The Colne Blues Festival (Colne and Nelson Rugby Union Club), 25th August, 2002.
Reproduced by kind permission of Blues Matters Magazine.

On the Sunday afternoon, I returned to the Festival on my two-wheeled Bluesmobile and found myself at the Festival Campsite at the Colne and Nelson Rugby Union Club. As I entered the Club I heard the sound of Rory Gallagher. Of course it wasn’t Rory, but it was the next best thing and that is the Mexboro’ based Raw Gallagher. Playing a selection of Rory’s numbers, the fans in this small venue were shaking their heads and cheering enthusiastically whist the band played Continental Op, Shadowplay, the fantastic Million Miles Away and Laundromat. Steve White’s Sunburst Strat rang true and clear through his Tech 21 amp whist the rhythm section of Ron, now sporting a Lenin-style beard, was keeping the beat on his Palmer-necked Fender bass, coupled with the highly energetic John on drums. This band is truly excellent and should, if there is any justice in life, be at a far bigger venue at next years Festival, organisers please note.

The band continued with Walk on Hot Coals, another marathon song, Tattoo’d Lady, and a brilliant Catfish Blues, which showed the groups credentials as a serious blues band. A request for Moonchild was granted and very well played before the more jaunty See You Later (we think he means Secret Agent) complete with an impromptu riff from Fleetwood Mac’s Formula One theme. The beautiful song, The Last Time completed another great set by Raw Gallagher at the Rugby Club.

Steve Lally