Artists: Walter Trout / Leoni Jane Kennedy
Venue: Picturedrome, Holmfirth
Date: 10 October 2026
After the long, hot summer, the first real signs of winter arrived in the UK. With blustery winds and temperatures dropping into single figures, we made the short journey to my favourite venue, the Holmfirth Picturedrome. Unsurprisingly, the upstairs area was packed, with an enthusiastic, predominantly mature audience eager to secure a seat for the evening’s entertainment.
Opening proceedings just before eight o’clock was Blackpool singer-songwriter Leoni Jane Kennedy. Armed with little more than an acoustic guitar and an impressive mass of curls, Kennedy delivered a captivating thirty-minute set that immediately showcased her considerable talent. Five of the six songs performed were taken from ‘Synthetic’, her debut album, released on her 26th birthday after five years in development and featuring a collection of entirely self-penned material.
The title track opened the set and quickly highlighted Kennedy’s strength as a songwriter, blending thoughtful lyricism with memorable melodies. She followed with ‘Jesse’, a song dedicated to a friend who designs guitar amplifiers under the name Lazy Janes and who helped support her through her master’s degree in Songwriting. Between songs, Kennedy revealed that she had been performing in clubs and bars around Blackpool since her high school days, slowly honing the craft that was evident throughout the evening.
Her musical influences also provided an interesting insight into her songwriting. Citing Status Quo and Rush among her favourite bands, she earned an unexpectedly enthusiastic cheer from the largely Blues-oriented audience when she mentioned the Canadian Prog-Rock legends. As a huge Rush fan myself, I was delighted by her beautiful acoustic rendition of ‘Tears’, taken from the band’s classic ‘2112’ opus. Stripped back to voice and guitar, the song’s emotion shone through magnificently.
Perhaps the most personal moment of the set came at the end, with ‘Ammunition’, a deeply emotional composition inspired by her estranged father, whom she has not spoken to since she was 13 years old. It provided a poignant reminder that behind Kennedy’s engaging stage presence lies a songwriter unafraid to draw from intensely personal experiences.
Setlist: - Synthetic / Closer / Jesse / Sloe / Tears / Ammunition
At precisely 9.00pm, Walter Trout strolled onto the stage to the kind of reception reserved for genuine Blues royalty. Opening with ‘I Can Tell’ and ‘Walkin’ In The Rain’, the band initially performed as a four-piece, quickly establishing the loose, authentic Blues Rock atmosphere that would define the next two hours.
From a distance, keyboard player Roland Bakker bore more than a passing resemblance to Johnny Vegas, but there was nothing comedic about his playing. Whether on piano or Hammond organ, Bakker proved a master of his craft throughout the evening.
This was Blues Rock played in the traditional manner, with the live arrangements often stretching far beyond their studio counterparts. Early in the set, Trout told the audience that Holmfirth was his favourite venue on the UK circuit and that he always looked forward to seeing the Picturedrome on his tour schedule.
By the third song, he had the audience firmly in the palm of his hand. “Do you feel like rockin’?” The answer was emphatic. “Then let’s rock the house down!”
With that, the quartet expanded to a quintet as Walter’s son, Jon Trout, joined the band for the storming ‘Wanna Dance’. The family chemistry between father and son was immediately apparent. At the end of the song, the 75-year-old Trout reflected on the ageing process with typical humour. “When I’m playing, I feel like I’m twenty-five. Then the song ends and I feel like I’m ninety-five!”
The joke served as a perfect introduction to a lengthy and highly entertaining story about the late British Blues legend John Mayall. “Do you remember Canned Heat? Well, I don’t!” The crowd erupted with laughter. Recalling his seven years with Mayall, alongside the likes of Mick Taylor and John McVie, Trout delivered one of the night’s most memorable lines. “I was taking so many drugs and drinking so much alcohol that I made Keith Richards look like a choirboy. When a Rolling Stone tells you you’re out of control, you know you’ve got a problem!” Thankfully, with the help of Mayall and Carlos Santana, Trout turned his life around.
“I’ve now been sober for thirty-nine years. I found out you can still be wild and crazy without drugs and alcohol.”
The heartfelt ‘Say Goodbye To The Blues’ was then dedicated to Mayall, whom Trout affectionately described as “the last great British eccentric”.
Another Mayall anecdote followed. After spending seven years in the Bluesbreakers, Trout formed his own band in 1989 when Mayall decided to take a four-month break.
“Two weeks before our first tour, John handed me a cassette wrapped in brown paper and said, ‘Open this in two weeks when you all hate each other.’”
At the time, Trout dismissed the warning. “We’re all great friends,” he thought. Sure enough, two weeks into the tour the band members could barely stand one another. Curious, Trout finally played the tape. “It was forty-five minutes of John Mayall farting!” The room erupted into laughter. “The Farter of the Blues!”
From comedy to commentary, ‘Artificial’ from 2025’s ‘Sign Of The Times’ tackled the growing influence of artificial intelligence and saw harmonica virtuoso Will Wilde, (described as “The Hendrix Of Harmonica”), join the band onstage. The line-up expanded yet again for a thunderous rendition of ‘Goin’ Down’, with guest guitarist Danny Bryant adding further firepower. Lead vocals were shared between bassist John Avila, Jon Trout and Walter himself.
The band then returned to a five-piece for the touching ‘Mona Lisa Smile’, a song Trout wrote for his wife when she was feeling low.
A visibly proud Walter then introduced his son properly, explaining that Jon had recently completed a master’s degree in Music at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark. “When his mum asked what he wanted to do next, he said, ‘I want to go on the road and play Rock ‘n’ Roll with Dad!’”
The apple clearly hadn’t fallen far from the tree. While Jon possesses a slightly cleaner guitar tone, Walter’s playing remains richer and more deeply rooted in the Blues. Together they delivered an excellent rendition of the aptly titled ‘We’re In This Together’.
Never one to take himself too seriously, Trout then addressed another favourite target.
“Do you know how to annoy Blues purists? Record a song with my friend Dee Snider of Twisted sister fame!”
The result was ‘I’ve Had Enough’, a politically charged Hard Rock anthem aimed squarely at politicians and, in particular, one that Trout jokingly referred to as the “Mango Mussolini”. Musically it leaned further towards Hard Rock than Blues, with Trout and Avila sharing vocals before the Holmfirth crowd enthusiastically joined in on the closing chorus.
The stories continued to flow. Trout recalled performing alongside John Lee Hooker during the 1970s before launching into ‘It Serves You Right To Suffer’, dedicating the song to the Blues legend. His affectionate impression of Hooker’s famously indecipherable stage banter had the audience in stitches before he concluded with, “I’ll never forget that!”
Band introductions became an event in their own right, with each musician receiving an extended solo spot. Jon Trout impressed first, before attention turned to Roland Bakker, whom Walter rightly described as a "monstrous" keyboard player, particularly on the Hammond B3.
Bassist John Avila’s introduction was especially entertaining. Formerly a member of Oingo Boingo, Avila boasts an astonishing CV, having worked with artists including Randy Crawford, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani and Bob Dylan to name but a few. His solo began unexpectedly on a recorder before evolving into an impressive bass showcase. A bass solo is often considered the ultimate oxymoron in Rock music, but Avila somehow made it genuinely enjoyable.
Drummer Kev Hickman was reportedly performing only his seventh show with the band, yet the Milton Keynes sticksman looked as though he had been part of the line-up for years.
Naturally, the biggest ovation of the night was reserved for Walter Trout himself, who brought the show to a close in the same energetic fashion with which he had begun it more than two hours earlier.
The extended solo section ultimately left no time for an encore before the venue’s 11.00 PM curfew, but nobody seemed disappointed. As the band took their final bow, Trout thanked the audience for supporting him for the last thirty-seven years before offering a heartfelt farewell, “God bless you.”
Judging by the smiles leaving the venue, the feeling was entirely mutual.
I can only hope I’m having half as much fun when I reach seventy-five.
Setlist: - Can Tell / Walkin’ In The Rain / Wanna Dance / Say Goodbye To The Blues / Artificial / Goin’ Down / Mona Lisa Smile / We’re In This Together/ I’ve Had Enough / It Serves You Right to Suffer / Guitar solo / Keyboard solo / Bass solo / Drum solo / Guitar solo
Review: Mark Donnelly
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