The House Destroyers with Li'l Chuck

At 12 Bar we like to give you variety, and there will be plenty of that on February 21st.

Starting at 7pm, our first act of the night is Li'l Chuck the One Man Skiffle Machine. Li'l Chuck plays sweet harmonica and resonator guitar, underpinned by a kick drum and hi-hat. His blues harks back to the 1930s, 40s and 50s. It is a nostalgic melting pot of influences but a sound that is all his own. He’s famously passionate about the one-man band craft, something he has held onto ever since he saw iconic busker Rob Gray, of “The Little Big Band”, perform on the UK streets in the late 1980s. He was only 18, but says, from that moment, a mental photograph was captured and everything fell into place. This has influenced everything he’s done musically since.

At 10.30pm the House Destroyers take the stage. Come hear some "dirty blues for your dancing shoes." Their music is a big mash-up of influences, such as Chicago blues, punk blues, funk blues, British blues, stoner rock, and boogie woogie. The band is fronted by two men who are both well-known as one-man-blues-bands: Ari Freeman a.k.a the Blues Professor, and Nick Jackman a.k.a Stomping Nick.

They have played a lot of shows together over the years but this is the first time they have both collaborated together in their own band. The two artists have very different styles but they share many of the same influences and an obsession with old, long-dead blues musicians and their songs. Ari plays most of the guitar in the band. Nick plays a bit of guitar and a lot of harmonica. Both of them share maracas duties. The maracas act as antennae that pick up good vibes from higher dimensions.