BROTHERS in bands are not exactly known as being a recipe for success. The fraternal tensions can occasionally produce sparks of genius but long term success is hardly guaranteed.

There are numerous examples of promising careers ending in dramatic fashion as brothers fall out.

But there are exceptions to the rule and one of them is clearly one of the most exciting bands on the blues scene at the moment - the Cinelli Brothers whose debut appearance at the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival next weekend is one of the most eagerly anticipated shows of the whole event.

The Cinelli Brothers

The Cinelli Brothers

Brothers Marco and Alessandro will be part of a quartet which is guaranteed to go down a storm.

“I think we bring a lot of good vibes, good music, good musicianship and most importantly some good times,” said drummer Alessandro. Marco is the band’s singer and lead guitarist.

“We are something fresh and live we don’t offer up just the same old blues show. We are pop band with blues priorities. We like to be very entertaining, very fresh and hopefully very new.”

The brothers grew up in a musical household.

“My dad would always put on records when we got up and were getting ready for school, having breakfast,” said Alessandro.

“Most of his records were of British or American bands. He’d play everything from Stevie Ray Vaughan to the Eagles. He loved Willie Nelson but would also play us Grand Funk Railroad so we were exposed to many different kinds of music.”

The gift of an unwanted guitar from a relative to a 12-year-old Marco was the start of the brothers’ musical career.

“We started to dig deeper into music and find our own bands, perhaps more modern artists at the time like Robben Ford,” said Alessandro. “The more you play the more you start to dig and we came across older blues artists which we really liked.

“The first time I heard Muddy Waters I just though ‘how can a man sing like that?’

“We grew up near Rome and there were a lot of really good blues musicians around. They may not be well known but they were very good.”

The Cinelli Brothers

The Cinelli Brothers

Alessandro has been living in London for the past 10 years and he and Marco share a house.

So does that put even further strain on their musical partnership. Can we expect mid set tantrums or even a fight between the pair on stage?

“No,” laughed Alessandro. “Like any brothers we have had our arguments. There is a four year age gap between us which is nothing now but when you are 10 or 12 that’s massive. I don’t think we really got along until I was about 16 - Marco is the elder brother - but now we’re so close.”

Having grown up making music together means the pair have an uncanny understanding.

“We just need to give a look or a certain gesture and each of us knows what the other is thinking,” said Alessandro. “When I first started to play Marco was my big influence and a lot of his influences became mine. I know where he’s going to go musically when we’re playing live which makes things a lot easier.”

For the last three years the Cinelli Brothers have been nominated for Blues Band of the Year in the British Blues Awards and the UK is very much their home.

“The fans here are amazing,” said Alessandro. “We have people who will travel several hours to get to one of our shows. That doesn’t happen anywhere else. That’s why we are so looking forward to play at Colne for the first time - it’s a really big deal for us. It has a huge reputation, not just in this country.”

The Great British Blues Festival, various venues across Colne from Friday, August 26 to Sunday, August 28. The Cinelli Brothers play the Pendle Hippodrome on Sunday. Full details from www.colnebluesline-up.com