The Queens Hotel Festival Team celebrate 2002!
(click to enlarge)

The Queens Hotel in New Road Laxey is the renowned Laxey music venue known as "the bikers pub" and in 2002 their new Blues Marquee was a tremendous success. It rained almost the whole weekend but the marquee did its job and the musicians, the gear and the music fans kept high and dry throughout the weekend of the festival and had a great time.

In 2003 Jimmie and Jackie, of the Queens, are again going for the Blues Marquee and an impressive programme of bands has already been lined up. Including: Walter Ego, Tin Pan Alley and, great news, The Cahonies will be making a welcome return, also the Bar Toads, Noggin and Nog, Spit the Dummy, and The Shedmen as well as Roadhouse, A.S.A.P., Psychotropic and Me 'n' 'im.

A more detailed programme appears on the Programme Page and below. But for now you can be damn sure that things are going to be hot at The Queens in May and what's more it wont cost you a bean as the Queens is one of our free stages.

Click on photos below to enlarge them . Jackie takes a re-fuelling stop Jimmy serving up a storm Some of the crowd Click on photos to enlarge them . The Cahonies do the business Me and 'im

Bushy's Big Wheel Blues Festival at the Queens .. Friday night – Walter Ego in the pub from about 8.30 – enjoyed it except for some bloke talking as loud as he could right in front of my face. Tin Pan Alley introduced themselves at the end of the first set and didn't take much persuading to give half an hour of driving blues and rock. I don't remember seeing anyone play their guitar behind their head and with their teeth in the Queens before full marks for entertainment. Disappointingly the elusive Steve 'Strings / Albert Hall' Courtie never made it for a rematch of the duelling guitars promised after April's Blues Club. Saturday – The Roadhouse Blues Band kicked off to a sparsely populated marquee at one o'clock. Evan and Dickie were joined by a 16 year old guitarist who made the rest of us feel concrete-handed and old. After that it was time for Tin Pan Alley to give us their blues set – more heavy rock-blues played with precision and showmanship. The improving crowd lapped it up. Acoustic sets from ASAP and Noggin and Nog had the crowd singing along, as did a set with everything from Eagles to Queen to Chuck Berry from Spit the Dummy - and thanks again for the loan of the excellent P.A. chaps. The Bartoads ran straight from the main tent to the Queens and put in another slick performance and then The Shedmen took us back to 1978 with a thumping selection of Eddy and the Hotrods, Buzzcocks etc. At 8 o'clock the Cahonies took to the stage with a large and appreciative audience. These guys from Cumbria are really excellent. Pony Ride was a highlight in their 50 minute set and they left the stage to rapturous applause. Walter Ego followed, playing to a home crowd. I think we managed to rise to the challenge of playing between two bands well known for playing blues festivals across the UK – it certainly seemed to go down well and we had a great time – well done Angus for only your third gig with us. Also well done to Jordan – a young harmonica player who joined in for a quick jam and left the stage to some of the loudest cheers of the weekend! 10 0'clock and Tin Pan Alley take us by surprise and give us two hours of classic rock – Hendrix to Zeppelin and many others. The crowd absolutely loved it. Brilliantly played and well presented – it's amazing what a sound a three-piece can make. The lighters were up for Freebird, just one of a run of crowd – pleasers. The TT crowds would love this lot. Sunday kicked off at 1.00pm with another cracker from Roadhouse followed by Spit the Dummy and Walter Ego . ASAP and Mr Riff were followed by Dubious Origin who's core line-up of Sarah and John was expanded by another guitarist and a very keen young bongo player . I believe they were great but sadly missed that part of the afternoon. I returned to hear one of the best sets of the weekend – no blues but superb energy, musicianship and bags of character from The Psychotropics – the highlight of their set for me was an excellent 'The Best Song In The World'. See this band soon, they won't disappoint. More high energy punkish tunes from the Shedmen and then Me'n'im accompanied by James from the Psychotropics on drums brought the weekend to a fine finish. I believe there was to be a stand – up comedian after that, there may well have been but by then I had drifted off up the hill to get some much needed sleep Thanks to Jim for booking the bands, the Psychotropics for drum and bass gear, Spit the Dummy for the PA and Jackie and Jimmy for everything else.