Climax Blues Band
Don’t miss this welcome return to Leek Arts Festival of these ever-popular local rockers.
Climax Blues Band were formed in 1968 by Colin Cooper who led the band with Pete Haycock through great success and recognition through the 1970s and 1980s, with huge selling albums like FM Live and Gold Plated, hit singles Couldn’t Get It Right and I Love You. George Glover joined the band on keyboards in 1981, Haycock left in 1984 and Lester Hunt came into the re-vamped Climax in 1985, Roy Adams joined in 1987 and Neil Simpson in the early 1990s. Colin Cooper was leading the band with a return to the kind of blues that got the band started before his untimely death in 2008. His wish was the for the band to continue and the recruitment of Graham Dee and Chris ‘Beebe’ Aldridge –was made with a view to broadening the Climax sound again and take on new musical influences, move forward creatively which was the Climax Blues Band trademark, rather than rely on the past glories.
The live album Security Alert was released in 2015 and reflected this move forward and the fact that Climax were delighting old and new fans alike throughout the UK and Europe. Roy Wood of ELO and Wizzard fame mixed the live album.
Graham Dee as a focal point is a larger than life front man who holds the audience in the palm of his hand. His amazing vocal range sets him apart from the field and he is quite happy to go walk about in the audience to spread the joy…. Chris Aldridge is more laid back and does his talking with his outstanding virtuoso sax playing, easing through soul, jazz and blues influences with great style.
2019 saw the release of the album HANDS OF TIME, the first studio album of original songs since Drastic Steps in 1987. Hands Of Time went straight to the top of Amazon downloads and to No. 3 in the iTunes Blues chart.
With the 30 year experienced bedrock rhythm unit of Adams and Simpson, Climax veteran George Glover holding everything together from the keyboard stand as band leader, and Les Hunt’s supreme guitar skills transcending all the musical areas Climax find themselves in. A firm statement of intent is given:
Climax Blues Band are very much still proudly flying that flag in 2022, moving forwards, blending the old with the new, and loving making music. Another album of new original songs is being written to build on the success of Hands Of Time.
Doors open 7:30pm, Event starts 8.0pm
Foxlowe Arts Centre, Market Place, Leek, ST13 6AD
Tickets £15 
