Friday Night Blues

A great night at the Holmfirth Picturedrome for the Holmfirth Blues Splash. It may have been a fair way to go, but there were three acts and the co-headliners were two of my favourite guitarists, Aynsley Lister and Chantel McGregor.
The evening was very well organised and - unusually for an event with multiple artistes - it ran exactly to schedule. Tom Killner kicked things off with a 30 minute set that was pleasant but not - in my opinion - particularly memorable. Chantel and Aynsley then did an hour each of their respective tunes. For me, Chantel just edged it in terms of material, stage presence and guitar virtuosity, but that is to take nothing away from Aynsley.
Both played as a trio and their respective rhythm sections kept things tight throughout. To round off the evening (and, in the process, breaking the venue curfew by 10 minutes!) Chantel joined Aynsley on stage for his traditional gig closer, “Purple Rain”. The sound of their two guitars harmonising over the outro solo made for a superb end to a top night of music.
Setting off for the drive home, it was close to 11.30pm. Rather than retrace our scenic A road journey down, I opted for the longer - but hopefully quicker - motorway route. No hold ups and light traffic meant we were home just after one - I’ve had later nights out in Ulverston!
I did then rather spoil it by staying up to watch the GP Qualifying highlights, so didn’t get to bed until nearly 3. Given the almost inevitability of who ended up on pole, I wish I hadn’t bothered. Especially so when I was trying to summon up the energy to drag myself into the gym this morning!