LUKE Doherty is hoping his visit to Blackburn on Sunday for the Blackburn Blues Festival is far less eventful than his most recent trip to East Lancashire.

Luke and his band played Colne's Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival over the August Bank Holiday but as he explained: "We lost our drummer on the way as he had to return home due to a family emergency.

"So we were left trying to find a drummer for the gig which we managed with about 10 minutes to spare so that was a bit different."

Luke's laid-back approach to what could have been a major problem, typifies a maturity way beyond his years. Still only 21 he's been gigging since the age of 12, the word prodigy could have been invented for him.

"The young thing is starting to die down now," he said. "It doesn't bother me anyway but as I get older it will just go away."

Luke is looking forward to the particular challenges being on the bill of a day-long festival like Blackburn brings.

"With a festival we will be playing for a shorter time than if it was our own gig," he said. "So you have go to try and think of ways to get the most impact in the shortest space of time.

"In a normal gig you can build things more slowly but at the point in a full gig when you're just getting into it, for a festival you're almost on the last number.

"Blackburn will be the first time for this particular line-up and that's always interesting to see other bands and what they do."

Luke's astonishing guitar playing has seen him impress the likes of Eric Clapton and BB King but he remains modest about his accomplishments.

"I'm not always playing the guitar," he said. "It depends on my mood or if I've got an idea in my head and then I might pick it up and start playing but I can go a week without playing if we're not gigging.

"But I always have the guitar in the room with me. If I go into another room I'll take it with me. It's a bit like my comfort blanket I suppose."

A feature of the band's live set are Luke's blisteringly complex solos.

"I don't write solos," he said. "I'm just in the song and I'll play what I feel is right. Sometimes the band won't know where I'm going with it and, to be honest, neither will I, but we always manage to bring it together somehow."

As well as gigging, Luke is looking to start writing for a new album later this year which would be released next year.

"The great things about the band is that we're all from different kinds of backgrounds - the drummer is influenced by jazz, the bassist is a folkie at heart and the singer's a hippy so we all contribute something different."

Luke Doherty Band, Blackburn Blues Festival, Sunday, October 4. Details from 01844 847 1664.