The three day Bentworth Blues Weekend now in its eighth year is a
benchmark of what a fun weekend of Blues should be about. It’s
difficult to cover all twenty acts so forgive the subjectivity and
brevity.

The festival opened in fine style on Friday with The Robin Bibi Band
and Jules Benjamin on the Main Stage. Benjamin operates as a one-man
hurricane on guitar and keyboard delivering a diverse range of
material.  In contrast, “hard workin’ and hard rockin’ Bibi offered a
more time-honoured driving blues.

So not to be outdone, Pete Harris Blues Band hit Saturday’s Arena
Stage with a fine kicking boogie performance. The next act The Jon
Walsh Band with ace harp player Hugh Burden brightened up the gloomy
glowering sky never losing the tempo set up by Harris’ previous solid
set.

Meanwhile back on the Main Stage Trafficker with guitarist Tommy Allen
and his new line-up of Chris Lomas on bass and Mickey Barker on drums
blew everyone away with a spacey set driven more by rock than blues
with a blistering take on Jimi’s Voodo Chile and Dave Edmunds’
Standing at the Crossroads.

Saturday’s final act on the Main Stage were Funky Dory with their mix
of ’strong originals and reworked covers’ played to an audience
suffused by some of the finest local Blues (and beer ) around.

The final day, Sunday and the weather was looking decidedly dodgy but
hey the Blues don’t give a damn and the festival offered a more
chilled opening with Claude Bourbon in the Bar and Rowland Chadwick on
the Main Stage.

Both are classical in their approach with Bourbon’s playing a nod to
world influences. In contrast, charismatic Chadwick offered up
Heartbreak Hotel, All Along the Watchtower and a haunting slide
Walkin’ Blues.

Then back to the ‘Crossroads’ with Robert Johnson who apparently, said
Chadwick, aired an earlier version called ‘Down in the Cotswolds.’

This Aussie joker was to be followed by Kyle and Shaw, Nigel Bagge
Band, Spikedrivers and to close, Benny the Wedge.

Overall, the weekend was a fantastic opportunity to capture the
essence and history of classic blues that in the UK, we owe to the
pioneering efforts of the late Alexis Korner and of course his protégé
and Godfather of the Blues, John Mayall.

A lot of hard work must have gone into this mini festival and so
congratulations to Matt and his team at The Star for pulling it off
for the eighth year and keeping the Blues alive and relevant.