Blues storm hits Torbay as top UK artists launch new live music series

Fougou Music in Torbay presents Blues in the Bay over the next few months — and it all gets under way on, Thursday, July 31.

Blues in the Bay features three live blues events at The Livermead Cliff Hotel in Torquay — starting with the singular Bex Marshall and her band next week, followed closely by the Alex Voysey Blues Band on August 8 and a little later in the year, the Alice Armstrong Band on October 2.

Marshall is a Devonshire lass now residing in London. She is the  product of two very different families, one blue blooded landed gentry, the other Irish Romany. 

As a child at family gatherings her uncles would always play and stand her on the table to sing, and at 11 years old she was given a 1963 Gibson Hummingbird by her uncle David and started playing.

She became hooked on instrumentals and classical guitar standards which stretched her fingers and gave her a great basis for her own music to develop, from flamenco, ragtime, country, rock blues and roots, where she is in her element.

Marshall’s unique style of guitar playing is a combined technique of slide, blues rock, ragtime and roots picking. Her voice is a powerful melting pot of an old black woman’s heartache and southern rock soul. 

She is a writer of distinction and notability. She pushes the boundaries of blues and her songs have been called timeless with touches of genius. Performing with her band, she is nothing short of a musical tornado.

Alex Voysey is one of the most exciting emerging artists on the current UK blues scene, with a core following built on the reputation of exhilarating and virtuoso blues rock live performances and phenomenal musicianship – a band that excites audiences wherever they go.  

Their new album, Blues In Isolation, reached the prestigious number one slot in the IBBA charts in May 2024.

Co-produced by Paul Long (Catfish/BB King/BBC Radio 2) and drummer Paul Arthurs, the album features original material that is engaging, complex and memorable. 

In 2024 the band supported Brave Rival and Alex was also honoured to dep for multi-award-winning guitarist Matt Long with the mighty international powerhouse band Catfish. He now continues to work with them on a new project, Burning Rope,  as well as a new joint project with multi-award-winning vocalist Alice Armstrong.  

Other recent highlights have included the band’s debut at the legendary Soho Pizza Express jazz club and headlining at the Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival, with sold-out debut shows at festivals and blues clubs around the country. 

Alice Armstrong fuses modern blues, funk, soul and rock ’n’ roll in electrifying, sold-out shows across the UK and Europe. 

Backed by a world-class band and often referred to as a combination of Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin, her performances are described as a ‘party’ by fans and press, leaving audiences laughing, crying and dancing all the way home. 

Voted UK Contemporary Artist of the Year in both 2024 and 2025, Armstrong also won the 2024 UK Blues Challenge, resulting in her band heading to Memphis, where they represented the UK and reached the semi-finals of the International Blues Challenge on Beale Street. 

She then went on to win the European Blues Challenge in Croatia, triumphing over 22 other countries to bring the trophy back to the UK.

“A thing of wonder,” said  Cerys Matthews on BBC Radio 2.

Tickets are available online at fougoumusic.com — £17 to £18, students and under 18s £10.