FOR members of The Blues Band, what they will actually be playing at Colne will almost as big a surprise as it will be for the audience.

“We gave up having a set list about 10 years ago,” said guitarist Dave Kelly. “We have a rough idea of what we’re likely to play but it also depends on the audience and the venue.

“A festival like Colne is slightly different as you only have about an hour’s slot so you have to pack them in a bit.”

The Blues Band, which as well as Dave is made up of Paul Jones, Tom McGuinness, Rob Townsend and Gary Fletcher was formed in 1979 and the original line-up has been together ever since.

“I think one of the reasons we have stayed together for so long is that we all love the music we play,” said Dave. “We don’t really socialise or travel together. It is very much a professional relationship but we do all like and respect each other.

“Because we’ve played together for so long you pick up on what a singer is planning to do. We have developed our own little signals to let the band know what song we’re doing next.

“Also we had a new album out at the back end of last year, Few Short Lines, so we will most probably be playing several songs from that”

Dave’s blues credentials are impeccable having played with the likes of Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker.

“Howling Wolf wouldn’t tell his band what song he’d be playing next. You wouldn’t even know what key he was playing is, you just had to follow his lead,” he said.

“I’ve been so lucky to have played with all these great bluesmen over the years. Wolf had a reputation as a fearsome band leader but behind it all he was a gentleman and very caring.”

Dave has spent his life bringing the blues to new audiences and he believes that new generations will continue to love one of the original forms of popular music.

“I was at a little village fete in France when a blues band set up in the town square and started playing. Soon it was full of all these teenagers who got up and were dancing, it has that kind of appeal,” he said.

“At its heart blues is quite simple music which if it’s done badly can be boring. But done well, you can’t beat it.

“For me, we will just keep on doing what we’re doing. It’s fantastic to be paid for doing something that you love.”

n The Blues Band, international stage, Monday, 9.15pm