IF you’ve been suffering from the January blues, the February blues are so much better.

Get your lugholes braced for the throaty parpin’ and howlin’ of blues harmonica player extraordinaire Will Wilde.

Described as the Hendrix of the harmonica, Will picked up the harp aged 16 and played it till his lips bled.

They must have healed up a bit now as he’s currently touring Germany but is interrupting that to come down this way next Saturday, February 7, for the second DA Blues session of the year at Dorchester Arts Centre.

He’s been nominated for the best blues harmonica category of the prestigious British Blues Awards in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 and, quite frankly, must be getting rather narked at not winning the blimmin’ thing.

So maybe 2015 will be Will’s year.

 

Will will be bringing his red-hot band with him too next Saturday and tickets are £13 from the box office on 01305 266926.

But if you can’t wait till next Saturday for your blues harp fix, head to the Royal Portland Arms, surprisingly situated on Portland, tonight, Friday January 30, for a gig by Norn Iron blues harp specialist Billy Boy Miskimmin and his band Mercy Lounge.

Billy’s toured the world with Nine below Zero and The Yardbirds so clearly knows his way around a gob iron.

The Belfast-based harmonica-ist had been hailed as “the best harp player I’ve heard since Pete Butterfield” by no less than Alice Cooper and it’s quite a coup for this bijou Portland boozerie Now then, all the mums love him, all the ladies of a certain age love him and quite a few blokes would like to give his cheeky Canadian chops a bit of a slap but there’s no getting away from the fact that Michael Bublé is pretty damn enormous right now.

Micky Bubbles, as he’s known round our house, is quite a phenomenon as is Dean Ager, arguably the UK’s leading Bublé tribute artist.

You can catch his award-winning show, complete with all the Bublé and squeak plus a good sized portion of Ratpack-style hits, at the Riviera Hotel in Weymouth next Friday, February 6. Tickets £10.

Right, that’s it for this week, I’m off to play with Apple’s new product, the iRon.

Till next time…

TONIGHT (30)

Death Remains, Griever, As Flames Rise, End Of Daze, Core of Io (Finn’s, Weymouth)

The Chase (Lazy Lizard, Weymouth)

Converse (Weymouth Working Mens Club, Mitchell St, Weymouth)

ACBBs (Park Hotel, Weymouth)

Mercy Lounge (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Sea Bass and The Fellas (Royal Oak, Quayside, Weymouth) J

am Night (The Lounge, Colwell Centre, Weymouth)

Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)

Tripod (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Shooter (Royal Exchange, Portland)

James Baker (Old Castle, Weymouth)

Mark Stacey (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Regulation 9 (Dolphin, Weymouth)

Darren H (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Johnny Mac (Black Dog, Weymouth)

The Skones (Clifton, Portland)

SATURDAY (31)

The Dolmen (Finn’s, Weymouth)

The Dinnerladies (Sailor’s Return, Weymouth)

Highly Likely (Weymouth Working Mens Club, Mitchell St, Weymouth)

Skatmandu (Park Hotel, Weymouth)

Leggomen (Lazy Lizard, Weymouth)

The Beat Cats (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Portland Rd, Weymouth)

Tim Andrews (Conservative Club, Weymouth)

Tom Caulfield (Royal Oak, Quayside, Weymouth)

Shelby’s Elbows (Ropemakers, Bridport)

The Unpredictables(Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Blue Rock (Tom Browns, Dorchester)

ACBBS (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Jack Rats (Goldies, Dorchester)

Replay (The Star, Weymouth)

Karen (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Jolly Boys Outing (Lugger, Chickerell, Weymouth)

Bob Mallet (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Left Right and Centre (Centenary Club, Weymouth)

The Rift (Punchbowl, Portland)

Mill Street Jazz Band (Weymouth Methodist Church)

Danny Adams (Belvedere, Weymouth)

SUNDAY (1)

Gut and Steel (Old Ship, Upwey, Weymouth) 2.30pm

Finn (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Sailor’s Return, St Nicholas St, Weymouth) From 3pm.

Jam Night (Sailor’s Return, Nicholas Street, Weymouth) Mark Stacey and friends host this regular Sunday acoustic jam session. Music from 8pm.

Sunday Session (Sydney Arms, Dorchester) Aaron Carter (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth) 3pm.

Steve Leach (Royal Oak, Quayside, Weymouth)

Ronnie the Singing Barber (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth) 2pm

MONDAY (2)

Dave Powell, Matt Black (Rendezvous, Weymouth)

Leggomen (Lazy Lizard, Weymouth)

TUESDAY (3)

Zoe Schwarz and Rob Koral (The Boot, Weymouth)

WEDNESDAY (4)

Dave P’s Open Mic Night (Rendezvous, Weymouth) From 8pm.

Wessex Folk Night (Sailors Return, Nicholas Street, Weymouth) Acoustic folk, here every Wednesday.

Open Mic Night (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth) 8pm.

THURSDAY (5)

Open Mic Surgery (Tom Brown’s, High East St, Dorchester) All backline provided, come on down and have a play.

Steve’s Singalong (Duke of Cornwall, St Edmund Street, Weymouth) Steve hosts this session, with guests joining in.

Traditional Tune Session (Cove House Inn, ChiswelI, Portland) Ukulele Sessions (Sailors Return, St Nicholas St, Weymouth) Strum on down from 8pm.

FRIDAY (6)

Dean Ager (Riviera Hotel, Weymouth) Buble tribute

The Chase (Lazy Lizard, Weymouth)

Darren H (Lugger, Chickerell, Weymouth)

Average Wyke Band (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Leggomen (Royal Oak, Quayside, Weymouth)

Jam Night (The Lounge, Colwell Centre, Weymouth)

Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)

Nina Garcia (Café Jagos, Dorchester)

Acoustic Session (Victoria Inn, Knights in the Bottom, Chickerell, Weymouth)

Steve Leach (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Vanilla Radio (Ropemakers, Bridport)