One the UK’s hottest harmonica players is to head the bill when the Big Wheel Blues festival returns home later this year.

Steve ’West’ Weston will bring his band the Chicago style rhythm and blues band Bluesonics to the island when the blues festival moves to the intimate setting of the Laxey Institute for the second half of the two day event on Saturday, September 9.

He is joined on the line up by the UK blues and soul singer Lauren Housley and her band, and by the festival’s own Big Wheel Blues band.

’West’ Weston is one of the top UK blues figures. His extraordinary talents with the harmonica have led him to play with some of the biggest names in music, most recently recording and appearing live with Roger Daltrey and guitarist Wilko Johnson.

Lauren Housley is a fast rising star in UK music. She is blessed with a voice that has attracted comparisons with Janis Joplin, Lauryn Hill and Eva Cassidy and, together with her backing band, deliver a fusion of blues, soul and Americana style country which is quite impossible to pigeon hole.

Her career took off when tracks from a self-recorded album, ’Sweet Surrender’, found their way onto the Radio 2 playlist. That increase in exposure took her from the clubs around Manchester and onto a much bigger stage, the O2 in London.

’I received an out of the blue phone call and I was booked to play at Bluesfest at the 02 Arena,’ said Lauren. ’That was along with Van Morrison, Tom Jones and Dave Matthews Band.

’The irony of this was that I was trying to buy tickets to Bluesfest before the phone call.’

Her second album, ’The Beauty of this Life’, was released this week.

The Big Wheel Blues festival changed this year, from a weekend long event to one spread over two separate nights.

The first saw Mike Vernon and the Mighty Combo play at the Villa Marina in May.

This second night gives the festival committee the opportunity to return to Laxey, which is where the festival was originally based for many years.

Tickets for the Laxey Institute gig are priced £16, and available either from etckets.im or by contacting the organisers on 432321.

Doors open at 7.30pm, and, as there is no bar at the venue, the night will be a bring-your-own drinks party.