ALREADY a seasoned performer at 22, blues-rock musician Laurence Jones astonishes audiences with his blazing guitar style, original songs and soulful vocals.

This Friday, the young guitarist/singer-songwriter, described as a cross between Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy, will headline at Stroud Blues Club.

Laurence started to learn classical guitar when he was eight years old, but became interested in blues rock after finding a Jimi Hendrix album in his dad's record collection.

“it was so free and expressive, and seemed to me everything that classical wasn’t. I loved the idea of being able to experiment with a guitar solo and play what I wanted, to become myself as a musician and find my own identity," he said.

“When I was 14 I started the electric guitar, playing along with Hendrix tracks. I had always been into more traditional blues artists such as Albert Collins, BB King, and Albert King. But one day I heard Since I’ve Been Loving You by Led Zeppelin which totally blew me away; it was the definition of blues rock for me. Normally, blues follows a traditional 12-bar repeated pattern, but the turn around on this song was a revelation, and influenced the course of my musical life.

Since completing a music degree at the Birmingham Academy of Music and Sound, Laurence has been a full time touring musician.

Stroud Blues Club is at the Lansdown Hall on Friday at 8pm.

Tickets and further details from www.stroudblues.co.uk