Organisers of the award-winning Tenby Blues Festival have just announced the names of the artists performing at this year’s event over the weekend of November 10-12. It looks like the 12th festival is shaping up to be just as exciting as the recent ones have been and is sure to attract record crowds.

Once again, the De Valence will be the main venue, hosting shows on all three nights of the festival by such luminaries of the Blues scene as Aynsley Lister, Ian Parker, Giles Robson, and Dom Pipkin’s Ikos. Saturday’s keynote gig will be headlined by the amazing Rebecca Downes, voted both British Blues Emerging Artist and British Blues Female Vocalist in 2016.

Tenby Blues Festival has always had a unique take on the traditional Blues line-up, avoiding the so-called ‘heritage acts’ for more cutting edge performers. This year will be no exception as Sunday night in the De Valence will see a show dedicated to modern blues from Africa and India.

Opening act, Harry Manx, who plays an instrument that is a guitar crossed with a sitar, blends Indian folk melodies with slide guitar blues, adds a sprinkle of gospel and some compelling grooves to get a unique ‘mysticssippi’ flavour.

Headliner Diabel Cissokho is a sublime singer, who has performed at WOMAD and Glastonbury with the likes of Baaba Maal, Pee Wee Ellis, Cheikh Lo, Ernest Ranglin and Youssou N’Dour, who delivers ‘a flavoursome mix of slide guitar, mellow kora and undulating Mandinka rhythms’ (fRoots) which gives ‘moments of steamy pleasure’ (Songlines). He’ll be accompanied by his full electric band.

The success of last year’s quieter acoustic concert in Church House is to be repeated, with three acts appearing, headliners being Italians Max and Veronica, of the Red Wine Serenaders, who play passionate country blues and ragtime, hokum, jug band and rural music from the ’20s and ’30s. They like to keep this precious musical heritage alive, faithfully reproducing its original sound whilst playing it with a modern twist.

And let’s not forget the celebrated free Blues Trail around the pubs, cafés, hotels and restaurants, all day Saturday and Sunday, featuring a couple of dozen acts all belting out the Blues and its variants - from the full on Blues rock of the Mark Pontin Group, through the classic laid back Chicago and West Coast Blues of the Mean Mistreaters to the sublime rockabilly and country twang of John Lewis and much, much more - there truly will be something for everyone.

Tickets will be on sale at the end of May. In the meantime, check out the full line-up and all the other details you need to know at www.tenbyblues.co.uk.

The festival is grateful for the sponsorship of Valero, Radio Pembrokeshire, The Tenby Brewing Co., and the Fourcroft Hotel.