Kings Head, Brightlingsea - 23rd November 2025
Barleylands Social Club, Billericay - 16th November 2025
Clip of "Hurt Train" - one of the original songs which will be on my album.
When Zac Schulze comes to your gig - hand him a guitar!
Zac & Friends - City Wall, Rochester - 13th November 2025
Another event at City Wall in Rochester hosted by Zac Schulze. I was given a prototype custom guitar by my luthier. The guitar is aimed at the younger generation.
Whitby Blues Festival - 8th November 2025
The Crawdaddy Club, Richmond - 7th November 2025
The famous Crawdaddy Club where many great names have played: Led Zeppelin, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds. Thanks to Paul Cook for inviting me to guest with him and his band.
Ballyshannon Rhythm & Blues Festival - 24/25/26 October 2025
Afternoon rehearsal
Dave Burns on bass (formerly of SinnerBoy and Tony Dowlers Hellhounds), Cameron Crampton on drums.
The Ship, Gillingham - Jam Night - 19th October 2025
Jamming with Zac Schulze, Cameron Crampton and Wilson Beatty at the Ship in Gillingham.
Kelvedon Labour Club - 17th October 2025
The Red Lion, Stevenage - 5th October 2025
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Swanage Blues Festival - 3rd October 2025
Guesting with Paul Cook Blues Band
The Flying Circus - Newark 12th September 2025
Guesting with The Aiden Pryor Band
Hatfield Peverel Village Hall - 6th September 2025
Our second year at this great venue. Once again it was sold out.
Always a crowd pleaser - Voodoo Chile
Small clip of a "behind the head" solo!
Zac & Friends - 28th August 2025
Rory Gallagher Festival Nantwich UK 2025
My third year at this festival. My band this time was Cameron Crampton on drums, Lee J Hodgson on bass and I invited Aiden Pryor (The Whisky Flowers) to join me on stage for the last song. Little did I know he had a plan to tell everyone that it was my birthday the following day! Thank you to Keery Irvine and Alwyn Greer, professional photographers, for the photos they sent to me.
Lee J Hodgson, Jack-Austin Despy, Cameron Crampton
The Red Lion, Broughton - 17th August 2025
Decided to take a trip up the A1 to Broughton to surprise Aiden Pryor and The Whisky Flowers at their monthly jam. It's great to see the look on their faces when you just turn up to support them.
A small clip from a video that was 11.10 minutes long! Shadow Play - Rory Gallagher.
Ealing Blues Festival - 26th July 2025
Guesting with Paul Cook Blues Band
Livestock - 19th July 2025
Dereham Blues Festival - 12th July 2025
Zac Schulze & Friends - 26th June 2025
MESSIN WITH THE KID - Rory Gallagher
100 Club - Guesting with Paul Cook Blues Band - 24th June 2025
The Moot House - 14th June 2025
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Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival 2025 - Ballyshannon
Well here we are - Gavin Matthews (bass), myself (guitar/vocals) and Rich Bailey Snr (drums) - in Ballyshannon at the Rory Gallagher Statue.
McIntyre's Saloon Bar
Thanks to Karen Skelly of World Photography for the amazing photos captured at Rory Gallagher Place with Zac Schulze.
This photo was with Aiden Pryor of Whisky Flowers.
Videos:
1: What's Going On - Rory Gallagher
2: Million Miles Away - Rory Gallagher
3: Couldn't Stand the Weather - SRV
Kings Head, Brightlingsea
Shadow Play - Rory Gallagher
Christchurch Park Market, Ipswich
PRESTIGE COUNTY EVENTS
The Globe, Chelmsford
Laundromat - Rory Gallagher
Sound check
Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix
Barleylands Social Club, Billericay
Blues at the Tropic, Ruislip
Fantastic gig at this Blues Club. For the first time I had an artist opening for me - Michael Day played an acoustic set. The club was fairly full and the crowd was really appreciative. I would love to play there again next year.
Support act Michael Day wrote on his Facebook page:
The fabulous Jack-Austin Despy Band tonight at Blues At The Tropic organised by Derek White
A pleasure to have supported such a young talent (going to throw my guitars away now!)
Blues at Barleylands - The Bad Pennies
Thanks to The Bad Pennies for having me as a guest at their gig at Blues at Barleylands on Saturday 5th April. Very appreciative crowd and some friends from Medway came to watch.
The Ship Jam
Another fabulous jam with The Zac Schulze Gang. Here playing my song, Need Your Love, with Zac Schulze, Ben Schulze, and Ant Gunnarsson Greenwell
Jamming with The Zac Schulze Gang Zac Schulze Ben Schulze Ant Gunnarsson Greenwell All Your Love - Otis Rush
Percival's Rest, Harrietsham
Kings Head, Brightlingsea
The Bardswell Club, Brentwood
Flip Flop Fly - Big Joe Turner
The Thrill is Gone - BB King
Gimme Back My Wig - SRV
Riverside Rhythm Club is at The Glassbox Theatre is set on the campus of MidKent College with a strong commitment to the local community. It showcases live music.
My band played there last summer in the bar venue. This time I played a double-header with another band in the Glassbox Theatre which holds 300 seats.
Before the gig, myself and Tom Davies, the lead guitarist from the other band, hosted a workshop for the college students. We talked about our musical journey, experiences, gave some demos and jammed.
Reviews from the night:
Riverside Rhythm Club writes:
What a fantastic night we all had last week at the club. Two fantastic bands played the main theatre to a very receptive crowd. Tom Davies & The Bluebirds and Jack-Austin Despy Blues Band tore through an hour set each stunning the audience with their virtuosity and energy. Mixing some blues standards with their own compositions they offered something for everyone. The evening was topped off nicely with both artists giving an electrifying rendition of BB King’s The Thrill Has Gone. Big thanks go to Phil Honley for his brilliant photography!
Phil Honley writes:
The Blues is Alive And Kicking in Young Hands
I was kindly invited to enjoy and photograph two young emerging artists at the excellent Riverside Rhythm Club in Gillingham Kent. I had never seen or listened to any music from either artist before and it is always a treat to witness an artist for the first time.
The first of these artists was sixteen year old Jack-Austin Despy with his blues band. This guy has a big future ahead of him and, as with most young artists, self-penned numbers take a while to come as the blues comes from life experiences, many of which are sure to find their way into his life...good and bad and the love of a good woman etc. Albeit still very young, three of his own songs are included in the night's setlist. This young man put together a sixty minute set including classic covers from the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Rory Gallagher.
This young man has found himself on The UK Blues Awards Young Blues Artist Of The Year and we wish him luck.
Best of Me - my original song
Broadstairs Blues Bash
The Ship, Gillingham - Jam Night
I try to get to this jam at least once a month as it is hosted by The Zac Schulze Gang. There is an amazing music scene in Medway and Zac likes to encourage all the young musicians. For this video Zac called up Cameron on drums age 17, me on guitar/vocals age 16, Wilson on guitar age 15 and Charlie on Bass age 14. It was the first time all four of us had played together and everyone in the pub was going wild calling us The Ship Super Group! I need to move to Medway!
You can see Zac Schulze videoing mine and Wilsons fingers on the fretboard.
Zac posted on his Facebook:
THE SHIP SUPER GROUP, PLAY RORY GALLAGHER!!🤘
so much talent on one stage, and fantastic to see young guys like these at such a high standard of playing.
Jack-Austin Despy guitar - 16 years old
Wilson Beatty guitar - 15 years old
Charlie Grant bass - 14 years old
Cameron Crampton drums - 17 years old
The future is here ladies and gentlemen!!
Jamming with The Zac Schulze Gang
UK BLUES FEDERATION
I am really pleased to have been nominated for two awards and shortlisted to the final five for the Young Blues Artist of the Year. I am attending the Awards Ceremony on 16th April in Milton Keynes with Tom Davies. Tom and I are playing a double-header concert at Riverside Rhythm Club in Gillingham on 27th February. Another final five nominee, Zac Schulze is my idol.
UPDATE: 16th APRIL 2025
I attended the UK Blues Federation Awards 2025 at The Stables, Milton Keynes. Apparently there were well over a hundred nominations for this category, so to be a finalist is quite an achievement. The award for Young Blues Artist of the Year went to Zac Schulze. This was well deserved as he is an amazing musician and has been touring internationally this past year. He really encourages young musicians like myself. In his acceptance speech he mentioned me by name, saying that "Jack Despy is the one to watch for the next few years"!
UK Blues, Rhythm & Rock Festival 2025 - Blackpool Winter Gardens
My band were booked to play on the Introducing Stage several months ago. The criteria was that our 45 minute set had to be all original material. The result was four of my songs, two that the bass player wrote and one which was given to me three years ago which I worked on the music arrangement.
Tuesday Blues 100 Club, Oxford Street, London - 3rd December 2024
So many really big name bands have played at 100 Club, so this was really special. The main band Big Dez was supported by Paul Cook Blues Band and my band. As the middle act, we had the biggest audience. After playing I stayed to watch Big Dez and in his final song he jumped off the stage and handed me his vintage guitar and I finished it for him, even though it was an original song I had never heard before. I then had a bit of a jam with his band.
Ballyshannon Rhythm & Blues Festival October 2024
I was invited to play 3 gigs in Ballyshannon.
The first one was in O'Donnells Bar we had lots of people dancing.
The second one was at McIntyres - this was on an outdoor stage. We were a bit worried because it had been raining all day but it did stay dry for the gig, even though it was freezing and we had to keep our coats on.
The third one was the best, in Melly's Bar. The place was packed with people standing on the stairs.
A lot of the people followed us from gig to gig.
Everyone was really friendly and want us to go back next year.
Rory Gallagher Statue
Hatfield Peverel Village Hall
In September 2024 I played my first SOLD OUT ticketed gig. The hall was quite big so we needed extra amps and hired two soundmen to get the sound right.
