THIS was a show which was more significant than perhaps the uninitiated would have realised featuring the youngest member of the British Blues Hall of Fame supported by an East Lancashire band making one of their first live appearances in almost 20 years.

This blend of youth and experience resulted in a bit of a treat at the Grand.

The Outsiders UK were in the mid 1990s one of the hardest working bands around, touring the country with major rock acts.

Now the Pendle five-piece are back with a new album and a renewed enthusiasm.

The Outsiders UK are a glorious throwback. They play rock and roll and love every minute of doing so.

Frontman Mel Melling in leather jacket, Russian hat and trademark feather boa is a showman, his mission to entertain. From some of the crowd who had gone primarily to see Laurence Jones, his strutting around stage took them a little by surprise.

It’s all very well having the strut but if the songs aren’t up to much it’s a waste of time. Thankfully The Outsiders UK can more than back up the swagger.

Songs from the new album Everything’s Gone Vintage featured prominently with guitarist Chris Hartley showing what a fine axeman he is.

Melling’s vocals have that sneering, cynical touch in the Ian Hunter or Graham Parker category and songs like River Blindness and Memory Lane have a country rock feel to them.

If you yearn for a good, fun, guitar driven rock band with songs that stick in your head, seek them out.

Headliner Laurence Jones is one of the rising stars of the British blues scene. A three-time winner of the Young Artist of the Year category in the British Blues Awards he has that poise and polish built on great talent and busy touring schedule.

All that touring showed in the tightness of his band – bass, keyboard and drums – who formed the perfect platform for Jones’ incendiary guitar work.

Highlights included Thunder and Lightning, dedicated to the victims of the terror attack on Manchester Arena.

“We should always remember that love will conquer hate,” said Jones in introducing the song which started as a slow bluesy number before bursting to life with a guitar solo which just grew and grew.

The song I Will gave Jones the opportunity to show his vocal as well as his undoubted playing abilities and Stop Moving the House was a raucous ode to the hangover.

Overall it was a great combination leading to a fine night’s entertainment at the Grand.