Blues Fest, Royal Albert Hall

Van Morrison, Elvis Costello and Sheryl Crow are just some of the performers at this year's Blues Festival at the Royal Albert Hall

Following the success of Blues Fest 2013, the event returns to the Royal Albert Hall for a six day run packed full of household names. Billing itself as the ‘the UK’s only major festival celebrating blues and soul’, it kicks off on the last Sunday in October with a performance from '80s favourites Level 42, the final date in the group’s UK tour.  

Elsewhere, the highlights are many, with the majority of acts needing little introduction. Tuesday night headliner, the legendary Belfast-born singer-songwriter Van Morrison, is already on the verge of selling out while Elvis Costello and Sheryl Crow, who top the bill on Wednesday and Friday night’s respectively, are sure to follow suit. 

Brooklyn-based soul singer Gregory Porter, whose record Liquid Spirit scooped the 2014 Grammy Award for ‘Best Jazz Vocal Album’, is worthy of particular mention. Renowned for his onstage charisma, velvet-toned vocals and inventive approach, he takes the stage on Monday the 27th having brought the house down at last year’s event. 

A double bill from American vocalist Beth Hart and guitarist Robert Cray, a five-time Grammy winner whose name was added to the Blues Hall of Fame in 2011, is similarly unmissable. 

Outside of the main shows, there’s plenty more to see, with midday performances and artist interviews available to holders of the festival’s Daytime Stroller Tickets. 

Whether you’re a diehard blues fan or just blues-curious, a visit to the Royal Albert Hall this October is a must.