More action from BluesFest 2018 on the artist announcement front – Blues giant and master songwriter Robert Cray is to appear this year AND funk composer and producer Raphael Sadiqq takes to the boards at The Indigo…a flexible and inventive bass player and guitarist, Sadiqq also sports one of the best sandpapered vocal styles this side of the late Curtis Mayfield…​

Neo-soul star Raphael Saadiq and five-time Grammy-winning Robert Cray have been added to the line-up for this year’s BluesFest, which returns to The O2 in London from 25th – 28th October 2018. Saadiq and Cray will perform headline sets at Indigo at The O2 on Friday October 26th and Saturday 27th respectively and join Robert Plant, Van Morrison, Colin Macleod, Steve Miller Band and John Fogerty on the bill for the 4-day event.

BluesFest celebrated a record year in 2017 with shows from the likes of Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, The Doobie Brothers and Gov’t Mule contributing to ticket sales of over 40000 across three nights. This year’s festival will expand to run across four nights from Thursday October 25th – Sunday 28th 2018 and will once again utilise all areas of The O2 complex, including the 14000-capacity Arena and Indigo at The O2.

With a Grammy-nominated album amongst his catalogue of critically-acclaimed music, Raphael Saadiq has collaborated with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone and Jay-Z. Starting out in the rhythm and blues trio Tony! Toni! Tone!, the US singer songwriter has since produced songs for the likes of Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, John Legend and Solange Knowles.

Five-time Grammy Award winner Robert Cray has been recognised by the Blues Hall of Fame and received the 2017 Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance. For this show at Indigo at The O2, Memphis-born rhythm and blues singer and songwriter Don Bryant will join Cray as special guest featuring soul band The Bo-Keys.

The full lineup announced so far for Bluesfest London 2018 is as follows:

Thursday 25th October 2018 – John Fogerty Plus Very Special Guest The Steve Miller Band, The O2 Arena, London, United Kingdom

Friday 26th October 2018 – Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters and Van Morrison Plus Special Guest Colin Macleod, The O2 Arena, London, United Kingdom

Friday 26th October 2018 – Raphael Saadiq, Indigo @ The O2, London, United Kingdom

Saturday 27th October 2018 – The Robert Cray Band Plus Special Guests Don Bryant Feat. The Bo-Keys, Indigo @ The O2, London, United Kingdom

Pete Sargeant