Summertime Blues

With GTSF 2025 set to be the most popular in the festival’s 18 year history, there’ll be a special Blues Day on Saturday July 5th. Following headliners like ex-Bellowhead frontman Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings (Thursday) and legendary guitarist/songwriter/folk hero Richard Thompson OBE on Friday, Alabama 3 Acoustic will headline the Saturday afternoon concert on the Lake Stage. Globally famous for their Sopranos theme tune ‘Woke Up This Morning’, the South London roots-futurists will pay tribute to blues greats such as Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker.

The Cadillac Kings

Throughout the day the Frontier Stage will play host to a variety of artists led by internationally-acclaimed rhythm & blues band The Cadillac Kings who’ve been described by The Times as “the UK’s premier blues and roots act”. Before that there’s the cajun-meets-honky-tonk zydeco blues of Ruben Moreno from Houston Texas. Hat Fitz & Cara make a welcome return from Australia, having supported Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra in 2012. Hat Fitz is a veteran of the Aussie blues scene and Cara, originally from Northern Ireland, draws on her soul background (working with artists like Jamiroquai and Corinne Bailey Rae).

Hat Fitz & Cara

Adding a more acoustic element to Saturday there’s Ma Polaine’s Great Decline, as featured on 6Music and Cerys Matthews’ show, plus a return for the highly-acclaimed country blues guitar and vocals of Sunjay, a solo set from Nine Below Zero’s singer Charlie Austen, a special blues set from regulars Winter Wilson.

Ma Polaine's Great Decline

Last but definitely not least there’ll be fine local musicians such as Rhydian Wyn & The Blue Fire, who’ll be kicking off “Blue Saturday” at 1100 with their own special story of the Blues..

Day tickets will be released in early April - strickly limited this year, so please sign up to our mailing list (below) to get advance notice.

More to come on the Sunday Frontier theme, "Sparkle Saturday", and Thursday's Folked-up top 10 hits on the Folk Stage.

See you in July!

The GTSF Team