Entertainment reporter Aileen Knox caught up with one of the country's leading new blues bands on Saturday as they made their third visit to St Boswells Live...

UP-AND-COMING festival favourites Willie & the Bandits have found their Scottish home – the small village of St Boswells.

The classic blues and rock trio made their third pilgrimage to the village hall at the weekend for yet another memorable sell-out show.

Despite playing over 200 gigs each year in the UK, the Cornwall-based band admit coming back to the Borders is one of their highlights.

Singer Willie Edwards told an enthused crowd on Saturday: “St Boswells is becoming our Scottish home.

“We always get a great reception here.”

Willie & the Bandits shot to fame almost four years ago after being listed by BBC Radio 1 as one of the top ten acts to see at Glastonbury.

They have gone on to headline shows across mainland Europe, becoming firm favourites with music fans in Germany, Switzerland and Poland.

Currently touring on the back of last year’s critically-acclaimed fourth album, Steal, vocalist and guitarist Willie, along with Matthew Brooks on bass and drummer Andrew Naumann, arrived in Scotland last week for dates in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Perth as well as the Borders.

Between two highly-entertaining sets on Saturday, the frontman told a packed village hall how St Boswells had quickly become one his band’s favourite destinations.

Willie’s own masterful playing of the Weissenborn slide-guitar was expertly accompanied by the enthused upright bass of Brooks and the pin-point percussion of Naumann.

The 150 or so who were lucky enough to get tickets were treated to a blistering set including Love Me when My Fire is Out, Jack the Lad and Got to do Better.

And there were several instantly-recognisable covers thrown in including Delta-blues classic Crossroads by Robert Johnson and Santana’s Black Magic Woman.

But, for me, the highlights of a fantastic evening of blues were Edwards’ own emotional ode to his mother, Angel, and the floor-filling finale, 1970.

St Boswells Live is set for another memorable evening next month with the arrival of Lake Poets.