@Ninebelowzero1 coming to @thecluny & @theSpaSaltburn on 22nd and 21st Feb

Nine Below Zero Return to The Cluny with Ben Waters

London blues-influenced band Nine Below Zero will be joined on stage by world-renowned boogie woogie piano player Ben Waters, who has played with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis at The Cluny in Newcastle on Saturday February 22.

Travelling the world for more than 20 years, Ben’s reputation as an internationally acclaimed musician was learned the hard way – playing in every imaginable type of venue from the bottom of whisky vats to the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Festival Hall where he and his band were selected by Ray Davies as one of his 12 favourite bands to perform at his Meltdown Festival.

In 2013 he recorded the album Boogie4Stu, and was joined by all the Rolling Stones, PJ Harvey and Jools Holland - who loaned his studio - in aid of the British Heart Foundation in memory of The Stones' pianist Ian Stewart.

Nine Below Zero's frontman Dennis Greaves said, " We are delighted to be able to get Ben to join us for a whole a month, for nine dates. He is very much in demand around the world. But the few gigs we did together in 2013 went so well, we all agreed we wanted to play more.

"Ben brings a huge extra dimension to the band, and it's great for me to allow him to take the lead at times and for me to play over and around him. I think our fans will be delighted with just how deep and rich the sound is."

Nine Below Zero built an almost obsessive following in the early 1980 with their take on American blues, while maintaining the energy of punk in their live performances. It was captured in their first album, Live At The Marquee, which was re-released towards the end of 2012.

Frontman and founding member Dennis Greaves said: "We decided to put it out again after Universal found some film from the night that we didn’t know still existed. They also found the encores we did, which were not on the original album. In those days, you couldn’t get much more than about 50 minutes on a album. So this will be of great interest to our fans."

Nine Below’s success continued to build during the 1980s. They performed their single 11+11 on the first episode of cult TV show The Young Ones, featured in a South Bank Show and supported both The Who and The Kinks. However, at this point the band split up and Dennis formed The Truth, who enjoyed two UK top 20 hits. But in 1990, Nine Below reformed for their 10th anniversary and sold out the Town and Country (now the Forum) in London.

Dennis said:"It was great to see the fans still had the appetite for what we were doing."


A sell-out UK tour followed and the band were invited to join the likes of Eric Clapton, Ray Davies and Brian May

Dennis Greaves will play along side his friend of more than 30 years, also a founding member of Nine Below Zero, harmonica player Mark Feltham.

Mark is regarded as one of the leading harmonica players in the UK and has appeared on albums by by the likes of Oasis, Robbie Williams, Johnny Cash, Texas, Joan Armatrading and Will Young. He has also played on countless movie soundtracks, including Tootsie, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Notting Hill.
Unlike many bands who reform and just play their back catalogue, Nine Below Zero have continually gone back into the studio to record new material. Their last studio album, Never Too Late, released in 2011 gained wide critical acclaim and an album of new material will be released later this year.

More than 35 years after forming, Nine Below Zero are shaping up for a busy 2014. They have just released a digital only best of, A to Zed and Universal are reissuing two of the bands A&M albums, Don't Point Your Finger and Third Degree. Both will be double CD releases, with a live performance and unreleased tracks.

To mark their release, NBZ are reforming their classic line-up for an extensive tour of the UK and Europe.

Nine Below Zero, with Ben Waters, play The Cluny, Lime Street, Newcastle, NE1 2PQ on February 22. For tickets call 0191 2304474. Or buy online here.
But not before they play the Spa Hotel, Saltburn on Sea TS12 1HH on Friday 21st February.
All photos ©Jowheretogo...I find them anywhere without my permission, I may chin ya! (in law not a threat as it is conditional)  Jo

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