NEWS: WIN TICKETS TO THE PACKED LINE-UP TAKING TO THE STAGE FOR BELFAST CITY BLUES FESTIVAL FUNDRAISER

AS momentum grows towards the 10th Annual Belfast City Blues Festival 2018 a special fundraising show is set to blow off the post-Christmas cobwebs and raise the roof at the Empire, this Saturday, January 6. -  and you can win a pair of tickets to the show.

With proceeds going to support next year’s city wide festival tribute act Tinn Lizzy will take to the stage alongside Crow Black Chicken, Kick The Bucket Blues Band, Rab McCullough, Ronnie Greer and Lee Hedley.

To win tickets - just send your name and address here.

Festival Director Seamus O’Neill said: “This is a special January show, we want to ensure that next year’s festival is the biggest and best yet as we’ll be celebrating our tenth year.

“We’re delighted to have such a line-up mounting the Empire’s stage, and I’m sure everyone will have one superb night with great music and great craic.”

The Belfast City Blues Festival is an annual event held in multiple venues across the city. 2018 will mark the 10th anniversary of the festival and Seamus says blues fans can be sure it's going to make a big impression.

He added: "After a decade of festivals we're really excited about putting our 2018 10th Anniversary programme together.

"We're looking forward to working with all our festival partners and artists once again as well as developing new relationships as we see the festival grow bigger and better than ever before."

At the 2018 Belfast City Blues Festival homegrown Northern Ireland acts will be joined by national and international bands and musicians exploring the rich heritage of the blues across the country and further afield.

Tinn Lizzy are one of the leading tribute acts to the legendary Dublin rockers. All the way from Clonmel are Crow Black Chicken whose blend of folk, blues and rock have earned themselves rave reviews from the likes of Classic Rock.

Omagh’s Kick The Bucket Blues Band is a four-piece renowned for their fiercely intense live shows, while McCullough, Greer and Hedley need no introduction as they’re legends on the local scene.

Tickets for the fundraising show are on sale now, priced £12 (+ booking fee) from The Empire and all Ticketmaster outlets.  For more information log onto Facebook.com/ officialbelfastcitybluesfestival

Erre three days of hard rockin' mayhem!

Hold tight if you have the cash and liver tolerance...cuz over the next three days there's a veritable feast of hardcore, hard rock and thrash - though not necessarily in that order!.

Kicking off on Thursday is RSJ at the Limelight with By Any Means leading the supporting charge!

Recover from that and you can limber up the neck muscles when classic Brit thrashers Onslaught get set to slay the Spring & Airbrake on Friday night, ably supported by Devil Makes Three, Overoth and Cursed Sun.

For those of you still fixated with the new wave of thrashers - excellent though the likes of Municipal Waste, Evile et al are - Onslaught still kill the old way. Despite wallowing through disbandment, reformation and line-up changes they have re-emerged revitalised in recent years.

Old codgers alert! Zimmer frames at the ready for grandad rock on Saturday...Status Quo play at Carrick Castle, which is only marginally older than the Quo. Sorry, but it is really easy to have a pop at the Quo, but fair is fair they have kept their 12-bar blues boogie rock going for an eternity and deserve plaudits a plenty.

Here at metal mansions we first experienced the Quo live in '82 on what was titled the 'End of the Road Tour'. Then came some years later, the 'In The Army Now Tour' etc etc etc.

No matter what their collective ages and infirmity they always get heads a nodding and entertain!

Also with the Quo on Saturday at the Castle are Hayseed Dixie with their sawgrass take on rock. And, Speedo would not forgive me if I didn't mention Tinn Lizzy!