8 contemporary blues artists to check out in 2024

Articles

15 Jan

8 artists keeping the roots and the blues alive and kicking.

Gráinne Duffy is a blues rock artist from Co. Monaghan, Ireland. Making appearances at top local and international festivals such as Glastonbury (UK), Woodford Folk Festival (AUS) and the Harvest Time Blues Festival (IE), she is no stranger to the stage.

Blending soul, rock and Americana styles, Duffy lives and breathes the blues. Currently a BBC radio host with the series Gráinne Duffy Rocks, her talent paired with a deep knowledge of classic and contemporary blues rock, makes her a musical force to be reckoned with.

Having had the pleasure of working with Gráinne to promote her latest album, “Dirt Woman Blues”, she is a true dark powerhouse in blues rock, and one of Ireland’s greatest exports in this field.

Liam St. John is a chart-topping blues artist hailing from Washington state. Splitting his time between Nashville and Los Angeles, his music sits at a crossroads of blues, roots and rock & roll, and his voice sits on a path you’d be allured to follow all on its own.

Commanding his truest form by combining lyrics that embody the piercing and painful truth of the blues, St.John is an artist that always delivers a captivating performance with vibrancy true to the spirit of rock and roll.

Clara Rose, “songstress of rockin’ blues, saviour of rootsy folk and with a voice that can make the hairs stand on the back of your neck”, is a solo-artist from County Kildare, Ireland. A powerhouse in the country’s blues scene, the artist combines the best of blues, roots and brass to guarantee one hell of a live performance. Recently having the pleasure of watching her perform at a charity gig, her musicality paired with her undeniable love for her craft would make any set of hers a joy to experience, and certainly a live-act for the bucket list.

Hailing from Louisiana, USA, Eric Johanson is a “roots-rock innovator and modern-day guitar hero who uses blues as a springboard for an edgier, broader sound”. For blues fans who are on the hunt for a classy yet gritty blues-rock sound driven by fluidity, style and a life-time of knowledge, Johanson’s discography is one to delve into.

Releasing his major label debut in 2022, Connor Selby is one of the UK’s brightest talents in the blues scene. Voted “Young Artist of the Year” at the UK Blues Awards for three consecutive years (2020, 2021 and 2022), the Essex artist’s work is a true ode to the early blues, which brings to his music a unique, elegant but timeless quality we don’t get the privilege of hearing often in today’s market. As much as we all love a contemporary blues-rock sound, Selby’s retro style and introspective nature will satisfy your longing for some old-timey blues.

Muireann Bradley is a blues-folk artist from County Donegal, Ireland. You may have caught her on Jools Holland’s 2024 Hootenanny show, where she delivered a stand-out rendition of “Candyman”. Only at the start of her journey, we anticipate great things from the 17-year-old, who’s refreshing take on much-loved classics is drawing a new generation of listeners to the blues.

Dom Martin is an award-winning artist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. A unschooled force of blues-rock guitar with a commanding voice, Martin brings to mind comparisons to icons such as the Glasgow-born John Martyn and national legend Rory Gallagher. Putting his own Belfast-twist on acoustic and electric-driven blues, he’s a storyteller of his own talent, diving into the deep dark corners of the genre.

Hailing from Surrey, UK, Alice Armstrong is a soulful, genre-busting artist intertwining the best of blues, jazz, rock and funk into one fiery concoction. An enigmatic performer of the best kind, Armstrong’s output brings a new level of visual-auditory synergy to the table, and she hasn’t even released her debut album yet.