Honeybee Blues Club

Originally published in NowThen magazine, January 2014

Bar Abbey is located in the basement below the Abbeydale Picture House. Small but not cramped, with a no-frills stage setup, it is one of Sheffield’s oldest blues venues. The Honey Bee Blues Club is the design of Martin Bedford, local artist, musician and promoter.

The Early Morning Sheiks play a strange but intriguing selection of ragtime, blues and old-time pop on strings, cans and kazoos as the quickly amassing crowd shuffle into the subterranean bar. It truly is a mixed bag – a surreal congregation drinking the Honey Bee Blues pale ale and eating three bean burritos on paper plates, soundtracked by the occasional ukulele solo.

By the time the Sheiks have played their last song, the bar is at capacity. People without tickets are turned away and it’s the turn of Tom Matthews, a one-man blues act with a Telecaster and a contemporary style whose genesis is somewhere between The Black Keys and Cage the Elephant. Tom plays skilfully, with surprise changes in tempo and riffs that are firmly rooted in the genre. His up-to-date cover of ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ is a particular standout. Amongst the covers, Tom plays a few of his own, displaying promising confidence and a distinctive style.

The M&J Blues catalogue covers a broad spectrum of rock and roll, rhythm and blues. Powerful, resonant vocals accompany a blend of acoustic and electric guitar that add authenticity to the father and son duo’s performance. A great rendition of ‘You Never Can Tell’ is followed by an instrumental cover of ‘Voodoo Chile’, with no lack of improvisation from both guitarists.

The Mudcat Blues Trio play a suitably loud and impressive headline slot. Technically brilliant as performers, they have a relaxed chemistry with one another and the crowd. The night ended with a heavy, fast-paced blues rock crescendo, made more intense by the intimate nature of the venue, with its low ceiling and shabby decor, packed from wall to wall. If the grand opening was a sign of things to come, the Honey Bee Blues Club is setting a high standard for live blues and rock nights in Sheffield.