Bluefunk was born in the town of Macclesfield. Apart from a few pubs Macc was almost devoid of any venues dedicated to musical/arts performance. It had been dubbed a "cultural cul-de-sac" in a UK wide survey of arts infrastructure available to local populations. The epithet was accurate based on buildings alone, but in spite of this there was, and still is, a bedrock of excellent musicians who had struggled gamely along for years with greater and lesser successes

In 2005, Garry the founder of the Bluefunk concept was getting fed up with having to travel  miles out of town to see a quality of live performance that he thought should be available in the area that he lived. He therefore started to dabble in live events in the Macclesfield area. This included greenfield festivals, local park events and shows at Macc Town Football club. After a few early successful promotions were in the bag he decided in 2006 to set up the Bluefunk Rhythm and Blues Club, something he had always wanted to do since a teenager. The search for a spiritual home for Bluefunk began.

The first venue tried was Cuban Knights Music Bar, at the time the only commercial operation in Macclesfield, that promoted the next level of musicians which included international touring acts, housed in a town centre weaving mill. It was the only place at that time with the infrastructure to take it seriously. 

The inaugural Bluefunk gig featured a very young Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue from New Orleans. A band whose oldest member was 21 years old, they set the bar for the future of Bluefunk very high indeed with a staggeringly fine performance, from which Macclesfield never quite recovered. Shorty (Troy Andrews) was virtually unknown outside New Orleans at this early stage of his career and this was in fact his first time outside the USA. He is now of course internationally celebrated for his incredible mastery of the trombone and trumpet, and his incredible band Orleans Avenue.

Bluefunk’s stay at Cuban Knights was spectacular but brief, as the owners were planning to sell the building, so when an invitation was received from Poynton British Legion to take Bluefunk there, it was accepted and the move took place.  

Over the following couple of years Bluefunk was established as a serious player on the UK live blues scene with performances from Wilko Johnson, Catfish Keith (USA), Bernie Marsden (ex Whitesnake), Chris Cook (USA) and many others, many of whom now visit us regularly.
Circumstances then conspired to force the Club to find another venue. It did not have to look far, an approach to the Poynton WMC just around the corner on Park Lane was made and they welcomed us with open arms and an appearance by Mojo Buford (ex- Muddy Waters Band) on his swan song tour of Europe, cemented the relationship with them and the WMC was home for nearly 5 years.

During this period Bluefunk became a major player on the live circuit for both the best of the UK touring bands and the major overseas acts as well.

Bluefunk was privileged to host at the WMC, Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen (New Orleans), Sherman Robertson (Texas), Jim Suhler (Texas), Buddy Whittington (Texas), Jim Kirkpatrick (UK), Bob Hall(UK), Chris Whitely and Diana Lee Braithwaite (Canada), Woody Mann (NewYork), Willie Nile (New York), Matt Schofield (UK) Peter Price (UK), Jon Amor Blues Group (UK), King King (UK), Aynsley Lister (UK), Tom Doughty (UK), Sinnerboy (UK). Bluefunk was the only Blues Club that the Hoax played at during their 20th anniversary reunion tour in 2010 – unforgettable. There have been many more besides. See "who's been"

During these years Bluefunk has grown like a family. Many people who attended the very first gig still come on a regular basis, hardly ever missing a single event. They have grown to love the friendly atmosphere that always abounds and whilst they may have forged close personal friendships with other Bluefunksters, any new faces that come soon feel that they belong there and almost invariably come back and back again. Apart from the unfailingly high standard of the performances this friendly un-cliquey atmosphere is probably the secret to its success.

From the artists point of view, they love to play at Bluefunk as, (they often go out of their way to acknowledge this) it is one of the most respectful and attentive audiences they meet on their tour, anywhere. They are all there for the music.

It is difficult to describe atmosphere, you have to be there to enjoy it.
 
After the WMC We had two great years at Cabin 5150 in Macclesfield but more circumstances took us back to The Legion in Poynton.
Then the monster Coronabastard reared its head and drove a coach and horses through all the hard work.
You can keep track of Bluefunk and its many musical adventures by signing up to our mailing list here 

In 2016 Bluefunk Rhythm and Blues Club celebrated its 10th Anniversary!
2018 & 2020 saw us receive nominations for the UK Blues Club of the Year in the UK Blues Awards!

We have finally resettled! We have returned to our old home at the Poynton WMC which has been beautifully refurbished since we left and renamed Club 142. 
The disruption caused by the abomination - Covid 19 - seems like a thing of the past now, and at last, it feels like we are home again.

 

TO CLOSE, HERE IS A  FANTASTIC REVIEW FROM JJ PERRY, A JOURNALIST FROM MINNESOTA, WHO HAD BEEN TRAVELLING WITH ZZ TOP AND THE RED DEVILS ON THE TONNAGE TOUR. AFTER THE DEVILS DROPPED OFF THE END OF THE TOUR THEY HAD TWO DAYS FREE BEFORE THEY FLEW HOME. 

THEY HAD, OUT OF THE BLUE, GOT IN TOUCH WITH ME TO ASK IF THEY COULD USE ONE OF THOSE DAYS TO PLAY BLUEFUNK. WHEN I HAD DECIDED THAT THIS WAS NOT A HOAX YOU BET I SAID YES.

JJ ACCOMPANIED THEM. THE DAY ARRIVED AND BROUGHT US ONE OF THE BEST NIGHTS OF RAW MUSIC WE EVER EXPERIENCED FROM THE BEST EXPONENTS OF BLUECOLLAR RHYTHM AND BLUES IN THE WORLD. UTTERLY SUBLIME.
 

 

FUNKIEST JUKE JOINT IN ENGLAND

(Show 6: Bluefunk club, Poynton, UK, 29.7.17)

JJ Perry

 

 

A 15-minute cab ride south from Stockport, UK, will transport a visitor to an amazing blues oasis where it is least expected.

Poynton is small — a one-church town where the latest excitement is the new roundabout leading in from the quiet English countryside.

Down a side street in this little hamlet is a sign for the Poynton Legion, a nondescript building tucked behind a line of bushes.

Inside is the funkiest little country juke joint in the Queen’s England.

 

The Bluefunk Rhythm and Blues Club is a mobile shangri-la masquerading as a legion hall. Rows of empty chairs and tables, starting at the edge of the small stage and working back, looks optimistic — are there even 130 citizens in Poynton? But an hour and a half later, the club will be packed, beers will be poured, and new friends made.

The master of ceremonies is Garry White, a blues lover, booker and promoter who is bringing the best of blues to this unexpected spot, and several others, for 11 years. He seems to have that “it” factor — if Garry tells you the show is worth your time and money, the audience comes. If he tells you to get up and dance, get in line for a beer or buy some band merchandise, you do it. Garry knows best.

 

The audience skews a bit older — on this evening including four ladies drinking wine who seemed dressed for Sunday morning, not Saturday night — but are open to anything Garry says they should pay attention to.

In coming weeks, that includes harp great Billy Branch, Hamilton Loomis and Jim Suhler and Monkey Beat. At its Dec. 16 Christmas show, the Bluefunk will welcome favorite Robin Davey of The Hoax, DVL and Beaux Gris Gris.

But on this Saturday night, the people of Poynton experience the return of The Red Devils.

 

The blue curtain, buzzy PA and intimate crowd told the band they weren’t in Dublin anymore. Just 25 hours earlier, the Devils were opening their last show with ZZ Top to an audience of about 9,000 or so.

Free from the pressure of the Tonnage tour, and in a roomful of friendly music lovers, the Devils let loose with a relaxed and eclectic show — even when they did wrong they could do no wrong. It was triumphant, exhilarating.

No one embodied that spirit more than Bill Bateman. Unleashed from the formality of the opener’s spot, Bateman played aggressively, in a musical way he hasn’t during the tour stops we have seen.

With sweat flying from his forearms and wrists, soaked to the bone through a red shirt (Mike Flanigin said if the other guys looked like they jumped in a pool, Bill looked like he jumped in two pools) he pushed the music ever forward. At times his playing was lyrical, like on “Wish You Would,” seemingly carrying the melody and the rhythm simultaneously.

Instrumentals such as “Mary Had a Little Lamb” allowed guitarists Paul Size and Mike Flanigin to show their chops — especially on the Freddie-King-in-the-pipeline frenzy of “Sen Sa Shun.” On an insistent “No Fightin’,” Flanigin demonstrated the importance that Les Paul rhythm to The Red Devils sound.

The looseness was orchestrated by Big Pete and Jonny Ray Bartel, who joked and laughed with the crowd between songs, mugging for cameras and making the joint one big party.

Whether it was planned or not, Big Pete doing the false-endings of “Cut That Out” at the finale of “Taildragger” was just another moment of levity and spontaneity that made this gig special.

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Thank you to Garry and the whole staff, crew and audience at the Bluefunk for making our visit so memorable. Cheers! JJ.

 

JJ Perry is editor for the Detroit Lakes Tribune and Perham Focus in Western Minnesota, part of the Forum Communication Company.)

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