Strong Belgian acts and sunny festival weather made it complete. A top edition of Blues Peer.
Devon Allman Blues Summit
Zac Schulze Gang at the Peerse Feesten: that prospect alone was reason enough to head down to this preview of Blues Peer. With performances by Admiral Freebee and The Seatsniffers also on the program, plus the beautiful weather, this was the ideal moment to see Zac pull off his antics once again.
It turned into a huge party and, for many Belgians, also a first introduction to this stage beast. I am convinced that, just like in the Netherlands, he will be seen here often in the future.
Taking it easy is not in Zac’s vocabulary; he effortlessly transforms even a slow blues into a blistering blues rocker. I am used to his medleys by now, but I had never heard his combination of “Going Home” (Ten Years After) and “Blue Suede Shoes” (Elvis) before.
Later, at the merchandise stand, it became apparent that this had been specially rehearsed for Ribs & Blues in Raalte, where Alvin Lee once gave his final performance before his passing. Zac clearly knows how to honor his heroes. Admiral Freebee played solidly and reliably, as always. Over a beer, songs familiar to many Belgians were performed, which was clearly evident from the enthusiastic reactions of the audience.
The Seatsniffers, however, are of a completely different caliber. The rock-’n’-roll group has been around for years and knows perfectly how to throw a party. Saxophonist Roel Jacobs and Bop De Bouwer with his upright bass, in particular, created a great atmosphere.
Drummer Piet De Houwer and guitarist/vocalist Walter Broes took care of the showmanship. In the hour of playing time they were given, they blasted through about twenty songs: short, powerful, and exactly how rockabilly should sound. How long can you actually still be called a talent? After having been active as a guitarist in two bands, Dutch blues talent Luca Holkenborg is now standing on his own two feet. That is impressive. Taking on the vocals himself is a logical next step. Although his voice doesn’t sound entirely mature yet and still needs to grow a bit in terms of soul, his guitar playing certainly is.
Drummer Johan van Lanen and bassist Theo Jacobs lay down a solid foundation on which Luca can shine. Especially when he picked up his hollowbody Gibson ES-335, there was more warmth in his solos.
A smart choice to close his performance with this. It was also nice that he dared to be rough with it by using a speaker as a slide. There is enormous potential in this band.
Meanwhile, the Missy Sippy All Stars were ready on the main stage. This ad-hoc group paid tribute to the legendary Missy Sippy Blues & Roots Club of the late Tiny Legs Tim.
That club is a phenomenon in Ghent, just like the All Stars themselves. What a delightful portion of blues this was. With greats like Belgium Blues Award winner Tom Eylenbosch on piano, Olivier Vander Bauwende with his blazing harmonica, and Leander Vandereecken handling the majority of the vocals, it was pure enjoyment. It is just a pity they were given only forty minutes; you can never get enough of this kind of blues.
Another artist you simply can’t get enough of is Sean “Mack” McDonald. This rising star of American blues previously impressed at Moulin Blues and delivered a powerful performance here once again.
This is the level Luca needs to reach. Sean is a performer through and through: amazing vocals with a soulful voice, accompanied by dazzling guitar work. His band, led by drummer Fabrizio Bessouat, swung like crazy. He made no secret of his love for Chuck Berry, including the famous duckwalk. A fantastic performance that leaves you wanting more.
After all that intensity, it was time to slow down a bit. It was hot, and after three energetic performances, the music of Israel Nash came as a welcome relief.
His music has a relaxed character anyway and lent itself perfectly as pleasant listening music. Brushy One String was also included in the setlist. A remarkable sight with his one-string guitar. It remains amazing what he manages to get out of it. His Bob Marley medley, in particular, was clearly a hit with the audience.
Joanne Shaw Taylor had a tough time. Not only because of the heat on stage, but also because of her arduous journey to Peer.
She said she had seen the inside of four airports, and while she wanted to leave New York on time on Thursday, she ultimately arrived in Peer only an hour before the show. Her professionalism and strong band kept her going. Her powerful set opened with “Let’s Have a Good Time” and reached a climax with “Look What I’ve Become”. Next, she performed “Summertime”, a song that is presumably close to her heart.
Personally, I could have done without that, but immediately after that she launched into Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain”, and that turned out to be a cover that worked excellently.
CW Stoneking was an artist many were eagerly looking forward to. Consequently, the Mississippi tent was already well-filled well before the show started. Perhaps it was just me, but he didn’t really manage to move me.
His Australian-English accent and minimalist approach didn’t appeal to me as much. The audience clearly felt differently; the brass and percussion, in particular, were well-received.
The absolute highlight of Saturday at Blues Peer was without a doubt Eli “Paperboy” Reed. To me, he was a complete unknown beforehand, but that changed quickly. He sensed perfectly what the audience needed.
With razor-sharp guitar playing, engaging vocals, and a tight band behind him, he received an increasing response from the audience, which only propelled him further. He pulled out all the stops, and his retro-soul sparkled from start to finish. The absolute highlight came when Sean “Mack” McDonald, who had already been watching from the wings, spontaneously came onto the stage.
That interplay was pure magic: two souls, one mind. The audience went completely wild. These kinds of surprises are what make festivals so special.
Bette Smith was another such surprise, though in a completely different category. You won’t find anything more “camp” than this. Her Italian backing band fit the picture perfectly, especially the guitarist.
You could sense in everything that he was actually a metal guitarist. Combined with Bette’s limited vocal abilities, that formed a peculiar whole.
Musically, fortunately, things were good thanks to the rest of the band, with tight blues patterns and solid Hammond work. It was actually so bad that it became good again. Things can change.
The Icelandic band Kaleo closed out Saturday. Atmospheric sounds, strong stage presence: if you closed your eyes, you could almost see the Northern Lights appear.
Their worldly music brought together a complete palette of sounds: distorted harmonica, pedal steel guitar, pounding drums, heavy bass lines, and the excellent vocals of JJ Julius Son.
Perhaps a bit unusual for a blues festival, but certainly not out of place.
At Blues Peer started almost like a match between Belgium and the rest. Newcomer PD Martin had the honor of kicking things off for the Belgians and did so with panache.
Guitar virtuoso Piet Vercauteren proved to be a strong singer as well as a guitarist. His West Coast swing-blues with a touch of rock ‘n’ roll got many people dancing early on. His announcement of a new album was received enthusiastically. After this fine opener, it was Dusthorse’s turn, another Belgian band. Completely different in character from PD Martin, but here too, frontman Davy Jansen left a clear mark on the music with his voice.
In terms of style, they reminded us of Eddie 9V. With their debut album just released, this was a very pleasant introduction.
2-0 for Belgium, you might think. But the French funk band The Buttshakers thought otherwise. Singer Ciara Thompson and her bandmates stormed into battle like a whirlwind. The grass in the Mississippi tent was literally danced flat. What a musical feast this was: killer trombone and baritone sax solos, razor-sharp guitars, and thick bass grooves.
The groove, the tempo, the horns, the fat rhythm from the guitar, combined with a singer who knows how to play the crowd—a revelation. 2-1. Laura Cox then leveled the score at 2-2. From the start, it was full throttle with her songs based on power blues and classic rock. Laura is a real live wire, and together with bassist Adrien Kah, she raced from left to right across the stage.
The Delvon Lamar Organ Trio then brought some calm to the proceedings. Instrumental blues at a festival: does that actually work? Absolutely.
Beneath the warm Hammond sounds of Delvon Lamar, guitarist Brice Calvin and drummer Ashley Ickes shone. Together, the three of them made the music sound like one organic whole and slowly drew the audience into a trance. In the Belgium-France match, Marc “TEE” Thijs ultimately determined the final score at 3-2. The man is a legend in the blues world, although this was my first introduction.
The way he performs Chicago blues is simply unparalleled. His guitar playing, together with the Hammond and saxophone, formed a perfect whole. He performed at Blues Peer twenty-six years ago as well, and visibly emotional, he enjoyed being here again, together with his bassist from back then, Renaud Lesire. The glory days of the Chicago blues revived, with echoes of B.B. King and Robert Cray.
In the end, the Americans took the credit. No matter how good all the preceding bands were, the highlight of Sunday — and perhaps of the entire festival — was Devon Allman’s Blues Summit.
Together with regular partner Jackson Stokes, Devon had assembled an impressive group of blues greats, including Bernard Allison, Jimmy Hall, Mark Harris, and Claudette King. Based on the 2025 album “Blues Summit,” one highlight followed another. Jimmy Hall was in excellent voice and also delivered strong work on the horns.
Claudette King, B.B. King’s youngest daughter, struggled a bit initially but recovered brilliantly with “The Thrill Is Gone. Devon, Jackson, and Bernard let loose completely on guitar, while Mark Harris filled all the gaps perfectly with his Hammond. The hour of playing time was over before anyone realized it; they could have effortlessly gone on for another hour.
Bobby Rush also had a hard time getting off the stage. The 92-year-old blues legend literally had to be dragged off the stage by singer/dancer Mizz Lowe.
Despite his age, he didn’t stand still for a second. His singing might not be what it once was, but his harmonica more than made up for it. His erratic performance style must have been a challenge for his band at times, but they held their own perfectly and ensured that everything remained musically intact.
The third American who made a deep impression was Robert Cray. While Bobby Rush couldn’t stand still for a second, Robert Cray barely moved from his spot.
Yet he completely captivated the audience with his playing. And that was, unlike two years ago, truly excellent. Back then, it all seemed a bit perfunctory, but now you saw a relaxed Robert Cray who was visibly enjoying himself.
Many uptempo numbers were clearly well-received, with classics like “Phone Booth” and “Strong Persuader” as absolute highlights. A top-notch performance by a blues icon.
To the sounds of the revamped The Scabs, who took the stage again ten years after their first appearance at Blues Peer, we eventually headed home.
Satisfied with everything we had seen this weekend, and thanks in part to the wonderful festival weather, we can look back on an edition to cherish for a long time to come.
