A TWO NIGHT SPECIAL – BEAUX GRIS GRIS & THE APOCALYPSE QUARTET
Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd August
Some bands grow slowly… others arrive like a storm rolling in from the Gulf of Mexico. Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse belong firmly in the second category.
On 1st and 2nd August, Greta Valenti and Robin Davey will bring a very special acoustic quartet to the world-famous Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre, stripping their music back to its soulful roots and guiding the audience through the entire Beaux Gris Gris journey — from the earliest sparks of the project right through to the powerhouse band they are today. Alongside two specially selected musicians, these will be two rare nights where the songs, the stories and the spirit of the band are placed front and centre.
The story begins with two musical forces from opposite sides of the Atlantic. Greta Valenti, a Louisiana-born powerhouse vocalist steeped in the musical heritage of the American South, and Robin Davey, the legendary guitarist from cult British blues outfit The Hoax and one of the youngest ever inductees into the British Blues Hall of Fame, first connected through the modern crossroads of music — YouTube — when their previous bands crossed paths online. That meeting sparked a creative partnership that would evolve into Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse, a band that blends New Orleans soul, blues grit, swampy Americana, rock & roll attitude and cinematic storytelling into something entirely their own.
Their debut album "Love & Murder" made an immediate impact across Europe's blues and roots charts, landing Top 10 positions across multiple territories and earning a coveted #13 place in Classic Rock Magazine's "Top 50 Albums of the Year", which praised it as "a sensual, vibrant cocktail." Since then, the band have built a formidable reputation on the live circuit, delivering electrifying performances at festivals across the UK and Europe including Upton Blues Festival, The Great British R&B Festival, Blues Alive (Czech Republic) and Moulin Blues (Netherlands), along with a European Blues Awards nomination for Band of the Year.
Live, the band are something special. Reviews repeatedly capture the sheer power of their performances. RhythmBooze described one show finale as "a mind-boggling, blistering finish with everything thrown in including the kitchen sink… truly memorable." Meanwhile LouderSound urged listeners to "Let Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse twist yer melons and remind you of the wonder of life," while Rockshot Magazine summed up their sound perfectly: "A New Orleans-inspired blues-folk-soul band who refuse to be pigeon-holed."
Beyond the band itself, Valenti and Davey are serious creative heavyweights. Their multimedia company Grow Vision has won numerous awards and even caught the attention of Daryl Hall, who invited them to direct and produce "Live From Daryl's House" for Viacom, helping transform the show into a full-hour flagship programme broadcast on VH1 and MTV Live. Their documentary films, including "The Camarary Effect" and "The Unbelievable Plight of Mrs Wright", have won over 50 international film festival awards.
But at the heart of everything they do is the music.
And that's what makes these Barnoldswick shows so special.
Rather than the full electric band experience, these two nights will present Beaux Gris Gris in a rare acoustic quartet format, offering an intimate journey through their songs, influences, stories and the musical chemistry that fuels the Apocalypse.
Expect swampy blues, Southern soul, roots-rock fire, delicate acoustic moments and the raw emotional power that has made this band one of the most exciting transatlantic acts in modern blues-rock.
Two nights.
One remarkable band.
And the perfect setting — the legendary 60-capacity listening room at Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre, where the audience is close enough to feel every note.
Just sit back… and enjoy the ride.
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