Blues lovers this one’s for you!

Meet some amazing artists spotted by the La Vie en Sud team as we spent a few days in London!

There is no need to explain where London is but few of you may know Anduze, a small town in the centre of Occitanie and on the edge of the Cevennes mountains. Remember Robert Louis Stevenson: the author who wrote Treasure Island? He wrote a book about the region called “Travels through the Cevennes with a Donkey”. We recommend reading it!

However we are not here to talk about the South of France as we normally do! We invite you to navigate our blog to discover the region as we have plently of articles on it!

Today we are bringing those of you who love Blues music a treat!

London’s Blues scene was phenomenal!

We recently spent a few days immersed in London's Blues scene, and let's just say, the talent we encountered was phenomenal. To show our appreciation of these incredible local artists, we're shining a spotlight on their music and hoping to spread the word with this article. Please share it with your friends who love Blues music!, or as James Brown would say: “Please, please, please”!

It would be amazing to see, some day, some of these artists joining us in the South of France to play at one of the numerous gigs that take place there!

Who knows, maybe one day they'll even grace the stages of our sunny region, where the annual Fête de la Musique and various Jazz and Blues festivals already create a vibrant music scene. Eric Clapton recently performed in Nimes’ Roman Arena and this was quite something! Or, some of you readers from the South of France will find themselves in London, looking to uplift their spirits with some good Blues! Enough talk! Let's get to the good stuff – Here is our personal review of the gigs we attended, complete with videos (either of the events themselves, or videos we found online that capture the experience). Enjoy!

Our musical journey in London started at the The Blue Posts Jam – An Intimate Blues session in Soho!

Head upstairs at the Blue Posts pub in Soho on Tuesdays and you'll find an intimate jam session, organized by Andy Wiersma, that's pure Blues magic. We were blown away by the talent on display and although, whilst having such a good time we forgot to film their amazing performances, we found the online videos below for you to appreciate!

Shuko Fujita from the band Two Gun Mathilda: If you love the Blues, you'll be captivated by Shuko and her incredibly talented band.

Helen Bee: This woman has a singing voice and stage presence that will make you want to Rock n’Roll!

Johnny Caroll also caught our attention playing a one of a kind guitar instrumental that did definitely strike a chord deep inside: He made the guitar cry (and us also, it was so good!)

Every other musician was fantastic, we just weren’t able to capture their names! We recommend you showing up at one of the Blue Posts jams if you happen to be in London on a Tuesday!

We then had another live music session at 'What's Cookin' in Leytonstone, listening to “The Blues Against Youth”.

Leytonstone has transformed into a hip, multicultural neighborhood and this 25-year-old live music club is a testament to that change! Check out this video of "The Blues Against Youth" one man band. Again here, we had such a good time we forgot to press the record button but here is a recording we found publicly available online so you can get a taste of that experience! Here is The Blues Against Youth website if you’d like to get in touch with the artist!

The Bluepeace 25 Year Silver Jubilee Live Music Event at London’s Victoria Embankment Gardens was a thrill!

For a quarter-century, this annual event has been bringing together some of London's finest musicians right in the heart of the city, near the Houses of Parliament. A lazy weekend afternoon in the sun with fantastic live music – what could be better? Look out for next year's Bluepeace concert! (The best way for now is for you to subscribe to our Newsletter as we will try to share the news). In the meantime, get a taste of the action with these phone videos we captured of the Blue Peace Blues Band performance at the end of the concert and a song performed by the Replacement Hipsters. All the names of the participating artists can be found beneath the shared videos. Enjoy!

Musicians present on these tracks and during the concert:

Members of the Replacement Hipsters (Mark Dellar, Guitar & Vocals, Brad Wray, Basse & Backing Vocals), Keith Coffey (Drums), Colin Guthrie (Accordion)
Alberto Manuzzi (Electric Guitar)
Danni Rossi (Electric Guitar & Vocals)
Tom Brundage (Harmonica)
Nick Hirst (Vocals & Harmonica)

Special shout outs during the concert were given for the South Essex Wildlife Hospital as all proceeds from any donations given by the public goes to them! Kudos to the organisers and musicians for supporting such a great cause! (and it’s never too late to discover this charity and donate: You can do so here)

After the gig, a couple of the artists met at this one of a kind bar!

Last, but by no means least, we ended up on a high note at the “Ain't Nothin But” Blues Bar listening to well known Blues artist Ian Siegel

This iconic London bar is a must-visit for any Blues fan. The music is top-notch, the atmosphere is electric, and the talent on display is incredible. We were lucky enough to see Ian Siegel, one of the best European Blues artists on the scene today. His website here to find more of his music and his tour dates!

Thanks for reading folks and like the song above says: Sticking together is key! Let’s walk hand in hand brothers and sisters!