THE sold out notices stuck on the doors were a bit of a clue that Sunday night in Clitheroe was about to become something special.

If quality rock and blues is your thing then this was the show for you.

With a swagger which belies their boyish looks, Broken Witt Rebels caused many a seasoned gig goer to abandon the bar and to stand in rapt attention for their set.

This Birmingham outfit are going places - it's easy to see why they picked up the best rock act in the recent unsigned music awards.

Lead singer Danny Core has an engaging personality and the voice of a seasoned rocker. Relatively young in years the band may be but they have been playing together since childhood and this close bond shines through in the set.

They are powerful, tight, full of quality musicianship and diverse styles. From the hard rocking Guns to the country-tinged Georgia Pine they offer something that's just that bit different.

Touring with the likes of King King will only further their development - just remember the name.

Then it was the turn of headliners King King, the behemoth of the blues rock world. This was one of the band's last dates before a break to allow charismatic lead singer Alan Nimmo the chance to rest to deal with a throat problem.

At the Grand, apart from him swigging from a bottle of rather dubious looking liquid there was no obvious signs that there was any kind of problem.

And he even pulled of a glorious cover of Frankie Miller's Jealousy for good measure.

The multi-award winning band make the whole thing look ridiculously easy and their songs showcase the rich musical ability of all four members. But there is also a passion behind the technique which lifts each song to another dimension.

A Long History of Love features soulful vocals and the most wonderful Hammond organ from Bob Fridzema; traditional set opener Lose Control is something ACDC would be proud of and Rush Hour allows Nimmo to prove what a fine guitarist he is.

King King are a proper rock band - they play hard, they play well and they clearly enjoy every second of it.