The line-up has been announced for Bluesfest 2013.It has been moved from end-June to end-October, and tickets go on sale this Friday. It will run at the Royal Albert Hall for four days from October 29th to November 1st. The main event on the last night will be a tribute to Bobby Bland who died last month.
TUESDAY 29 OCTOBER
Auditorium, 10:30pm: Bobby Womack
Auditorium, 7:30pm: Tedeschi Trucks Band • Mavis Staples & her Band
Daytime Stroller: Ray Gelato Giants • Oli Brown Band • Matt Schofield Band • Smoove & Turrell • Nate James
WEDNESAY 30 OCTOBER
Auditorium, 10:30pm: Gregory Porter and his Band
Auditorium, 7:30pm: Van Morrison
Daytime Stroller: James Hunter Six • Dr Feelgood • Marcus Bonfanti Band • Jo Harman • Natalie Williams • Liane Carroll
THURSDAY 31 OCTOBER
Auditorium, 10:30pm: Robert Plant presents Sensation Space Shifters
Auditorium, 7:30pm: Chris Rea
Daytime Stroller: Royal Southern Brotherhood • Georgie Fame • Ian Seigal • Ben Poole • World Party
FRIDAY 1 NOVEMBER
Auditorium, 10:30pm: TBA
Auditorium, 7:30pm: All Star Tribute to Bobby Bland
Daytime Stroller: Huey Morgan & The New Yorkers • Cerys Matthews • Nell Brydon • The Motives feat. Matt Taylor • Jess Roberts
Tickets go on general sale at 9am this Friday 19 July and start from £30 for headlines shows. Daytime Stroller tickets are sold separately and are available for £10 per person. RoyalAlbertHall.com
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Bobby Bland was arguably the greatest contemporary blues voice of them all (IMHO). I was fortunate to see him on several occasions – in London at Hammersmith, the Astoria and his last UK appearance at the RAH, when he was invited to join the bill by Van Morrison, and also in New York at the Palladium. He had such poise in his delivery and the timing of every micro-syllable was never sort of perfection. It is fitting that the tribute is at the Albert Hall. For such an amazing singer, recognition was still hard to come by – such is the way. He spent a lot of the time – as Jimmy Smith did – on the chitlin' circuit in the States, to make it work. A true great.