The Jon Strong Band

Friday 17 August

Hen & Chicken

£10, 8pm start

After an 8-year layoff The Jon Strong Band is back on the road again including original members Roy Whyke, drums and Duncan Waller bass.

As a solo performer Jon has toured with Ry Cooder, Van Morrison, Robert Palmer, Talk Talk, Danny Thompson and Clannad.

As a band they toured consistently for over 11 years throughout the UK and Europe building a loyal fan base and achieving much critical acclaim as one of the tightest three-piece bands on the scene.

Jon Strong is a phenomenally good guitar player, in a style featuring blues and R&B mixed in with much more English ideas from the likes of Martin Carthy and Nic Jones.

He has a uniquely big, ringing, three-handed guitar style all of his own and his bittersweet songs steal the show away from the funky covers of Jim Croce and Lowell George that he also includes in his repertoire.

Jon possesses one of those earthy voices most singers would kill for, a natural brogue, gnarled with years of experience oozing through.

His mordant wit is a delight to witness as he cracks up every audience, while reminding us bluntly of music from legends and ghosts from the past in an evening of entertaining song.

'Brilliant', Bob Harris, BBC Radio 1

'Highly evocative slabs of industrial folk rock', the Oxford Curfew

Originally from Leeds this amiable Yorkshire lad began performing professionally from 1973 and took the time to play his way around Canada in 1974 before moving down through America to study the Blues first hand, eventually settling in Southern California for a year picking up on the caf song-writing culture.

He then moved to live and work in Holland from'76 to 1984, using it as a base to tour as a solo performer throughout Germany, Scandinavia and farther into Europe, whilst returning two or three times a year for gigs in the UK.

The band came together in 1990 when he met Roy who was then running and playing drums in a Blues club in Barnsley. After initially being given some private financial backing to produce the band's first album they signed to Linn Records for six years alongside the Steve Gibbons Band and jazz guitarist Martin Taylor. They had a great time playing some plum gigs, festivals and some broadcast work but only released one album for the label.

Tom Robinson reviewing one of Jon Strong's CD's

'If this came out with the name Peter Gabriel on the cover you can bet it would be hailed as a major artistic renaissance for a world class songwriter.

If it came out with an unknown band name and a picture of a bunch of distrait-looking youths from Bristol on the sleeve, it'd probably win the Mercury Prize.

Listening to music as good as this on an Own Label CD-R makes me want to weep with frustration at the sheer idiocy of the business we're in'.

Tom Robinson.

This looks to be a great gig in prospect and the venue is very good.

The Hen & Chicken has established the renowned Comedy Box in its upstairs room over the past 8 years and the room is terrific. Holding 150 in cabaret style seating and it has its own bar, creating a great atmosphere.

The pub also does really good food and they offer a discount of 15% off the food bill if you book and eat prior to the gig. All you need to do is reserve via the pub itself and tell them you are going to the gig. Full details of menus and the pub can be found on their website http://www.henandchicken.com/

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