Liz Jones and John Bruce- Eagle Hotel, Salford – 2nd November 2026

ATB favourites Liz Jones and John Bruce gave us an intimate evening of new and familiar songs in the hidden back streets of Salford where lies the tiny music venue of The Eagle Inn. 

COSY

The cosy ambience  of the bare brick / fairy light lined room was perfectly suited to the appearance of creative singer songwriter Liz Jones and accomplished guitarist  John Bruce. Liz’s rapport with her audience was instantly welcoming as she guided folks to their seats.  The room was full with about 50 closely compacted seats, but this added to the positive vibe in the room. Their appreciation of every song must have made the long journey from Edinburgh worthwhile. 

There was a healthy helping from her Double Measures album recorded with the band Broken Windows.  The psychedelic Mother Earth, the sombre themed Broken Lens, the slide guitar smothered Can’t Go Home, the hangover whisky inducing Lethargy and of course the ever popular  catchiness of Johnny Knows The Roads amongst them.

All these and more were delivered with Liz’s husky, raunchy vocals brilliantly accompanied by the faultless, precise fretwork from John Bruce, who may appear unassuming on stage but the impact he makes is the perfect accompaniment and  foil to Liz’s  raconteur style of chat.

RESPECTFUL RENDITIONS

John can deliver smoky bar blues, summery and light hippy 70’s sound like in Passing Place, laid back JJ Cale style guitar  as in Big Fat Moon. JJ was later honoured by them covering his Devil In Disguise in the encore.  Other tributes were paid to John Martyn with their respectful arrangement of Over The Hill and to Greg Clarke with a lively country blues rendition of Baby Took A Limo To Memphis.

The wide guitar styles are matched by the variety of themes Liz is inspired by. Whether she is singing her saddest song No Gold on the persecution of people supporting gay friends,  a folky song of adultery or singing of Edinburgh council corruption in Pretty City,  she manages to grab the attention of  the audience who hung on her every spoken or singing word.

There’s always a surprise in store with Liz Jones and tonight it came with the final number of the set with an amazing acoustic  arrangement of Rolling Stones’ Playing With Fire. By then Liz’s own excellent guitar work may have worn her fingers out yet we still asked and wanted more. And more we could get soon if we manage to see Liz and John with their full band Broken Windows at the similarly cosy Alexander’s Bar, Chester in later this month.

Liz Jones: Website

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