The Blues Kitchen is a Texan BBQ restaurant & live music venue specialising in rare and vintage bourbon. The restaurant currently operates at three sites in London; on Camden High Street near Camden Town Station, on Curtain Road near Old Street Station and on Acre Lane near Brixton Station.
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History
The Blues Kitchen was founded by The Columbo Group's directors Steve Ball and Riz Shaikh, both of whome were voted in the "Top 1000 Most Influential" list by the Evening Standard in 2014 and 2015 in Camden in October 2009.
The Columbo Group also own London venues The Old Queen's Head, XOYO, Paradise by way of Kensal Green, The Nest, Phonox & The Cat & Mutton, and was awarded with the Best Late Night Operator 2015 award by The Morning Advertiser's Publican Awards.
Music and influences
The Blues Kitchen serves the music and food culture of the Deep South. All three venues showcase new and established Blues, rock & roll & soul artists nightly.
Previous shows have included performances from Seasick Steve, Gary Clark Jr, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Mud Morganfield, The Libertines, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, Huey Morgan, Andrew Weatherall, Mystery Jets, and The Jim Jones Revue.
The Blues Kitchen also releases a podcast on iTunes every Monday, hosted by The Blues Kitchen's Creative Director Liam Hart and his lifelong friend Gareth Ragg. Blues Kitchen Radio is a weekly rhythm ‘n’ roots show including Delta Blues, funk & soul and contemporary releases.
Guests on the show have included George Clinton, Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes), Gary Clark Jr, Robert Cray, Wilko Johnson, White Denim, Cage the Elephant, Temples, Gabriel Roth (Daptone Records), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Seasick Steve and Charles Bradley. Current listenership is at 400,000 subscribers worldwide, and regularly features on the top spot of the iTunes Alternative radio charts in the UK, Europe and the US.
The Blues Kitchen is also the current record holder for the World's Longest Musical Jam, having hosted a 50-hour non-stop music session in September 2014 to celebrate their fifth birthday.
The three-day event saw 300+ artists take to the stage, raising £5,000 for charity.