Popa Chubby
Robert Finley
Shakura S'Aida

While he was initially fascinated by the Rolling Stones and Cream, Eric Clapton's band, through-and-through New Yorker and Bronx native Theodore Joseph Horowitz, a.k.a. Popa Chubby, has seen the world in blue since the dawn of time. His is an electric blues that is far more soulful and subtle than his impressive figure might prompt you to expect. In 1995, the liner notes for his first release on the legendary Okeh label, Booty and The Beast read: 'This record is dedicated to those who refuse to turn down!' Two decades later (his last appearance at Jazz à Vienne was in 2003!), the musician who will finally be making his comeback at the Théâtre Antique still hasn't let his guard down. With his six-strings in hand, Popa’s got a brand-new blues for you! We can't wait to have him on stage.

Don't let the release date of his debut album, Age Don’t Mean a Thing (2016) fool you: aged 70, Robert Finley's story is worthy of a novel. A self-taught guitarist — shaped by gospel music —, carpenter, and technician in the US army for a time, this Louisiana native long swayed between periods of relative prominence and anonymity before being properly recognised in the mid-2010s, even becoming a semi-finalist on America’s Got Talent in 2019. Both on stage and in the studio, his experience is unmistakeable: his soul-infused voice opens a window onto a whole era of American music history and an entire and supremely precious collective memory. His first concert at the festival will be momentous.

Line-up :

• Robert Finley (vocals)
• Christy Johnson (backing vocals)
• Liam Hart (guitar)
• Ollie Hopkins (bass)
• Charlie Love (drums)

All of the great blues vocalists have found their own way to breathe life into a tradition that is at the source of almost all contemporary music. From his very first release in 2008, Shakura S’Aida's personality and voice — powerful and yet able to express the full palette of blue in soul and rock — have set her apart. While her lyrics give prominence to the essential blues themes of love sickness and day-to-day adversity, she has explored them in an increasingly personal way, added an inimitable autobiographic dash and progressively ventured more towards funk, gospel and Americana. Her latest album, Hold on to Love, which came out in 2022, is a case in point: her music, at the peak of her artistry, has never been so diverse, intense and spirited.

Line-up :

• Shakura S'Aida (vocals)
• Paige Armstrong (guitar)
• Lance Anderson (keyboards)
• Johnny Dyke (keyboards)
• Roger Williams (bass)
• Tony Rabalao (drums)