexham LL13

We’re thrilled to welcome Fran McGillivray Band Page back to Worthenbury after around 15 years. Mike’s superb guitar work and Fran’s bass playing blend beautifully with their trademark vocal harmonies.

They’ve been part of the UK blues, roots and folk scene since the late ’70s and continue to shine, including recent work with The Spikedrivers in the Saints and Sinners project.

Tickets: £15
Reserve by emailing [email protected]

Enjoy a preview of their sound on YouTube:

Album: Midnight Call | Official Website: https://www.franmike.com/ ...

05/06/2026

For those who couldn't make it to tonight's amazing show with Teed Up here's a catch up

01/06/2026

🎶 Live Blues This Friday!
Join us on Friday 5 June at Worthenbury as we welcome Teed Up, a top‑class blues band making their first appearance with us, although some of the members aren't strangers to us.
Steve Roux, Ray Drury, Steve Browning and Bernie Fox bring decades of experience and some incredible musical history.

🕢 Doors & bar: 7:15pm
💷 Please bring cash for the bar and our legendary interval raffle.
🚗 Parking: Street parking only — please be considerate of our neighbours when arriving and heading home.

🎟 Tickets £18 – reserve at [email protected]
▶️ Hear them: youtu.be/9E_qygUGoic?si=FpnelbhynGO1xOpF

And don’t miss Fran McGillivray Band Page & Mike Burke returning on Friday 3 July – tickets £15. A brilliant mix of contemporary roots and blues.

Playing live at Dusty's Blues Club on the 2 March 2016.

19/05/2026

19/05/2026

Saturday at the 1st International Blues Festival in Jersey was an equally brilliant follow up to date 1 featuring the smooth soulful blues of Johnny Rawls followed by Thornetta Davis, the best American female singer I think I’ve heard. She was sensational. The headliner was John Primer backed by the crack French ‘house ‘ band and Mike Gest on keys and of course Giles Robson on harp.

This really was one of the best festivals I’ve been to.
Set in the beautiful old Royal Square in the centre of St Helier which was packed but still comfortable, it was supported by excellent street food vendors… and the best thing was that it was a free event!

Chatting to an ecstatic Giles on Sunday evening at his birthday bash in the Blue Note Music Bar ( where we had a brilliant jam involving all of the American guests) , it seems quite possible that this could be an annual event as the main sponsors were very pleased with the outcome.
I for one will certainly be returning.
Many congratulations Giles for all of your hard work in putting this together.

19/05/2026

What an amazing weekend of blues at the 1st Jersey International Blues Festival at Saint Helier organised by Jersey native and top harmonica king Giles Robson

These are some photos from Friday evening showcasing Robbin Kapsalis (Giles’ wife), Toronzo Cannon. Giles Robson, Dino Baptiste and Mike Gest on keys, Manny Fizzotti on guitar, Pascal Delmas on drums and Antoine Escalier on bass