ORKNEY BLUES FESTIVAL 2025
Get ready for an unforgettable experience at Orkney Blues Festival. This year, we are thrilled to present a stellar lineup of headline artists who will set the stage on fire with their electrifying performances. Join us for a weekend filled with soulful music, vibrant energy, and pure blues magic.
2025 HEADLINE ARTISTS
GERRY MCAVOY | KYLA BROX |
IAN SIEGAL | CONNOLLY HAYES | PAOLO FUSCHI
Welcoming Connolly Hayes to Orkney Blues Festival 2025
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We're thrilled to announce that the rising stars of the UK blues scene, Connolly Hayes, will be gracing the stage at the Orkney Blues Festival 2025 this April!
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Connolly Hayes, comprising the dynamic duo of Jess Hayes and Frankie Connolly, have been making waves with their soulful vocals, masterful guitar work, and a sound that blends gritty blues with smooth soul. Their performances are known for their energy, passion, and ability to captivate audiences with their authentic blues spirit.
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Don't miss your chance to see this exciting act live at the UK's most northerly blues festival. Connolly Hayes will be bringing their unique blend of blues, rock, and soul to Orkney, promising an unforgettable performance that will be a highlight of the festival.​​​​​​​​​​
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Follow Connolly Hayes
Stay updated with their latest news and music:
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connollyhayes
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connollyhayes
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/connollyhayes
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Get Your Orkney Blues Festival Weekend Pass Now!
Link: https://www.orkneybluesfestival.com/tickets
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GERRY MCAVOY
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Taste was fronted by Irish guitar-virtuoso Rory Gallagher. When Taste formally disbanded after their appearance at the legendary Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, Rory Gallagher embarked on a solo quest and soon began earning a reputation as a pioneering blues-rocker. For the next 25 years, the Rory Gallagher Band would go through several incarnations of personnel that would end with the untimely passing of its guitar whiz in 1995. For most of Mr. Gallagher's career, however, one man would remain a constant fixture by his side -- Gerry McAvoy.
To most fans of Rory Gallagher, Gerry McAvoy perhaps is best remembered as that man who -- with unbridled fervour -- faithfully fretted the bass for the late guitarist. He accompanied Rory for more than two decades incessantly touring with him and providing solid support on a wide repertoire of music -- consisting of more than a dozen albums -- beginning with the first self-titled disc Rory Gallagher in 1971 to Fresh Evidence in 1990. Mr. McAvoy's presence on stage with Rory also lent credence to the belief that the late guitarist was perhaps one of rock and roll's finest live performers.
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Follow Gerry McAvoy:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gerry.mcavoy.58/
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Blues Festival Weekend Pass Now!
"...the cleverest writer and most magnetic blues performer in the UK."- MOJO.
In more than a quarter century of touring multi-award winner Ian Siegal's mission statement has barely changed: songs that are real, shows that resonate, vocals served raw. Today he is considered by many to be the most compelling British blues artiste since the great names of the sixties.
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Classic Rock tags Siegal "a national treasure," America's blues bible says "vast talent" and MOJO magazine ranks him "the cleverest writer and most magnetic blues performer in the UK." He has taken his music to some 50 countries and presided over a trophy haul that includes two UK Blues Awards, 10 British Blues Awards, four European Blues Awards, two Mojo Blues Albums Of The Year not to mention three US Blues Music Awards nominations - an unprecedented nod for a non-American. And that's just what he has clocked up in the past ten years.
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Siegal is known as a bluesman, but it's just one shade in the palette of an artist who slips between continents, eras and expectations. They say you can't sing the blues until you've lived the life, and when Ian Siegal steps up to the mic, you can hear the slings and arrows. His forte is playing to an audience. He takes command of the stage in a way very few artists alive today can match. Sweat, passion, humour, incendiary slide guitar and a soul-infused voice big enough to fell trees!
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"Siegal is no ordinary man ... a national treasure." - CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE
"Siegal maintains his position as one of the most gifted singers and writers in contemporary blues." - MOJO magazine
IAN SIEGAL "I'm The Shit"
IAN SIEGAL
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Blues and soul become inextricably entwined in award-winning singer- songwriter, Kyla Brox, whose raw talent has seen her described as “the finest female blues singer of her generation”. Winner of the UK Blues Challenge 2018 and the European Blues Challenge 2019, voted Best Female Vocalist in the 2019 European Blues Awards and semi-finalist in the International Blues Challenge 2019 and 2020, Kyla Brox is at the very top of the UK Blues scene.
Daughter of cult blues figure, Victor Brox, the Mancunian vocalist began her career as a teenager in her father’s band and has now honed her own sophisticated sound, as heard on her last two critically acclaimed and award-nominated albums, Throw Away Your Blues and Pain & Glory, which reached No.1 in the IBBA Charts for 2019 and was nominated Best Album in both the European and UKBlues Awards.
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Her voice; tender, urgent, gritty, blurring the distinction between pleasure and pain, mixed with the enchantingly fluent guitar work of Paul Farr, inspired bass playing of Danny Blomeley and in-the-pocket drumming of Mark Warburton, combine to make a unique and powerful, often joyous, always emotional experience.
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Kyla also plays in duo form with her husband, virtuoso acoustic guitarist, Danny Blomeley, whose playing, by turns delicate and unrestrained, has earned him a following in his own right.
A completely independent artist, Kyla has built her career year on year; starting out at grassroots with local pub gigs and growing to headlining concerts all over the globe, including some of the most prestigious Blues festivals in the world. With thousands of albums sold and a constantly growing fanbase, Kyla Brox is widely regarded as one of the very best soul-blues singers the British Isles has ever produced.
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“The finest female blues singer of her generation” Manchester Evening News
“Manchester's answer to Aretha Franklin.”
Tony Wilson, Factory Records�
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“Surely one of the finest voices Britain has ever had” Pete Clack, Blues In Britain “Kyla Brox knows how to handle the gears... the Mancunian vocalist lets songs percolate, raising the temperature by degrees, then giving it both barrels in the final stretch. It's a thrilling tactic.”
Henry Yates, The Blues Magazine��
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"An authentic soul diva… sensitive, sexy, and with infinite reserves of sassiness"
City Life
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Kyla Brox Beautiful Day (official video)
KYLA BROX
PAOLO FUSCHI
Paolo Fuschi - If My Baby Was A Song - Solo #soul #paolofuschi #liveinstudio
Since 2002 the Manchester based Sicilian Singer-Guitarist Paolo Fuschi has been sharing his heart-warming, foot stamping, hip shaking blend of Electric Blues, Classic Soul and Vintage Funk. His high-intensity live performances have been enjoyed everywhere, from Manchester basement jams to scorching Sicilian Summer Festivals.
Today, after more than 20 years of collaborations both in studio and live which led him to touring the whole country, Europe and performing in prestigious venues such as; the London O2 Arena, Manchester Apollo, Liverpool Echo Arena (sharing the stage with George Thorogood, Mud Morganfield, Cedric Burnside, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Cory Wong, Gladys Night & The Pips and many more), Paolo has finally decided to answer the question "What is my voice?".
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His new full-length album is scheduled to be released in Spring 2024.
Meanwhile the first single “This Old World” out on 6th October 2023 has been already featured on the prestigious “The Craig Charles Soul & Funk Show” on BBC 6 Music.
“Paolo Fuschi & The Outsiders, “This Old World”, loving this. But, then again, I was a massive fan of his previous incarnation as the founding member of the Buffalo Brothers and that quality is still on show here, Paolo Fuschi & The Outsiders, “This Old World”.” - Craig Charles, Funk and Soul Show, BBC Radio 6 Music
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instagram & facebook: @paolofuschi1
Franny Eubank
The hugely popular and talented lyricist and harmonica player, Franny never fails to ignite the atmosphere during live shows. Fuelled by the Blues of Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson and fired by the Devil himself, Franny’s Harmonica and deep, soulful vocals have set rooms alight with a blue flame night after night after night. If there’s one man and his band who can get an instant grin on your face and leave you wanting more, it’s Franny Eubank & His Blues Band.
Tom Rhodes
Hailing from a small village in Aberdeenshire, 16-year-old Tom Rhodes is already making waves in the music scene.
A familiar face at several BrewDog venues and local weddings, Tom frequently showcases his talent and love for music. School work permitting, he heads to the Blue Lamp in Aberdeen for their Blues jam nights, honing his skills and connecting with fellow musicians.
Tom’s passion for Blues is unmistakable, with a particular admiration for legends such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King and Buddy Guy. Not only does he compose his own pieces, but he also infuses classic tunes with his own unique twist, creating a sound that is both refreshing and nostalgic.
One of Tom's career highlights so far has been supporting the renowned Andy Taylor Band at the Blue Lamp in August 2024, a testament to his growing reputation in the local music community.
Don't miss the opportunity to experience Tom Rhodes' captivating blend of chill tunes and upbeat vibes at the Orkney Blues Festival. This young talent is sure to leave a lasting impression and win over the hearts of Blues enthusiasts.