Here’s a rare chance to see Geraint Watkins and the Mosquitoes performing outside of London.

For so many years a keystone of the bands of Nick Lowe, Van Morrison, Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, Dave Edmunds and countless more, Geraint Watkins is also a revered creator of his own sublime music.

Attempting to designate a musical category for Watkins is not without its challenges. The perspicacious Nick Lowe once observed that he could be filed as “the missing link between Paulo Conte and Howlin' Wolf”, while another beacon of taste - Bob Dylan – proclaimed himself a fan by playing two solo cuts on his Theme Time Radio Hour saying (without a hint of irony) that “Geraint Watkins is my favourite English piano player.”

These days, he performs this material with his band – The Mosquitoes, which includes Martin Winning (sax/clarinet) Oliver Darling (guitar/vocals), Paul Riley (bass) and Malcolm Mills (drums).

Watkins was a member of noted British bands Juice on the Loose and Red Beans & Rice and following a move to London with the latter, he soon found himself on the “Be Stiff Route 78” tour as part of Micky Jupp’s band. Shortly afterwards in 1979, Andy Fairweather Low produced Watkins’ first album for the Vertigo label. Session work for producer Stuart Colman followed which led to him joining Shakin’ Stevens’ band for all the hits before going on to record and play live with Dave Edmunds and many others including Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Mark Knopfler, Dr. Feelgood, Rory Gallagher, The Blues Band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stray Cats, Carl Perkins, John Wesley Harding, Tom Jones, Roger Daltrey and John Martyn.