The inaugural Blues Special night at the Rother Street Arts House opened with The Swaps supported by Mark Harrison. The event was put on by Stephen Steinhaus ‘Stein’ after discussions early in 2026 with the artistic Director of the Rother Street Arts House John-Robert Partridge ‘JP’, to put on a Blues Club in Stratford-upon-Avon to compliment the successful jazz club, hosted by Jay Riley, which had already started.
Stein chose two local acts to form his opening night’s bill with Coventry’s Mark Harrison (now based in Chipping Norton) and Leamington Spa’s The Swaps. Both artists have been shortlisted for UK Blues Awards for the UK Blues Federation. A busy crowd filled the room with support from both locals and fans from another grassroot venue Temperance in Leamington Spa.
First, we had Mark Harrison performing solo on his 12-string guitar with his style of music influenced by the original American blues and roots scene. He introduced each song with the background along with some humorous and wry observations.
He kicked of with ‘Everybody’ with its great finger picking on the 12-string guitar and his matching gruff vocals followed by ‘House Full of Children’ which was about Eddie ‘Guitar’ Burns from Detroit who he had first seen live in Coventry as a schoolboy and had written about him in a school rag. It was a foot taping blues number with influential vocals.
Mark included instrumental songs including one about his youth in Coventry ‘Last Bus Home’ which was about getting home late after a music gig and drinking too much Mitchell & Butler’s BrewXI. Another was ‘Primrose Hill Street Rag’ which was about browsing and buying records in a Coventry record shop. He was joined by Stein on backing vocals.
Then from his latest album ‘Fools & Clowns’ we had the single from it ‘Them & Us’ which he promoted on BBC Radio 2’s Gaby Roslin Show where he explained in was about the rise of management (and not in a good way).
‘Hell of a Story’ was another song Mark was hoping to get on the BBC Radio 2 daytime playlist, but he wasn’t successful and their reason was it was fine to play after dark as it was too quirky and specialist and like Bob Dylan!
He finished on an upbeat bluesy song ‘Crematorium Blues’ about visiting his late family in the Coventry Crematorium.
After a break we had Leamington Spa’s The Swaps with Beth Brooks (vocals), James Knight (guitar & vocals), Adam Phillips (guitar, keyboard & backing vocals). Their sound mixes Blues with some Folk but always features Beth’s unique bluesy vocals sung with power.
They kicked off with ‘Scars’ with its great harmonies, Beth’s powerful lead vocals and lively guitar picking from James & Adam followed by ‘Negativity’ with its great lower register vocals from Beth with a great bluesy high tempo song.
‘Fast Train’ the title track from their latest album was next which was a melodic slower number with passionate Blues vocals from Beth and guitar accompaniment in two parts.
As James said now a more Bluesy song with slide guitar on ‘Story to Tell’ with its evocative vocals from Beth, superb guitar interplay and harmonies.
Now with Adam on keys we had ‘Spain’ with Beth again showing her range of blues vocals and James’s effective guitar playing, followed by ‘Spell on You’ with its deeper slower eerie vocals from Beth, evocative guitar sound from James & Adam, with a Spanish style guitar break from Adam.
With James now on lead vocals we had ‘Wolf’ a melancholy song with Beth on backing vocals and Adam on 2nd guitar. The set also included the first song that James ever wrote called ‘Chemicals’ which was about his wife who was a pharmacist, with Beth on lead vocals on upbeat offbeat song with three-way harmonies. Great slide guitar break from James.
For a well-deserved encore they gave us the traditional song ‘Nobody’s Fault’ with Adam on keys, passionate vocals from Beth backed by James on guitar.
At the close Stein thanked the artists and Laurence on sound as well as the audience for supporting the new venture. The next Blues Special will be taking place on Wednesday 30th September 2026.