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| The Blues Bar is 21 years old this year! |
Blues Bar celebrates its coming of age with a week-long party! Blues Bar, Harrogate’s longest-standing independent free live music venue, is to celebrate its 21st birthday with a very special line up of free entry live events.
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Overlooking Montpellier Gardens, one of the town centre’s most picturesque locations, the vividly painted Blues Bar packs an unlikely punch amongst its more gentile neighbours, which include Betty’s Tea Rooms, an interior design shop, Oxfam and an art gallery. However, due to its unique, welcoming vibe, its insistence in providing high quality, free live music every night of the week, and the incredible support of its customers, the bar has developed a strong position in the community, as licensees Simon and Sharon Colgan, explain: |
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A solid foundation
“The Blues Bar is not just a pub, it has a defined character that has aged extremely well,” says Simon. “It is the only live music venue in Harrogate that has kept its identity during the past 21 years and it continues to attract new customers and performers from miles around. Joining the ranks of all veteran pubs in Harrogate’s town centre – Hales Bar, the Coach and Horses and the Old Bell Tavern, the solid foundation of its customers has supported the bar through thick and thin, and we are often humbled by this. Sharon and I believe that the Blues Bar will be here for many more years to come, and it is our responsibility as its guardians to preserve its integrity.” |
The story of the Blues
The concept of free live music in a new bar was instigated in 1987, when Mike Hollins and Harrogate’s most famous food and beer broadcaster Richard Fox (who features in a Channel 4 documentary with actor Neil Morrissey in November), opened the venue with a dream that Blues Bar would stage free live music two nights a week and on Sunday lunchtimes – the hangover slot. |
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21 years on, Simon and Sharon have worked hard to up the game. As a music venue, the bar now offers free entertainment 7 days a week with residential slots for local musicians, regular jam sessions and appearances from bands as far afield as California, Africa and Canada.
Befitting its name, the history of the Blues hasn’t been plain sailing. A series of environmental disasters forced previous owners Fibbers into liquidation. At this point, in 1999, Simon and Sharon rescued the bar and became its new licensees. Within just a few days, Harrogate Council removed its live music license following complaints from residents about previous levels of noise. Simon entered into a long battle to reinstate the licence. “We were astounded by the passion of our regular customers and some local residents and businesses in fighting our corner. We did everything in our power to regain a live music license,” Simon recalls. “Collections amongst the customers raised enough money to install double-glazing to help reduce noise, which was remarkable. Our plight during these rocky times did however help to raise the kudos of the bar in the locality and amongst business peers and soon after we had been granted a new live music license, we went on to win an award, which was a real coup.” |
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Love music, love Blues Bar – fun for all ages
Part of the attraction of Blues Bar is its eclectic mix of customers, from the families that come to enjoy the laid back Sunday afternoon slots to 18 year old students who appreciate a great night out on a strict budget and die hard music lovers who have been supporting the bar for 21 years.
“What makes us special as a venue,” adds Sharon, herself a singer and performer at the bar, “is the atmosphere. We don’t just have performers playing in the background. The cosiness and layout of the place help to radiate a fantastic energy. People really get into the music and have a great time.” |
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Simon adds, “If I haven’t been in, I can tell when we’ve had a really good night by the feel of the place in the morning. I expect the bar will be buzzing through the 21st party celebrations. We are hoping that all the people who have enjoyed coming here over the last 21 years will come and join in the fun – it’s going to be the mother of all parties!”
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Harrogate based Photography and PR company, SIRA Studio will be producing a photographic documentary of the birthday week and is looking for old photographs taken in the bar between 1987 and 2007. Please email HYPERLINK "mailto:sirastudio@mac.com" sirastudio@mac.com or call Rachael or Simon Meyer on 01423 522363 for more information.
Issued: October 2008.
Press contact: Rachael Meyer, SIRA Studio Photography and PR.
Tel: 01423 522363, email: sirastudio@mac.com, www.sirastudio.com. |
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