Stephen Stanley's savvy choice of openers for headliner Will Wilde tonight, made it feel like I had been to a mini music festival at Solid Entertainments' latest award winning Tuesday Blues at this legendary venue in central London. Firstly Get Loose, with their likeable Rock and Blues set, followed by a more classic Soul filled set from The Bad Day featuring the BD Horns. Both bands delivered, creating an electrical current which ran throughout this evening, that increased as each band came on stage, as did the large crowd comprising their respective followers and those first timers.

Oxfordshire high energy Blues-Rock outfit Get Loose featured a confident and impressive Lee Castle on lead vocals and guitar, complemented by Paul Ashby's raw expressive vibe on harmonica. Along with Phil Harris on driving drums, Neil Lewis on Hammond style keys and Adam Carter on driving bass, the quintet engaged with their delighted audience during a 45 minute opening set. Drawing from their album 'Let It Rise', highlights included 'Trespassing on The Line' as well as their closer and single 'Weight of The Last Time'. I really enjoyed their sound and performance, and indeed Get Loose got the crowd loose, and I look forward to seeing these guys again.

Featuring the more conventional guitar based core of Adam Rigg on lead vocals and bass guitar, Martin Jackson on guitar and Stephen Brown on drums, this evening The Bad Day also featured the BD Horns, namely Dom Thatcher on Baritone Sax, the enchanting Vera Butler on Alto Sax and Martin Leach on trumpet. Tonight they duly delivered a more classic Soul and Blues set including 'Mr Pitiful', 'I Can’t Turn You Loose', 'Sweet Home Chicago', 'The Hustler', 'Flip Flop and Fly', closing with 'Let The Good Tines Roll'. This refreshing horn section added that extra upbeat Soul dimension, who were so good, that they could quite easily play elsewhere and fit in with most other bands! Indeed, their great musical interplay with the core Fender, Gibson guitars and drums, saw a set that was anything but bad, but was really rather good, full of old skool Soul!

By the time headliner Will Wilde arrived on stage, The 100 Club was absolutely packed for this sold out gig by this 2026 UK Blues Federation instrumentalist of the year award winner. Deservedly so as Wilde is the UK’s extraordinary Wildman Rock God on Blues harp and is world class in sound and performance. Indeed, he encapsulates all that is magnificent in live music given his uber powerful, stage strutting performances, as well as tonality and range on both harmonica and vocals.

Wilde is compelling to watch and this evening the capacity crowd also thought so too. Tonight Will’s co-musicians were perfectly attuned to his chord cadences, nuances and stagecraft, comprising the blinding Steve Rushton on drums, Nat Martin on lead guitar, Russell Carr on bass and Ben Maxwell on smooth keys. Wilde and his band were fabulous, with the super fit Will moving around the stage like a panther, muscular in arms, attesting to his focus on the mind-body musical work ethic, with discipline at its core.

Indeed, Wilde embraces the striking Alpha Male macho leather clad biker chic look, with his harmonica belt wrapped around his chest like a harp armour plate. Less old school Mississippi Sax but pure Blues and Rock Sax equivalent in tone, Wilde’s breathwork and ability to hold a note, range and command of his harmonicas was astonishing. Opening with 'Wild Man', thus setting the tone and fire, his set included 'Learn How to Love', 'Blues is Still Alive' (originally recorded with Walter Trout), 'Gypsy Woman', 'Trouble of That Girl', before closing with a most moving version of Gary Moore's classic, 'Parisienne Walkways', that so resonated with this Paris loving girl!

Will, tonight it was indeed Wilde to see, hear and experience your live performance, as well as your astonishing skill on harmonica. Strapped to your soul, your harmonica belt encases your Blues man music of the highest calibre. I wish you every success always, as you cross the UK and international stages, including deservedly supporting Eric Clapton, no less, this August at The Sandringham Royal Estate! Will Wilde is outstanding!

Review, photos and video: Denise Lester