New Album • "Things Are Looking Up" • 20-Date UK Tour • Returning to Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre
There comes a point in every great musician's career where experience, confidence and creativity collide. For Mick McConnell, that moment is happening right now.
Already recognised worldwide as the long-serving guitarist with British rock legends Smokie, McConnell has quietly spent the last few years building something altogether different—something deeply personal, refreshingly authentic and rapidly becoming one of the most talked-about stories on the British blues-rock circuit.
With the forthcoming release of his brand-new album Things Are Looking Up, an extensive 20-date UK Tour, and a string of acclaimed headline performances behind him, Mick McConnell & Blue Thunder arrive back at Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre carrying the momentum of a band whose time has truly come.
This isn't simply another blues band riding the revival.This is contemporary British blues-rock with songs at its heart.
What separates Mick McConnell from so many modern blues guitarists is that he doesn't simply write riffs...
He writes songs. Proper songs.
The kind that stay with you long after the final encore. Songs with memorable choruses, beautifully crafted melodies and lyrics that feel honest, lived-in and real. It's perhaps no surprise. Before becoming an internationally touring guitarist, McConnell spent years as an in-house songwriter for publishing giant Warner Chappell, learning his craft alongside some of the music industry's finest writers.
That background is everywhere in his music.
Rather than endless twelve-bar workouts or extended guitar solos, McConnell has developed a style that blends the emotional honesty of classic British rock with American blues, soulful melodies and contemporary production. It's blues-rock that speaks to both lifelong blues devotees and classic rock fans alike—a genuinely commercial modern blues-rock sound without ever compromising its authenticity.
It's little wonder critics have increasingly begun to recognise him as one of Britain's finest songwriter-guitarists.
His critically acclaimed album Under My Skin, produced by double Grammy Award-winning producer Blue Miller, reached No.13 on the European Blues Chart, earning rave reviews throughout Europe and America.
The album introduced audiences to a writer whose songs stood comfortably alongside his exceptional guitar playing, receiving major features in Blues Matters and Blues in Britain, while American publications praised both the quality of the songwriting and the musicianship.
That was only the beginning.
Those close to the new recordings are already describing Things Are Looking Up as Mick's strongest work to date.
The early signs suggest an album packed with memorable songs, powerful guitar work and the kind of mature songwriting that only comes from decades of experience.
Simply put...
Things Are Looking Up is sounding mighty.
Just two years ago, Mick McConnell & Blue Thunder were a brand-new live band beginning their journey.
Fast forward to today and they've become one of the UK's fastest-rising blues-rock attractions.
In an incredibly short space of time they've progressed from intimate club shows to prestigious festivals, sold-out headline concerts and appearances at some of Britain's finest live music venues.
Their first nationwide headline tour culminated with a triumphant performance at London's legendary 100 Club, while invitations quickly followed from the Winter Blues Weekender, the Blackpool International Blues Festival Main Stage and the prestigious Looe Blues Festival.
It's an extraordinary rise. Most bands spend years trying to earn that level of respect.
Blue Thunder have achieved it through exceptional musicianship, first-class songs and performances that leave audiences talking long after they've left the venue.
McConnell surrounds himself with musicians of the very highest calibre.
Tsutomu "Atom" Abe brings glorious Hammond organ textures and sparkling keyboard work.
Lincoln Roth provides melodic bass playing and rich vocal harmonies.
Bob Pears delivers effortless groove and precision behind the drums.
Donna Thompson's soulful backing vocals complete a line-up that is polished, dynamic and immensely powerful.
Together they create a live show that moves effortlessly from heartfelt ballads to muscular blues-rock, combining outstanding musicianship with songs that genuinely connect.
As Things Are Looking Up prepares for release this autumn, Mick embarks on his biggest adventure yet—a 20-date UK Tour taking his music to many of Britain's premier blues venues, including a welcome return to Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre.
There is a tangible feeling surrounding Mick McConnell right now.
After decades in the music business, countless international stages, years of songwriting and a lifetime devoted to his craft, everything seems to be falling perfectly into place.
The songs are stronger. The band is tighter. The audiences are growing. The reputation is spreading. And perhaps most importantly...
The best may still be ahead.
For lovers of authentic guitar music, outstanding songwriting and contemporary British blues-rock played with intelligence, passion and absolute conviction, Mick McConnell & Blue Thunder are becoming impossible to ignore.
Things are indeed looking up.
And if this remarkable upward trajectory continues, don't be surprised if Mick McConnell is soon spoken about in the same breath as the finest songwriter-guitarists currently flying the flag for British blues-rock.
Barnoldswick won't simply be hosting another gig.
It will be welcoming one of the UK's most exciting modern blues-rock success stories at precisely the right moment.
Need help, lost your tickets, or have any questions? Click here for help