The Arenal Blues Festival celebrated its third edition by the sea on Spain’s majestic Levantine coast, consolidating itself as a young yet promising event within the national blues scene. The festival takes place in Fabia, a town near Alicante and Valencia, and is distinguished by its seaside stage, offering a unique atmosphere for blues enthusiasts.

A Festival with Its Own Identity

The event was born thanks to organizers who, after attending other festivals in Cazorla, decided to create their own proposal on the Mediterranean coast. Since its inception, the Arenal Blues Festival has placed special emphasis on musical originality: participating bands must present mainly original compositions, while covers must be highly reinterpreted. Talent and artistic trajectory are also key criteria for selection.

Three Days of Music by the Sea

This year’s program unfolded over three days:

• Friday, April 1: The festival opened with a performance by María Carbonell, a young blues and jazz singer already recognized with awards in Spain. In the evening, the Granada Blues Band delivered a powerful show with their horn section, keyboards, and guitars, followed by Noah and the Hell Brinker, winners of the Blues Challenge two years ago, with a style reminiscent of Led Zeppelin.
• Saturday, April 2: The day was dedicated to emerging talents. Bands such as The Apréntice and Lazy Town showcased their freshness and skill. At night, A Contra Blues took the spotlight with an innovative proposal that stood out both for its music and its name.
• Sunday, April 3: The festival’s grand finale featured Anne & The Blues Diggers.

April 3: Anne & The Blues Diggers

The closing act was entrusted to the blues and soul band Anne & The Blues Diggers, who presented their new album Hard Lucky Woman with an original repertoire that captivated the audience. Organizers highlighted the band’s strength and quality, affirming they were the ideal choice to conclude the event. Their midday performance on Sunday was met with enthusiasm and solidified the group as one of the most powerful and promising acts in today’s blues scene.

A Space to Discover and Grow

The Arenal Blues Festival not only offers concerts but also serves as a platform for bands to present their albums and original projects. This year’s edition reaffirmed its commitment to authentic music and to promoting artists who bring freshness to the genre.

With only three editions so far, the festival is already shaping up to be an essential event for blues fans in Spain, combining tradition, innovation, and a privileged setting on the Mediterranean coast.

Last Saturday, April 12, the rain was not an impediment for the rhythm&blues, soul and funk band Anne & The Blues Diggers present their vinyl album “Hard Lucky Woman” with fans and new followers. This happened at the music store “No Te Metas Con La Familia”, a place full of a lot of Blues and Roll, a super cool place where you will find what you least imagine in music.

After the evening there was an acoustic presentation.

Blues made by women
Live presentation of the album «Hard Lucky Woman»

Anne Florio (vocals and guitar), Mavic Bush (lead guitar), Jaume Ginard (drums) and Juan Amaro (bass).

On the occasion of the live presentation of their second album Hard Lucky Woman The rhythm&blues, soul and funk band Anne & The Blues Diggers, led by singer Anne Florio, gathered a loyal group of fans at Factoria de So (Santa Maria) before taking their live show to the Funhouse in Madrid next Saturday, December 7.

The torrential Italian voice of the lead singer Anne Florio is shown from the first chords. It starts with one of the only two versions in the new album, «Pride and Joy» by Stevie Ray Vaughan, to continue with her own songs such as «Hittin’ On Me», «Troubles Of My Soul» or «And It Feels So Good», among others. As soon as she took the microphone, she did not hesitate to acknowledge that this 2024 that is coming to an end has been very satisfying, since in addition to publishing their second work, in the month of April they obtained third place in the BluesCazorla Blues Battle, one of the most important competitions of the genre in the country. A podium that gave them access to participate in the XXX Edition of the Cazorla International Blues Festival, the most traditional festival in the country, which was held last July in the town of Jaén.

«Hard Lucky Woman», The title track of the album can be considered almost an anthem. Like the rest of the songs, it is a declaration of intent, with lyrics imbued with messages of female empowerment. During the almost two hours of live performance, there was time to pay tribute with more classics such as “Mississippi Queen”, by the seventies rockers Mountain, or “Don’t Mess With My Man”, written by Dorothy Labostrie and popularized by Irma Thomas.

There were moments when Anne exchanged words of thanks with her fans, as well as explaining how some of the compositions on the album came about. She explained that “Walking Down Freedom” is a cry for freedom that deals with her escapes, together with Bush, to the recording studio during times of confinement.

It is also worth mentioning the beautiful moments in which Anne’s voice merged with the skill of Mavic Busch‘s guitar playing. The harmony of the couple on stage became even more evident when the singer wanted to thank her partner for her support throughout her years of career, and for believing in her: “Sometimes much more than I believe in myself,” the singer stressed.

On several occasions, the leader of the combo invited the audience to come and dance. With the bass phrasing and the splendid drum solos, it was confirmed that The Blues Diggers are a band worth enjoying live and that they have a long way to go to continue telling us and making us enjoy their music.

Read the full article at mallorcamusicmagazine.com

Special evening of «Rock & Blues Woman Night»!

Anne & The Blues Diggers present their second album “Hard Lucky Woman”

The Mallorcan group combines classic blues and fresh sounds in their new work

Anne & The Blues Diggers have arrived with the idea of ​​leaving their mark on the world of blues. With their second album, Hard Lucky Woman, this vibrant group, born in Palma in 2018, reaffirms its position as one of the freshest and most promising sensations on the spanish national blues scene.

Anne Florio and Mavic Busch have captured the essence of classic blues and combined it with touches of rock & roll and funk, creating their own mix that has won over the audience. Their recent participation in the thirtieth edition of the BluesCazorla Festival, one of the leading festivals of the genre in Spain, confirms it. it all came down after overcoming the tough selection of the BluesCazorla Blues Battle, a competition that opens the doors of the Festival to spanish bands and which in this edition had the participation of eighty groups. This milestone has been a recognition of the period of growth and maturation the band has enjoyed, which culminated with the publication of their second LP.

Keep reading (in spanish): mallorcamusicmagazine.com […]

Join Anne & The Blues Diggers on this Summer tour.