Luckily for Hastings and St Leonards, the very accomplished blues rock guitarist Laurence Jones will play at The Piper on 21 February. Thirty two years old and born just outside Liverpool, Jones learned classical guitar from a very early age, and has gone on to win four British Blues Awards, including ‘Young Artist of the Year’ for three consecutive years.

Listening to his latest album Bad Luck & The Blues it is perhaps no surprise that his riff-driven songs and emotional solos were inspired by listening to his father’s vinyl collection. In fact the magic of Jones’ own music is the astute balance he achieves between time honoured 70s classic rock and a contemporary approach. A nostalgic listen, the album brings to mind Rory Gallagher, Tony McPhee, Robin Trower et al. It has a power and energy that recalls all of these and other great blues guitarists, while aiming perhaps as much for perfection, as for originality. 

The album reached number 1 in the ‘Official UK Charts’ and he was voted in the ‘Top 10 Best Blues Rock Guitar players in the world today’ by Music Radar. He has shared stages with major luminaries – Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, the late Jeff Beck and Johnny Winter, Status Quo, and many others. He has also appeared at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the Royal Albert Hall and New York’s Carnegie Hall. The legendary, universally influential blues guru, Buddy Guy, once likened Laurence to “a young Eric Clapton”, and in 2017 invited the youngster (then just 25) to join him onstage at the Holland International Blues Festival.

Virtuoso Jones’ voice is soulful and gritty. He is known for being a songwriter, but his recent sets have also usually included highly-praised Hendrix covers. Whilst he is part of a long line of British rock guitarists there is something quintessentially American about his song structures, the vocal harmonies and the strident guitar riffs.

Jones’ band is clearly world class, and the fact that acts of this calibre are being hosted at a grassroots venue in the heart of St Leonards says a great deal for the quality of the venue and the enthusiasm of the fans. This promises to be a memorable gig so if there are tickets available today and you love the blues, don’t delay. 

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Laurence Jones plays The Piper, St Leonards, on Friday 21 February at 7pm. Tickets £22, available at thepiper.club/events


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HIPArtsMusicBritish Blues Awards,Laurence Jones,The PiperLuckily for Hastings and St Leonards, the very accomplished blues rock guitarist Laurence Jones will play at The Piper on 21 February. Thirty two years old and born just outside Liverpool, Jones learned classical guitar from a very early age, and has gone on to win four British Blues...The Hastings & St Leonards non-profit community newspaper