Southern Bluesnight 2027
All about the bluesTheater Heerlen - THEATER HEERLEN -
The Southern BluesNight: one evening packed with blues, soul and raw energy
On Saturday 13 March 2027, Theater Heerlen will once again be entirely dedicated to the blues. During the 29th edition of The Southern BluesNight, international artists and blues enthusiasts will come together for a long festival evening filled with blues, soul, roots and southern rock.
The first four acts immediately set the tone. Grammy-nominated Alvin Youngblood Hart, The Devon Allman Project, European Blues Challenge winner Alice Armstrong and the New York-based musicians Moses Patrou & Chris Bergson have been confirmed.
Raw and intense, warm and captivating: in 2027, the south’s biggest indoor blues festival will once again demonstrate just how versatile the blues can be. The international line-up will be further expanded in the coming weeks.
Alvin Youngblood Hart (USA)
Alvin Youngblood Hart is an American singer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist who refuses to be confined to a single genre. In his music, he blends acoustic country blues with electric blues, rock, soul, folk and country. This broad musical outlook developed during his childhood, which he spent on the US west coast, in the Midwest and in the southern United States.
Hart made his breakthrough in 1996 with his debut album Big Mama’s Door. A year later, he received the W.C. Handy Award for Best New Artist. His second album, Territory, was named Blues Album of the Year by the American magazine DownBeat. This was followed in 2003 by a Grammy nomination in the Best Traditional Blues Album category for the acoustic album Down in the Alley.
In 2005, Hart was nominated for a Grammy for his contribution to Beautiful Dreamer – The Songs of Stephen Foster, which won the award for Best Traditional Folk Album. Over the years, he has worked and performed with artists such as Taj Mahal and The Allman Brothers Band, and has graced stages such as the Hollywood Bowl and the Royal Albert Hall.
Whether performing solo or with his band Muscle Theory, Alvin Youngblood Hart blends the tradition of American blues with the energy of rock ’n’ roll. With his powerful voice, versatile guitar playing and distinctive musical approach, he proves why he is known as a true ‘musician’s musician’.
The Devon Allman Project (US) – An Allman Experience
For over twenty years, singer and guitarist Devon Allman has been touring the world with his own blend of blues, soul, southern rock and improvisation. As the son of Gregg Allman, he carries a famous musical name, but with an extensive solo career and various successful bands, he has also emphatically built his own repertoire and sound.
Allman was a member of the Royal Southern Brotherhood and , together with Duane Betts, founded The Allman Betts Band. With the Devon Allman Project, he brings together music from every chapter of his career. This also includes powerful interpretations of songs from the legendary repertoire of The Allman Brothers Band.
In 2025, Blues Summit was released, an album on which Allman collaborates with leading figures from the contemporary blues scene. The album spent several weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Blues Albums Chart.
‘An Allman Experience’ is therefore more than just a retrospective. It is an energetic journey through Devon Allman’s musical world, where his own work and family history converge. A celebration of southern music, the blues, musical connection and the enduring power of the distinctive Allman sound.
Alice Armstrong (UK)
British singer-songwriter Alice Armstrong blends soul, funk and rhythm and blues with influences from rock, jazz and roots music. With her powerful voice, expressive stage presence and personal songs, she has emerged as one of the most striking new names on the British blues scene.
In 2025, Armstrong represented the United Kingdom at the European Blues Challenge in Croatia, where she and her band took first place. A year later, she was named both Vocalist of the Year and Contemporary Artist of the Year at the UK Blues Awards. It was her third consecutive victory in the latter category, earning her a place in the UK Blues Hall of Fame. She was also nominated for Blues Act of the Year at the 2026 Jazz FM Awards, alongside Gary Clark Jr. and Mavis Staples.
Her music is regularly featured on BBC Radio 2 and she has performed live from the famous Maida Vale Studios. With sold-out concerts across Europe and North America, Armstrong is steadily building an international following. Her seven-track live EP, Blood in the Water, showcases her greatest strength: an intense live performance in which vocal power, emotion and the joy of playing come together.
Brooklyn Holdouts
In Brooklyn, singer and organist Moses Patrou and singer and guitarist Chris Bergson found common ground in their shared love of blues, rhythm and blues, soul, jazz and Americana. Together with drummer Guillaume Arbonville, they form Brooklyn Holdouts: an energetic trio that builds on the classic tradition of grooving guitar and Hammond organ trios.
Patrou and Bergson have both been active on the New York music scene for over twenty years. Bergson is known for his soulful vocals, jazz-influenced guitar playing and narrative songs. Patrou brings funky rhythms, a weathered voice and the warm sound of the Hammond organ to the table. Within Brooklyn Holdouts, they take turns on lead vocals and blend their own musical backgrounds into an original repertoire full of strong melodies, harmonies and driving grooves.
The group moves effortlessly between blues, soul-jazz, rock and Americana. Previous performances have taken the musicians to venues including Brooklyn Bowl, Jazz at Lincoln Centre’s Unity Festival and the legendary New York music club The Bitter End. Live, Brooklyn Holdouts are all about ensemble playing, spontaneity and the raw, soulful energy of New York blues.
