Nine Below Zero’s founding members, Dennis Greaves and Mark Feltham are going back to their roots to perform a series of intimate, acoustic concerts as a duo. These will be the first ‘old style’ blues shows that the pair will perform in the 35 years they have been working together and will be coming to the Ipswich Jazz Club, Ipswich on May 15th 2016
As well as playing unplugged versions of well-known Nine Below Zero material the duo will cover songs by blues legends such as Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Jimmy Reed, Slim Harpo and Lead Belly.
Dennis said
“we will continue to play the bigger venues with the whole band, but Mark and I are looking forward to getting up close with the audience who, like us, are fans of the blues. As well as playing the songs, it will also be nice to talk about the artists who inspired so many of the great British blues bands of the 1960s, who in turn went on to inspire us”
The love of the blues began at an early age for both of them. Two of Dennis’ uncles were big fans and both had vast collections of blues albums, and it was listening to those records that encouraged the Nine Below Zero frontman to first pick up the guitar. Meanwhile Mark’s Merchant Navy uncle would bring him back harmonicas from his travels overseas. The pair first met in the late 1970s, during the punk era, when Dennis decided to form a blues band and was introduced to harmonica player Mark – who not only lived on the same estate in south London, but just 14 houses away.
In autumn 2014 Nine Below Zero reformed their classic ‘Young Ones’ line-up for a special UK tour – Mickey played live with the band for the first time since the 80s in November 2012 at the 30th Anniversary gig in Islington and has now rejoined the band on permanent basis. Having just completed this tour and a run of dates with Bruce Foxton and From the Jam, Dennis and Mark decided now was the right time to go out and perform the music that had inspired them at an early age.
Dennis added,
[box type=”info” align=”” class=”” width=””]Nine Below Zero comes to Ipswich Jazz Club on Sunday 15th May. For more information, visit: http://www.ninebelowzero.com/[/box]“the rehearsals have been brilliant…. Some of the best ever. We are looking forward to playing this music live. To see Mark perform in this environment is truly a masterclass and it’s a little daunting for me, to be playing acoustic guitar…. No hiding behind the Marshall amp.”
