The 100 Club, the legendary rock venue that hosted the dawn of the British R&B movement in the 60’s will be playing host to a unique, one off performance by Dire Straits co-founder and bassist, John Illsley.

John will be showcasing material from his latest album 'Beautiful You' which features singer/songwriter Greg Pearle. This follows Illsley’s triumphant return to the stage in 2008, which included a sell - out performance at West London’s, Bush Hall.

John Illsley and Greg Pearle started 2009 with a session on the legendary Bob Harris Show, BBC Radio 2. Last year they released the critically acclaimed ‘Beautiful You’ album, which was recorded in Mark Knopfler’s studio.

The album mixes elements of classic Straits song writing with a rich new sound, perfectly showcasing Greg Pearle’s raw and emotional vocals. John and Greg toured extensively in Ireland and performed a sold out, one off special gig at Bush Hall, in London. John and Greg have just announced this one off gig at the 100 Club, London, on 23 June, 2009 - as a precursor to touring the UK, Ireland and Europe in the autumn of this year.

Illsley also launched a new website (www.johnillsley.com) with a unique twist - selected songs from ‘Beautiful You’ were initially available to download for free - and proved so popular that a new server was necessary to deal with the high traffic from all over the world. The planned touring activity comes as a direct result of this demand.

John, from the legendary, 120 million selling group Dire Straits, first met Greg Pearle in March 2005 when Greg was fronting Irish band Cunla, in a pub in Leicestershire. John took to the stage for the first time since 1993, joining the band to play a couple of Dire Straits' numbers. John was immediately captivated by Greg’s unique voice and style. The result was a two-year collaboration, and John’s first studio album for 15 years.

John and Greg are currently working on new material, for their second album together. John also continues to paint prolifically and a June exhibition in Chelsea to coincide with the 100 Club show will be announced shortly.

John will be releasing "Secret Garden" in June 2009 which is taken from the album 'Beautiful You'.

Tickets are available to buy from We Go Tickets on +44 (0)20 7636 0933 or www.wegottickets.com/event/47612

Watch "One" video - John Illsley, Greg Pearle, Paul Brady from the album 'Pearle' and the movie 'Anton':

John Illsley on amazon.co.uk

John Illsley on amazon.com

John Illsley Official Website
MySpace

I was never a huge Dire Straits fan. That is, not until Mark Knopfler came out with his solo album, Golden Heart in 1996. His voice, his guitar playing and tone and the songs are beautiful and that's when it hit me. Oddly enough, since his solo work I have now come around full circle. I think the reason I was a bit turned off from Dire Straits was probably due to the overplayed "Money For Nothing" back in the 80s and 90s. I was always a fan of their "Romeo and Juliet", though. It's such a classic.

England has become more of a second home to Las Vegas based band The Killers, and the British seem to have taken to them. It's great to see an American band getting along so well with the public here. They just won two Brit Awards for Best International Group and Best International Album and now The Killers are set to headline the opening night of the 2007 Glastonbury festival which is quite the responsibility. Hopefully the love will last!

Watch the videos for "Romeo and Juliet" by Dire Straits and The Killers!

The Killers Official Website
The Killers on Myspace

Mark Knopfler's Official Website

By: Jenny May