WHEN the great bank holiday blues party in Colne comes to an end, there could be no more fitting band to send the crowds happy for another year than Paul Lamb and the King Snakes.

The band will be flying in from a show in Poland the night before to close the International stage at the Muni at the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival.

“We arrive in the UK on Monday morning and will be on stage that night in Colne,” said Paul.

The band’s busy schedule means Paul won’t be able to attend the British Blues Awards which are held at Colne this year as part of the festival the day before. He is once again nominated as best harmonica player.

“We’ve had our fair share of awards over the years and been inducted into the British Blues Hall of Fame,” said Paul. “But to be honest they make no difference to me, they don’t change who I am as a musician.

“I suppose they are good for the CV and may introduce you to new fans but I’ve always been pretty down to earth and I don’t think I’m going to change now.

“I don’t really understand people with attitude in music, you certainly can’t fake it when you’re playing live at a place like Colne.

“All my stuff tends to be about everyday things which have affected me in my life and I think people relate to that.”

With their mixture of rock and blues, Paul and the King Snakes always put on a great show.

“We don’t really have a set list,” said Paul. “We’ve got a repertoire of hundreds of songs and what I do is just look at the audience and that tells me what I should pull out of the hat next.

“People come to see us to be entertained and we don’t want to let them down. I also like to have a bit of fun on stage and that keeps the band on their toes.”

In the line-up of the King Snakes, Paul’s son Ryan features prominently as lead guitarist.

“He’s been in a few bands and then when I needed a guitarist he was fooling around and I asked him to stand in for a show and realised I didn’t need to advertise as the answer was right there.

“But he knows he doesn’t get any preferential treatment he is one of the band. But it’s nice for me as his dad to get to spend time on the road with my son.”

After a summer of playing festivals around Europe, Paul is keen to be returning to Colne.

“I like the diversity of the line-up at Colne,” he said. “You need to have that difference for the audience, they don’t want the same sound every band.”

Paul and his rhythm guitarist Chad Strentz have just finished an album – Goin’ Down This Road – as an acoustic duo, which will be available at Colne along with the band’s most recent release The Games People Play.

  • Paul Lamb and the King Snakes, Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival, Colne, Monday, August 26. Box office 01282 61234.