Cotham Club
presents:
JOHNNY MARS BLUES BAND:
BLUE YULE!

Blues, Blues Christmas: swaggering, no-nonsense, American electric blues.

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A BRISTOL BLUES GIG OF RARE QUALITY, FEATURING THE POWERFUL HARMONICA WAILS AND IMPASSIONED VOCALS OF JOHNNY MARS, THE 'JIMI HENDRIX OF THE HARMONICA': RAW, ARDENT, HIGH OCTANE MUSIC CUT TO THE BONE.

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Stompin' Delta and Chicago blues from one of the great blues veterans, a driving, every-note-matters harmonica virtuoso and strongly emotive, straight-from-the-soul singer who first started playing clubs in the late 50's, has worked with everyone from Earl Hooker to Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), B.B. King to Bananarama ('Preacher Man'), and is still invigorated by a youthful spirit.

Johnny Mars casts a steady light on the shadowy themes that have always charged the bittersweet potency of the blues: loneliness, despair, poverty, murder, bad luck, evil, and dying. But by finding quiet anger, or comfort, even joy, in the honest expression of pain and struggle, he shows that a blues song can help light the path to salvation.

And few artists in recent times have demonstrated more vivaciously than Johnny Mars that the blues is no less a medium for humour, satire, social commentary, and blistering boogies. With natural showmanship and a generous musical heart, backed by a full electric band, and hitting the audience with one fantastic song after another, he does what he does best, fires up the crowd and gets people dancing, whether they claim to love blues or not.

This is true blues - there is no more exciting sound to bring the night alive.

'The raw music making had an immediate vitality.'
Jazzwise Magazine

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For further concerts in the 2024 Cotham Club season, visit: hdfst.uk/cotham-club

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Cotham Club: a brilliant, eclectic monthly live global music club with a passion for community at its core.

Music, with all its subtlety and spirit, has immense power to unite people. It is the universal language of mankind. The sounds of Africa, America, Eurasia and Oceania have always found a home in Bristol and there are few better examples of the city's cultural cross-pollination than Cotham Club, a celebration in sound of what unites rather than divides. Each month we showcase some of the most diverse and brilliant musicians from Bristol and beyond, linking audiences to great music and to each other.

'Community-focused gigs welcoming an array of global musicians and gig-goers of all ages, genders, neurotypes and ethnicities.'
Bristol 24/7

epic cross-generational gigs (+) grassroots vibes (+) warmest crowds (in) brilliant space (w/) unique atmosphere (+) intimate feel (=) great night out

Facebook: facebook.com/cotham.club
Instgram: instagram.com/cotham.club

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Book tickets:
standard ticket prices (unless otherwise indicated): £14 in advance | £16 on the door | £5 concessions | £2 under-18s

in advance:
from Headfirst Bristol online ticket shop: hdfst.uk/cotham-club
all tickets bought online should be printed or presented on your mobile phone/device

on-the-door:
tickets available in person from 7pm (subject to availability)

discounts:
● £5 concession tickets are available for: recipients of Universal and Pension Credit or Jobseekers Allowance; full time students (NUS or valid student ID card); people with registered disabilities; and members of the Musicians' Union (The MU)
● £2 concession tickets are available for: accompanied under-18s
● free tickets are available for: asylum seekers/refugees; personal/care assistants or essential companions; and accompanied under-5s

pay-it-forward:
if you're feeling generous and you have the means, please consider choosing this rate | each Pay It Forward ticket helps to subsidise concession tickets, and enables us to engage all communities of Bristol, helping more people experience the delight of watching live music
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Venue address:
Cotham Parish Church, Cotham Road (top of St Michael's Hill), Cotham, Bristol, BS6 6DR

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Drink & eat:
choose from a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (including wine, beer, and cider), hot drinks, soft drinks and snacks

Access:
level access from street to foyer, box office, auditorium, bar and toilets

Toilets:
accessible/wheelchair accessible toilets available

Travel:
bus: Firstbus service 72 (Bristol Temple Meads Station to UWE Frenchay Campus): firstbus.co.uk

train: 10 minute walk from Clifton Down Train Station: gwr.com | 15 minute walk from Redland Train Station: gwr.com

walking: 15 minute walk up St Michael's Hill from Christmas Steps | 10 minute walk from Everyman Cinema, Whiteladies Road | 15 minute walk from The Arches, Cheltenham Road

Car parking:
on-street parking available | limited on-site accessible parking available for Blue Badge holders

Entry requirements: no age restrictions — Read more — Read less