Blues at Moonlight returns to the Costa del Sol for sixteenth time

Held from 21 until 24 November, the festival presents some of the biggest names in American roots music

Tony Bryant

BENALMÁDENA.

Friday, 18 October 2024, 15:23

The Blues at Moonlight rock and roll weekend returns to the Flatotel in Benalmádena for its 16th instalment from Thursday, 21 until Sunday, 24 November, a festival that presents performances by some of the biggest names in American roots music. The festival has become one of the most prestigious events of its kind in Spain, which every year brings together national and international bands of this musical genre.

Organised by Active Sound Productions and Benalmádena town hall, the four-day festival attracts lovers of blues, rockabilly, honky-tonk and country music from all over the province and further afield.

The gathering presents sessions on Thursday and Sunday between 6pm and 1am on the terrace of the hotel's music bar offered by top roots music DJs, which this year will include Latin Lover, Lobezno and Tall Mike, although the organisers say that more DJs are expected to be added to the list.

The main concerts take place on Friday and Saturday night between 6pm and 5am, and will be performed by groups from Spain, the Netherlands and the UK.

These include The Best Bad Influence, a Scottish rockabilly band that describe their music as a "fusion of 50's music with a kind of hip and cool sway of the naughties". Hailed as one of the most vibrant and animated live bands on the circuit, the Scottish rockers have earned a reputation for bringing their raucous spirit of rockabilly to a new generation of fans, especially after releasing the debut EP, Rock-it, in 2020.

The five-man Dutch outfit Roy P-Cat & The V8 Daddies will bring their unique blend of garage swing, old-school rock 'n' roll, rockabilly and jump to the festival. The band are renowned for their energy charged performances, cutting their teeth supporting iconic rockabilly bands like The Stray Cats and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, among others.

Another top "red-hot" rhythm and blues band to perform are The Bitter Lemons, a Birmingham band who perform a style of rockabilly and '60s garage music that has been described as "raw and undiluted and more raucous than a riot at a chariot race".

The line-up also includes the Spanish swing trio, Joe and the Jackpots, a band hailing from Madrid who released their debut recording, Three of Hearts, earlier this year; and The Wild Devils, a four-piece that are making waves on the UK rockabilly scene. Although they only formed early in 2023, this female-fronted band from a cosmopolitan mix of towns around Scotland have hit the ground running with support slots with several established rock and roll bands, while also securing a record deal with US label Missing Fink Records.

One of the main attractions at this event will be the performance of Lady Luck Lexy (who is also one of the DJs) and the Riverside Boys, an English Neo-rockabilly outfit that write their own compositions. The band are no strangers to the Spanish rockabilly scene, and prior to their performance in Benalmádena, they will perform at the Rumble on the Rock festival in Tenerife, where along with their own set, they will also back the legendary Jake Calypso.

Tickets for the festival cost between 15 euros (Thursday) and 40 euros, while a four-day pass costs 100 euros. www.bluesatmoonlight.com

Top 50

Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para registrados.

Reporta un error en esta noticia