Cheltenham-based band The Charlton Blues Kings are gearing up for one of the highlights of their year – a performance at the Wotton Blues Festival next weekend.

The band have been looking forward to returning to Wotton after their debut gig there last year. “We played at the Wotton Blues festival last September, it’s a great event that’s really well organised and full of people who love blues music,” said Adam Pritchard, one of the founding members of the band.

He added: “There’s some fantastic venues at the festival. Last year we played at a great pub. 15 minutes before we were due to perform there wasn’t a single person there to watch us but that was because there was another band who were playing at a pub down the road.

"As soon as they had finished their set everyone piled into where we were performing which was quite a relief! Wotton is definitely one of the festivals we look forward to the most.”

The 5-piece band have been playing together for eight years and in that time there’s been many gigs Adam looks back on with pride.

He continued: “A couple of years ago we were asked to perform at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival which was a fantastic experience. We played on the free stage, it was a tremendous atmosphere.

“The music we play is quite a bit different to most blues bands. A lot of bands play the blues rock style made famous by artists like Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones. We’re a bit different in the sense that we play a different style – more of the 1950s swing and more rhythm and blues which is more up-tempo.

“People often come up to us after a performance and tell us that they don’t like blues music, but they really enjoyed our music. I often tell them that what we’re playing is real blues music. Most people have ideas that blues music is performed by an old guy sat on his porch strumming along on a guitar but that’s not the case. Our songs are a lot livelier.”

Adam, who helped form the band back in 2010, occupies the position of harmonica player in The Charlton Blues Kings.

He continued: “It’s an instrument I’ve been playing for over three decades. I first picked up the harmonica when I was 18 and travelling around Europe. A chap I met on my travels played one, he was supremely talented, and I thought it was something I’d like to take up. As soon as I returned from my travels I bought one and haven’t looked back since really.”

The band are regulars in bars and clubs in the Cheltenham area, and have built a solid reputation for their extravagant gigs.

Adam added: “Whenever we perform we work hard to entertain our audience. We’ve been playing at various pubs and clubs in and around the Cheltenham area for a long time now. Performances vary, one night we’ll play a venue and be surprised by the number of people who turn up, other nights it’s the flip side of the coin. It would be boring if every gig was the same I suppose.

“We’ve got more gigs coming up after playing at the Wotton Blues Festival, we’ll be keeping busy doing what we love best – getting out there and performing.”