Manchester Blues Festival returns on Sunday 18 October, bringing a full day of live blues to The Carlton Club in Whalley Range.
Founded in 2024, the grassroots festival will run from the afternoon through to midnight, mixing established international names with musicians from Manchester and the wider UK blues scene.
This year’s programme moves between acoustic and electric blues, traditional roots and more contemporary sounds, with Jon Coley, Paul Farr, Will Tang Clan and Canadian guitarist Gary Cain among the featured artists.
Local performers including Franny Eubank, Southpaw Slim, Amanda Jane Heywood and Canter Semper will also appear, before the festival moves into a late-night jam session and blues dancing.
Gary Cain brings his genre-blurring blues to Manchester
Canadian-born and now based in Austin, Texas, Gary Cain arrives in Manchester with a reputation for pushing blues guitar well beyond its traditional boundaries.
Drawing inspiration from players as varied as Albert King and AC/DC, Cain combines blues, rock and more adventurous guitar work within a style that has taken him to festivals across North America and Europe.
His albums Next Stop and Outside The Lines have helped build that international following, with the latter reaching the UK charts in 2024.
Manchester talent at the heart of the festival
The festival also places a strong emphasis on the musicians working within Manchester itself.
Acoustic guitarist and singer Jon Coley brings a fingerstyle approach that has taken him as far as New York’s Bitter End, as well as support slots with Michael Chapman and Ralph McTell.
Paul Farr brings another side of the city’s blues scene. A guitarist and experienced session musician who has worked with artists including Tom Jones, Lily Allen and Kyla Brox, his current Paul Farr Blues Project combines original blues with touches of jazz and funk.
Will Tang Clan continue that idea of treating the blues as a starting point rather than a set of rules.
Led by Will Tang on harmonica, guitar and vocals, with Luke Flowers of The Cinematic Orchestra on drums and Tom Chapman on bass, the group mixes blues with jazz improvisation, rock and fusion.
Blues Matters previously described the band as “a blues culture shock, and a definite asset to the future of blues.”
Building a blues community in Manchester
Festival director Will Tang says the event is as much about bringing people together as it is about individual performances.
“We’re thrilled to see the festival grow and take root in Manchester,” he says. “The blues has always been about building community and spirit, and that’s exactly what this festival is about.”
That means giving local musicians space alongside artists from further afield and showing how widely the blues can stretch in 2026.
“Bringing international artists together with Manchester’s grassroots scene shows how alive and relevant the blues remains today,” Tang adds.
“This city has always thrived on music and collaboration, and the festival is here to celebrate that.”
Manchester Blues Festival 2026
Manchester Blues Festival takes place on Sunday 18 October 2026 at The Carlton Club, 113 Carlton Road, Whalley Range, Manchester M16 8BE.
The all-day programme will run from the afternoon until midnight, with live performances, a late-night jam and blues dancing.
