THE Stourbridge music scene is set for a one-night comeback which is guaranteed to give fans the blues.

The Red Lemon Electric Blues Band will be celebrating their 30th anniversary with a reformation gig featuring a line-up packed with top musicians.

The band formed in 1985 and became a massive hit playing Rhythm and Blues around the UK at their own headline gigs and supporting huge stars like Chuck Berry, Robert Plant and Edwin Starr.

They created a look and sound straight out of Chicago after drawing inspiration from an iconic movie.

Frontman Jim Merris said: “I’d seen The Blues Brothers, that literally changed my life. I thought I want to play the harmonica and I want to sing in a big rhythm and blues band.

“Then I went to see The Big Town Playboys, that’s who got me into that 50s jump blues stuff and that was it – I was absolutely hooked.”

From humble beginnings with a line-up which briefly featuring a young Adrian Chiles on bass the group grew both in size and stature as they developed their sound.

Drummer Neil Bullock said: “It felt really natural, I was massively aware of that film as well but it was never intended to be a tribute to The Blues Brothers. At that point there were hardly any people doing that sort of thing.”

A key feature of the band’s success was high-powered live shows which occasionally included an appearance from dancer Suzi Perry – who went on to TV fame on the Gadget Show and as a BBC motor racing presenter.

Jim Merris said: “We would always give it everything we had got, we would come off and be absolutely drained.”

Neil Bullock added: “There was no sense of pacing in those days it was hit them hard for 90 minutes. At JB’s I remember the condensation and the sweat running down the walls - it was nuts.”

Band members went their separate ways in late 1992 with several of the original group going on to more success in music; bassist Paul Turner plays live with big names including Jamiroquai while Neil Bullock is recognised as one of the finest musicians in the UK.

The Red Lemon Electric Blues Band’s reunion show will be at Stourbridge Town Hall on Friday September 11, it has been a long time in the planning with members travelling from as far away as Australia to take part.

Neil Bullock said: “If we were going to do it had to be as many of the original members as possible, it’s going to be a strange thing getting all those people back in a room together. “It’s a celebration of that first band and the town hall, we used to play two nights there and sell them out, they were crazy days.”

To see a Base Sessions video feature with Jim and Neil talking about the band and the Stourbridge show click here

Tickets for the show are available from midlandboxoffice.co.uk