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There was an icy wind blowing up the Thames Estuary on Friday night but once Virgil & The Accelerators breezed into town no one seemed to notice or care. VATA were back in old Blighty after a brief trip to Europe and they were determined to start the UK leg with a bang at a venue they had never previously played at. First up were Loose Moorings who had earned the right to the support slot after an outstanding set in support to Blacktop Deluxe at the Fiddlers Elbow in Chalk Farm on Valentine’s night. LM are a very understated band and front man Roy Hudson admitted to those gathered that he "don't talk much". He doesn't have to as he commands the stage without needing any histrionics and the audience are soon with him and the band. Leading off with the excellent ‘Think I'd Be Blue’ from their debut album Loose Moorings I, the guys however soon launch into tracks from their second album - you got it - Loose Moorings II (told you they were understated). Indeed the set includes 7 tracks from what I consider to be one of the albums of the year to date. The new release is so strong that the last four tracks of the set are all from it: ‘Control’, ‘Falling Star’ and in my eyes two that are already classics in ‘Pushin My Patience’ and ‘Magpie’ (see Video Of The Day). An appreciative audience begged for more and venue owner Terry Lee promises a quick return this year - well deserved. On to the main course and not only was this the first gig of their UK Tour but it was also the first outing for Vigil's new Elvis haircut and Gabriel's new drum kit. I must admit it was an impressive sight as it stood out on stage looking like one of those heavenly visions. If they sounded as good as they looked we were in for a treat. We needn't have worried especially as the sound was being looked after by sound man extraordinaire Vic Wintergreen!! VATA were in no mood to hang around as they launched straight into ‘Take Me Higher’ - the tone was set and the pace never slackened as they powered their way through the heavyweight tracks off their Radium and Army of Three albums. There appear to be many influences that the band draw on and Black Sabbath overtones come through on the excellent ‘All Night Long’. Also for me there were many occasions when Joe Bonamassa influences shone out in Virgil's guitar style especially during the intro to ‘Working Man’ - can't be a bad thing. Add to that a pinch of Bad Company in ‘88’ and you have something for everyone. They finished off with the amazing ‘Silver Giver’ as an encore - the Red Lion had been rocked to its well-established rafters. The guys are as tight as a you know what and Virgil has you hanging on to every note he plays - I understand the band are leaning away from the Blues tag, I personally think that is a shame as for me there is a place for that genre in their set. It was their first venture to this iconic venue - I don't think it will be their last. Wrinkly

Thanks to all of the bands that have sent us your CD's for both our forthcoming Wrinklycast and also for future CD Reviews .... but we need more please! Simply e-mail us below and we will send you details of where to send them! Anyway our 'Track Of The Day' is our last Wrinklycast. And if any WRC members want to contribute any CD Reviews then also drop us an e-mail and we will forward some CD's to you for you to keep! Don't forget to fill out a form here and we'll subsequently send you a WRC members card which you can use, for example, not only to get £3 off your BluesRockfest ticket, but you can also benefit from all the other current members offers.

Today's 'Video Of The Day' is the laid back and funky grooves of ex-Dunwells guitarist Dave Hanson. The band consists of Dave on lead vocals and guitar, Daniel Woodward - drums, Benson J Walker - bass, Becka Ward - backing vocals, Martyn Goddard - guitar and backing vocals and Joe Tatton - Keys. With a debut album coming soon, the band recently supported Marcus Bonfanti and are appearing at Cafe Bar 12 in Baildon tonight.

Members are reminded that they can use their cards to get discounted £8 admission at The Eel Pie Club tonight to see The Blue Bishops. Doors open at 8.30pm at the venue at The Patch, 67 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3SZ, with the band due on stage between 9pm and 11pm. To become a WRC member simply go here. Recently spotlighted in our 'Introducing ...' feature, The Blue Bishops work at the rocky end of the R&B and Blues spectrum. Yet, at the same time they are acknowledged for the sensitivity and dynamics of performances that can go from a whisper to a roar in just a few moments. A career spanning over 15 years has seen them perform in every kind of venue and situation from Holland and Hungary to Belgium and The Bahamas. Their last studio CD ‘Deep’ was awarded 9/10 by Blues Matters, who nominated it among the top ten albums of the year and they are currently writing their new album. Led by guitarist/slide player Simon Burrett, he is joined by lead vocalist/harmonica/guitar player Geoff Grange (Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, Sons of Heroes, Phil Collins, Terence Trent Darby), Jim Rodford on bass (currently with The Zombies and 17 year member of The Kinks) and Justin Hildreth (Joan Armatrading, Lene Lovich) on drums.

No guests on Blues On The Radio this week - so that means our Track Of The Day consists of two solid hours of seriously great music. And with the quality and quantity of new releases coming out, host Richard Dunning needs those two hours to fit it all in! So if you like the Blues, in all it's diverse forms, there's no other place to be. Therefore turn up the volume and soak up Stevie Nimmo (who's headlining our 2016 BluesRockfest pictured), Rebecca Downes, Storm Warning, Wily Bo Walker, Catfish and Mike Brookfield - to name but a few!

"If you love your ears, with the line up we have this week! you will want to tune in to the show on @RidgeradioUk Saturday 8-10pm" - yes that was yesterday's tweet from the WRC Award winning Rock On The Ridge team. Simply tune in to Bob & Jules here tonight as they deliver another knock-out Rock show. Also watch out not only for the return of Mr. Rockrpix himself John Bull in the ROTR studio on Saturday 6th February but also for some news on some dodgy guests appearing in mid-March! All will be revealed soon!

An exclusive airing of a special live performance from Blues superstar Joe Bonamassa recorded in the intimate setting of Mr. Kyps in Poole 10 years after his first ever UK show there will be broadcast on Radio 2 here at 7pm tonight. In 2005 club owner Mark Kyprianou was approached by JB, at that time a completely unknown American guitarist, who was keen to gain exposure in this country. Although Mark had faith in Joe's talent it was difficult to sell tickets with the result that only 100 people paid to see the show. Afterwards Joe promised Mark that he would be back one day - a promise he made good on this autumn. At the end of his latest sell out arena tour in November, JB and his band returned to the 300 capacity club for an unforgettable evening and BBC Radio 2 was given exclusive access to capture the event!

All roads lead to the Horn in St. Albans tonight for our WRC Xmas Party where Albany Down (Vid Of The Day) and Southbound (Track Of The Day) will be rockin' this iconic venue to set your Xmas festivities off with a bang! Tickets are £9 on the door and Southbound should be on stage at 8.30pm. And don't forget to bring your Santa hats and mistletoe. See you there!

Watch out shortly for a review of Danny Bryant's new CD 'Blood Money' that is due to be released on Friday 29th January 2016. Not only that, but Danny, who we saw at Ramblin' Man this year (pictured by John Bull), will be touring in the UK in February 2016 and his itinerary includes a WRC Promotions gig at Leos Red Lion, Gravesend, on Sunday 28th February! More information to follow shortly but in the meantime to book tickets go to our Ticketsource box below or use the link here.

Rock legend Glenn Hughes, whose 40 year career as a singer and bass player has seen him form an integral part in bands including Deep Purple, Trapeze, Black Country Communion and California Breed joins Rory Auskerry for an interview on today's Track Of The Day! On the latest Route 66 podcast, Glenn talks openly about his musical differences with Joe Bonamassa, advice for the next generation and his love of playing live. Also on the show are new tracks from Jared James Nichols (pictured), Buddy Guy, Walter Trout, Don Henley, Gary Clark Jr., Rod Stewart and Joe Satriani.

As promised the 2015 British Blues Award category winners were exclusively revealed by Richard Dunning on a very special Blues On The Radio show on Croydon Radio last night. Amongst the winners in the twenty-one categories were Alan Nimmo of King King (pictured and our Track Of The Day) plus our 2014 BluesFest headliner Aynsley Lister (our Vid Of The Day). Congratulations to everyone from the WRC and for a full list of category winners go here. Also please watch out for the BOTR Podcast which will be our Track Of The Day tomorrow!

Today's Video Of The Day not only features the winning 'Young Artist' in this year's British Blues Awards, but also another guitarist who came a highly commended third in the 'Bass' category! Yes we turn the clock back to the iconic 100 Club last year when we saw Laurence Jones and Roger Inniss (both pictured) - the vid testament to why these guys are held in such regard by their voting public. And talking of a well deserved third place in this year's Independent Blues Broadcaster category - tune in to The Marshman from 7pm BST here tonight for Blues On The Marsh.