Nine Below Zero

The love of the blues began at an early age for both Mark and Dennis. Two of Dennis’ uncles were big fans, and both had big collections of blues albums. It was listening to these records that encouraged NBZ’s frontman to first pick up the guitar. Mark on the other hand had an uncle in the Merchant Navy, who used to bring him back harmonicas from his travels overseas.

The pair first met in the late 1970s, during the punk-era, when Dennis decided to form a blues band and Mark was recommended to him as a harmonica player. By an amazing coincidence it turned out they were not only living on the same estate in South London, but also just 14 houses apart.

Dennis said ‘’with these shows we are really trying to go back to the stripped down simplicity of early blues being played in its rawest form on acoustic instruments “. ‘’To see Mark perform in this environment is truly a masterclass and it’s a little daunting for me, to be playing acoustic guitar. No hiding behind the Marshall amp!”.

The duo released their first album on 6th April 2015 and have been touring the UK in support of it ever since, most recently returning from a successful trip to the Scottish Highlands. They’ve played in all sorts of places ranging from the intimate environs of St Pancras Old Church to the northerly splendour of Inverness but the shows never fail to bring the fans closer to the band and the musical influences that formed them.

Dennis and Mark are currently touring with the Nine Below Zero Big Band in support of the brand new album ’13 Shades Of Blue’ and can be seen at the venues listed at ninebelowzero.com/tour.