Birthday blues

Formed in July 1998 out of the long cold ashes of the Acme Blues Company night at the now-deceased John Bull pub in Layerthorpe, the club celebrates its fifth birthday on Monday with a special appearance by Mojo Buford, harmonica player from Muddy Waters' band.

The location will be the Post Office Club, in Marygate, the fourth in a blues road map that began with York Arts Centre in Micklegate; moved downstairs at the De Grey Rooms in Exhibition Square, then the Bay Horse in Marygate for one night only - April 10 2001, for Ray Stubbs and His Amazing One Man Blues Band - before settling upon the present monthly Post Office residency.

Much hard work has gone into around 60 shows, co-ordinated by blues enthusiasts Tony Clarke, Neil Dalton, Paul Lazenby and Pete Simmons, who fund the club through admission charges and the occasional raffle.

"When we formed the club, the plan was to bring the best local, national and international blues talent to York, and we believe we've achieved that," says Tony. "We're all working as volunteers, and it's a non profit-making operation so we can keep charges to a minimum."

Low costs and high-quality acts - Errol Linton, Kent du Chaine and Bill Sheffield among them - have ensured solid audience support. "The audiences have been fantastic and instrumental in the club's survival," says Pete.

The atmosphere is reminiscent of the John Bull shows, if not quite so wild and abandoned.

"This club came about because we all knew each other from the John Bull days ten years ago, when Neil was the guitarist in the Acme Blues Company, and they did these brilliant shows every month," recalls Tony.

"Tiny room. Lots of people dancing on tables. You just couldn't see the floor for people, and the band was crammed into the corner. It's how you imagine Chicago blues nights would be in the 1930s."

Were they taking a risk in setting up a club off their own backs? "Well, it was ten years after the Acme Blues, so it was a punt because there'd been nothing regular in that time but people remembered Neil's shows and we did sense there was a gap in the market," Pete says.

It helped that Neil Dalton, being so active on the blues circuit, had contacts aplenty. "We've not had to do any chasing," Pete says. "When we started, he'd be ringing people to see if they wanted to play here; now people come to us offering acts, and once promoters know of our existence and see what a good night it is here, they want to come back for more."

Looking to the future, the club will be setting up a website, and a festival is under consideration too, but the promoters are content with the present monthly midweek blues night.

"We did three shows in May, rather than the usual format, and we broke even but it's hard work: it's three times harder to get the audiences," Tony says. "We have entertained the idea of a festival but the size of organising such an event is beyond us."

Pete adds: "We would need help financially and with personnel, because you require financial stability and funding for a festival but if Burnley can do it, why not us?!"

So, happy birthday Deep Blues Club.

"Hopefully we'll still be going in another five years. There's no reason why we shouldn't be," says Pete. "We want to keep getting good acts, especially good American acts. The key thing is that the blues circuit has original acts at good value. They're not covers' bands, they've done it in Chicago and wherever, and that matters."

Mojo Buford, Deep Blues Club, Post Office Club, York, on Monday. Doors 8pm; admission £7.50.

Updated: 10:09 Friday, July 04, 2003