A GWENT blues group is to play the world-renowned 100 Club in London in May.

The Luke Doherty Band, which has been together for six years, will perform at the famous venue on May 26.

Opened at Oxford Street in 1942, the 350-capacity club has played host to a number of famous musicians, including Louis Armstrong, Sex Pistols, the Rolling Stones, Metallica, and the Clash. Now, the Luke Doherty Band are to follow suit.

The band is made up of singer Paul Morgan, 65, from Cwmbran; drummer Simon Parratt, 23, from Newport; bassist Ant Biggs, 50, from Monmouth; and guitarist Luke Doherty, 20, from Newport.

Mr Doherty, who founded the band in 2009, said that despite their diverse age range, the band have bonded over their passion for the blues.

He said: “It’s always been about the blues for me. That’s what I listened to when I was growing up.

“It’s been great to gig with the band and I’m at my most comfortable on a stage.

“A lot of top people have played at the 100 Club and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Mr Doherty suffers from chronic ITP, a blood disorder that has left him with just six platelets in his blood, and fibromyalgia, a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.

Despite this, the band’s drummer, Mr Parratt, said that Mr Doherty, who passed two grade eight guitar exams at the age of just 12, has been the driving force behind the band.

He said: ”I don’t get goosebumps normally, but when Luke plays he just puts those grooves together.

“We’ll just look over at him and think, ‘Jesus Christ!’

“He’s really out there and we know this is going to go somewhere with him.

“The feel of the music pulls you in: all of a sudden, your shoulders move for no reason at all.”

The band has just produced its first album, Six Strings and a Stetson, which is to be released on February 27.

The album, which is made up of nine original songs totalling 40 minutes, took the band nine hours to put together.

Having been known for their stirring rendition of covers like Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Child, it marks a brave move for the band ahead of their momentous gig at the 100 Club.

Mr Parratt said: “We’re really interested in original stuff as it’s great to hear what the band can do ourselves.

“A lot of big wigs will be there at the 100 Club, so it’s just been about getting the original stuff down for then.

“We’re seeing where that takes us.”