Megève Blues Festival 2026: Alps Air, World-Class Blues
There are bigger blues festivals. There are louder ones, more corporate ones, ones with larger stages and longer queues. But few combine a genuinely serious line-up with a setting this extraordinary. Megève Blues Festival — tucked into a mountain village in the French Alps — has quietly built a reputation as one of Europe’s most […]
The History of Blues Music: Where It Came From and Why It Still Matters
The blues is one of the most consequential musical forms ever created. It is also one of the most misunderstood. Often treated as a single style, it is in fact a family of related traditions that evolved over generations, fed by African heritage, shaped by American brutality, and eventually adopted by the world. What Is […]
Samantha Fish releases “Paper Doll (Live)” title track single ahead of live album
Samantha Fish has released “Paper Doll (Live)”, the title track from her forthcoming debut live album Paper Doll Live, due out on 12 June via Rounder Records. The single is accompanied by a live performance video now available on YouTube. The release marks a significant moment for Fish, who has spent over a decade building […]
Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar deliver front-row magic on A Beautiful Buzz
Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar ignite every stage they touch, and A Beautiful Buzz captures that electricity at full throttle. Recorded at the height of their Love Is All Around tour, this 13-track live set does more than play songs. It lives them. From the opening surge of Love Is All Around, gospel-infused call-and-response grooves […]
D.K. Harrell brings award-winning Talkin’ Heavy tour back to the UK and Europe
Rising blues star D.K. Harrell is heading back to the UK and Europe this summer as his Talkin’ Heavy world tour continues across the continent. The Louisiana-born guitarist, singer and songwriter will play dates across Norway, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Romania, Italy and the UK between June 30 and July 24, including stops in […]
Live Review: Beth Hart at the Glasshouse in Gateshead
Words and Photos by Adam Kennedy Beth Hart is currently touring the UK in support of her latest and eleventh studio album, You Still Got Me, which was released at the end of 2024. On Wednesday evening, Hart returned to the North East as part of her five-date UK run. The show marked the US-based […]
Jimmy Carpenter Band bring groove-heavy blues and soul to Edinburgh this June
Award-winning American saxophonist, singer and songwriter Jimmy Carpenter will bring his full band to La Belle Angele in Edinburgh on Friday June 5 for a night built around hard-driving blues, soul and rhythm & blues. Presented by the Edinburgh Blues Club, the show pairs Carpenter’s horn-led sound with support from Scotland’s Brian Rawson Band, promising […]
Steve Louw releases new album Traces of the Flood alongside cinematic title track
South African guitarist and songwriter Steve Louw has released his new studio album Traces of the Flood, available now via BFD/The Orchard. Produced by Kevin Shirley, whose production credits include Joe Bonamassa, Beth Hart and Joanne Shaw Taylor, the album arrives alongside the release of its title track and accompanying official music video. The record […]
Ealing Blues Festival 2026 brings Robert Finley Misty in Roots and more to Walpole Park
The Ealing Blues Festival returns to Walpole Park, London, on August 1 to 2, 2026, marking its 39th year with a two-day programme that tracks the journey from American rhythm and blues through to British blues, ska and reggae. One of the UK’s longest-running blues festivals, the event continues to draw on Ealing’s deep musical […]
Joe Bonamassa proves why the Royal Albert Hall remains his spiritual home
There are some artists who simply belong at certain venues. Joe Bonamassa and Royal Albert Hall now feel inseparable. WORDS: Paul Long IMAGES: Laurence Harvey Wednesday 6th May marked Bonamassa’s fourteenth appearance at the historic London venue, a remarkable achievement for any artist, let alone one operating largely outside the mainstream music machine. For many […]