BACK IN PRINT - FIND OUT MORE

NEW YORK’S GOT THE BLUES IN A BUDDY GUY STATE OF MIND

Words Abbe Sparks   Photos by Abbe Sparks & Blackbird Presents… EPIC & HISTORIC NIGHT IN NYC FOR BUDDY GUY’S 90TH BIRTHDAY CONCERT CELEBRATION AT RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL EPIC!!! An historical birthday concert celebration for the ages in honor of blues legend Buddy Guy and his 90 years around the sun went down in New […]

Win Joanne Shaw Taylor Vinyl

Blues Matters has teamed up with Journeyman Records to give five readers the chance to win Joanne Shaw Taylor’s new album, The Trouble With Love, on stunning 180g Dusty Rose coloured vinyl. The new studio album is released through Journeyman Records on 23 October 2026 and continues the British guitarist and singer’s evolution as one […]

Bywater Call announce free livestream concert

Bywater Call will broadcast a free livestream concert from Market Hall in Peterborough, Ontario, on Friday 9 October, giving fans around the world a chance to catch the Canadian seven-piece ahead of their return to the UK in early 2027. Presented in association with Volume.com, the show will stream live at 8pm EST, which is […]

Erja Lyytinen – 50th Birthday Live 2026: Review

Tuohi Records Erja Lyytinen turns 50 with her guitar turned up, her slide smoking and the blues-rock dial firmly set to maximum. Recorded at Helsinki’s legendary House of Culture on 21 March 2026, 50th Birthday Live 2026 captures Finland’s “Queen of Slide Guitar” in celebratory, full-flight form. The release arrives as a lavish double CD/DVD […]

Blues Matters Issue 166 out now with Danielle Nicole, Robin Trower, Sari Schorr and more

The October 2026 issue of Blues Matters is out now, with Danielle Nicole on the cover of Issue 166. This month’s edition features in-depth interviews with Danielle Nicole, Robin Trower, Sari Schorr, Ben Poole, Katie Knipp and Singa B, alongside features on Susan Santos, Michael Messer, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Max Hightower and Sloe Train. There is […]

The Whisky Flowers win UK Blues Challenge

The Whisky Flowers have won the 2026 UK Blues Challenge, earning the opportunity to represent the UK at both the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and the European Blues Challenge in Portugal. The competition took place on Saturday 26 September in front of a sold-out audience, with five acts competing for the title: Bison Hip, […]

Beth Hart announces September 2027 UK tour

Beth Hart will return to the UK in September 2027 for four major concerts, including her first Royal Albert Hall performance in almost a decade. The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter will play Manchester, York, Glasgow and London during the short run, beginning at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on 21 September and ending at the Royal Albert Hall on […]

Ben Poole releases ‘Post-Midnight Behaviour’ and teams up with Elles Bailey

Ben Poole has released his new album Post-Midnight Behaviour, his first studio record of entirely new material in eight years, alongside new single ‘Runaway Souls’ featuring Elles Bailey. Released today, 25 September, through Gypsy Soul Records, the album finds the British guitarist, singer and songwriter expanding beyond the blues-rock sound that established his reputation. Across […]

Sari Schorr releases ‘Running Wild’ ahead of new album and European tour

Sari Schorr has released ‘Running Wild’, the title track from her forthcoming album, ahead of an extensive 46-date European tour beginning in London later this month. The New York singer-songwriter’s new album Running Wild will be released on 9 October in Europe and 30 October in the USA through Provogue Records / Artone Label Group. […]

Transilvania Blues Festival returns to Brașov for first outdoor edition

Transilvania Blues Festival returns to Brașov from 25 to 27 September 2026, bringing three days of international blues to the historic Weavers’ Bastion. Now in its eighth edition, the festival is moving outdoors for the first time, placing artists from Italy, the UK, the United States and Romania inside one of Brașov’s best-preserved medieval fortifications. […]