First act at Harrogate venue revealed as Blues Bar kick starts live music scene

Live music will return to the Blues Bar in Harrogate this weekend for the first time in more than four months.
The first live musician to play at the Blues Bar in Harrogate as it restarts live music after lockdown will be blues man Howlin Mat.The first live musician to play at the Blues Bar in Harrogate as it restarts live music after lockdown will be blues man Howlin Mat.
The first live musician to play at the Blues Bar in Harrogate as it restarts live music after lockdown will be blues man Howlin Mat.

Normally the cornerstone of the town's live music scene with acts performing daily, seven days a week, the characterful bar set down leafy Montpellier Hill facing the Stray says the first live musician to play will be popular blues man Howlin Mat this Saturday night.

In keeping with Government guidance, the Blues Bar is taking a cautious approach, introducing table booking and putting firm safety rules in place.

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Owner Simon Colgan said there will even be a screen in the bar's upstairs room to watch the music live downstairs.

Mr Colgan said: "Live music is starting again inside the Blues Bar now that the Government is allowing it.

"But we will be adhering to social distance rules.

"We will be taking table bookings for both downstairs and upstairs, where customers can watch the live music on a screen and hear it through the PA."

The Blues Bar may be a tiny venue but, over the paast 30 years it has played a huge role in Harrogate's arts and entertainment scene, welcoming the likes of Julian Cope, John Cooper Clarke, Wild Beasts and singer Glen Hansard, star of the film Once, to its tiny stage and wooden floorboards.

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The first live gigs at the Blues Bar will begin on Saturday, August 22.

To book a table at the Blues Bar, call 01423 566881.

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