This August Bank Holiday Monday, as part of the Blues of the World Festival at Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre, we present a very special two-event Blues Spectacular in one unforgettable day.
The afternoon Matinee will see Dom Martin and Jim Kirkpatrick perform two blisteringly good acoustic sets, finishing with a duel-style finale that promises to be something truly special.
Doors open at 12.30pm, and Jim Kirkpatrick will kick things off at 1.30pm, armed with his trusty, beat-up 40+ year-old Takamine acoustic, delivering a powerful opening set steeped in blues, rock and soulful storytelling. After Jim has exhausted his guitar and left the room buzzing, there will be a short interlude before one of the true Kings of Irish Blues-Rock takes the stage.
The one and only Dom Martin will then step into the spotlight, weaving his spellbinding acoustic magic across the room with the guitar mastery and raw vocal power that has made him one of the most talked-about blues artists in Europe today.
The final cherry on this Bank Holiday Monday Matinee will be a grand finale of biblical proportions, as Dom and Jim come together for a special collaborative closing performance that will bring the afternoon show to a thrilling climax.
Tickets for this unique matinee experience are just £20, with all proceeds going directly to the Jim Kirkpatrick and Dom Martin "keep the mortgage paid and the lights on" fund — a cause we're sure you'll all be happy to support!
Then, as evening falls, the second half of this Blues Bank Holiday celebration begins.
Doors open for the Evening Show at 7.00pm, with classic blues and rock drifting across the PA before the music kicks off in earnest. At 8.00pm, Jim Kirkpatrick returns to the stage with a freshly re-energised acoustic set, delivering around 40 minutes spanning highlights from across his career.
Following a short interval, Dom Martin returns — this time joined by his phenomenal band — ready to tear the Monday evening apart with a razor-tight set of past, present and future blues-rock gems.
Expect powerhouse guitar work, soaring vocals, deep groove and the kind of electrifying musicianship that has made Dom Martin one of the most exciting live performers in modern blues.
The evening will draw to a close around 10.15pm, after which Dom and Jim will head upstairs to the bar, where fans can browse their treasure trove of merchandise, chat with the artists, and get albums signed until around 11.00pm.
All in all, it promises to be an extraordinary day of world-class blues at Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre.
Dom Martin is a Belfast-born, multi-award-winning blues artist who burst onto the international music scene in 2019, quickly captivating audiences with his unique guitar style, powerful voice and deeply expressive songwriting.
BBC Radio 2 presenter Cerys Matthews described his music simply as:
"Absolutely wonderful stuff."
Classic Rock Magazine called him:
"A sprawling talent."
Blues legend Walter Trout declared:
"Dom Martin is amazing! A unique, genuine, vital artist."
The influential site makingascene.org wrote:
"The likes of Dom's talent only comes around once in a lifetime."
Blues in Britain Magazine praised him with glowing words:
"Now and again you stumble across a rare talent of such sheer genius that you actually wonder whether what you have witnessed can possibly be for real. Dom Martin is one such talent."
Music-News.com called him:
"An absolutely fabulous performer."
And Rock & Blues Muse summed it up perfectly:
"It's obvious that Dom Martin is the next rising star in the global roots scene. Jump aboard now before he passes you by."
Dom was inducted into the UK Blues Hall of Fame following his third successive Acoustic Act of the Year award.
Dom Martin is fairly unique in that he is a multi-award-winning artist both as a solo acoustic performer and as a powerhouse blues-rock trio with his full band. This versatility has made him hugely attractive to major festival organisers, as he can deliver both intimate acoustic brilliance and explosive full-band electric performances on the same bill.
This unassuming musician is another fine product of the legendary Belfast musical lineage, the same creative city that gave the world Sir Van Morrison, Gary Moore, Paul Brady, Brian Kennedy, Foy Vance and many more.
Dubbed "England's equivalent to Joe Bonamassa" by Blues Matters Magazine, Jim Kirkpatrick has spent more than a quarter of a century carving out a formidable reputation in blues and rock.
Over the years he has earned immense respect from fans, peers and critics alike as a gifted songwriter and masterful guitarist, capable of delivering searing blues, melodic rock and soulful slide guitar with equal authority.
Jim is renowned for combining Bonamassa-style power and modern blues energy with Duane Allman-inspired slide and fingerstyle guitar mastery, creating a style that is both deeply rooted in tradition and unmistakably his own.
He is perhaps best known as lead guitarist with the legendary British melodic rock band FM, a position he has held since 2008, but his career has also seen him perform and collaborate with a number of major names across the international rock and blues world, including Bernie Marsden and John "Rhino" Edwards.
When Jim stepped forward as a solo artist, he made an immediate and powerful impression with his critically acclaimed 2020 album "Ballad of a Prodigal Son."
Life Music Media described the album as:
"The most important British Blues-Rock album of recent years."
They went on to declare:
"Jim should be regarded as being right at the pinnacle of the world's best blues guitarist/vocalists."
Jim has since followed that success with his album "Dead Man Walking."
Speaking about the record, Jim explains:
"I think some of my strongest tracks ever are on this album. I've incorporated some country, Americana and gospel influences in with the usual blend of rock and blues. This is new territory for me."
The album features a rich mixture of styles, from the southern-tinged "Dead Man Walking" and "Union Train" to the near work-song feel of "Promised Land." It also includes powerful rockers such as "Life On The Run" and "Heaven Above," alongside soulful blues pieces like "Road of Bones" and "The Journey Home."
One standout moment is Jim's powerful reinterpretation of Rory Gallagher's "I Fall Apart," which he has transformed with an epic orchestral arrangement.
The album has been widely praised.
Metal Planet Music awarded it 10/10, calling it:
"Quite simply a masterpiece."
Blues Matters Magazine said:
"This is the album of the year, no question about it."
They continued:
"If there is a better blues/rock guitarist within this sceptred isle of ours, I'll eat my hat."
Blues in Britain Magazine also hailed the album as:
"Quite brilliant."
In recent years Jim has been described as "the hardest working musician in the business," "Britain's most unsung blues-rock guitar hero," and "the biggest secret in the blues-rock world."
But if the reaction to his recent work is anything to go by…
that secret isn't going to stay hidden much longer.
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