11TH JUNE 2026
DOORS 7PM
THE OLD BREWERY STORE, FAVERSHAM
FROM £20
Aynsley Lister is one of the finest British blues guitarists of his generation — British Blues Award winner, Classic Rock Top 50 artist, and a live performer who has shared stages with Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, and Buddy Guy. He brings his band to The Old Brewery Store, Faversham for a night of world-class British blues-rock.
Aynsley Lister — Born to Play Blues
Born in Leicester in 1976, Aynsley Lister started playing guitar at eight, teaching himself from his father’s records — Hendrix, Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, Eric Clapton, and Paul Kossoff. By thirteen he was playing in bar bands. By eighteen he had formed his own group, landed a support slot with Buddy Guy, and released his first recordings. In 1998 those early self-penned songs caught the attention of Ruf Records owner Thomas Ruf, who signed him immediately and paired him with Jim Gaines — the producer who had worked with Stevie Ray Vaughan. From that point, the trajectory was clear. Over 100,000 albums sold. Headline slots at major European festivals. A reputation as one of the most consistently excellent live performers on the British blues circuit.
British Blues Award Winner. Classic Rock Approved.
Aynsley’s 2009 album Equilibrium — featuring Paul McCartney’s guitarist Robbie McIntosh — stormed into Classic Rock’s Top 50 Albums of the year. His live album Tower Sessions was voted Best Live Album in the 2011 Blues Matters Writers Poll. In 2014 his album Home won him the British Blues Award for Best Songwriter and Best Song, with further nominations for Best Guitarist, Best Male Vocalist, and Best Album. In 2015 he won the British Blues Award for Best Guitarist outright. His most recent album Along for the Ride (2022) received widespread critical acclaim, with reviewers praising his elegant guitar solos, sophisticated songwriting, and ability to balance blues authenticity with contemporary accessibility. Blues Rock Review has called him “criminally underrated” — one of the finest blues-rock guitarists in the world, largely undiscovered in North America despite two decades of European success.
Career Highlights
★ The Only Brit on the List — Named in Classic Rock’s Top 10 Contemporary Blues Artists 2007, alongside John Mayer, Joe Bonamassa, and Derek Trucks
★ British Blues Award Winner — Best Guitarist 2015, Best Songwriter 2014, Best Song 2014 — five nominations in a single year
★ Classic Rock Top 50 — Equilibrium named one of the best albums of 2009, produced with Paul McCartney’s guitarist Robbie McIntosh
★ Best Live Album — Tower Sessions, Blues Matters Writers Poll 2011
★ Glastonbury Headline Slot — 2010, the same year he shared a festival stage with ZZ Top in Norway
★ 16,000 People — Support to Lynyrd Skynyrd on their UK God and Guns tour, 2009
★ Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, John Mayall — Early support slots that announced him as a serious talent
★ Over 100,000 Albums Sold — Across twelve studio and live releases spanning three decades
★ Own Record Label — Straight Talkin’ Records, founded 2013 with wife and manager Stephanie Lister
★ Own Signature Amp — Rift Amplification Aynsley Lister Signature Combo, developed over five years
What the Press Say
★ “One of the UK’s hottest contemporary blues guitarists — many consider him to be among the best in the world” — Official biography
★ “Equilibrium stormed into Classic Rock’s Top 50 Albums of 2009” — Classic Rock Magazine
★ “The only British artist named in Classic Rock’s Top 10 Contemporary Blues Artists — alongside John Mayer, Derek Trucks, and Joe Bonamassa” — Classic Rock Magazine, 2007
★ “He plays with a captivating mixture of taste, discretion and passion. And when he does hit the gas pedal, it’s all the more effective” — Chris Welch, music journalist
★ “It reminds us of seeing a certain Mr. Clapton for the first time, or James Marshall Hendrix at Blaises Club in the era of Swinging London” — Chris Welch, music journalist
★ “Criminally underrated — impeccable tone, tasteful playing, and songwriting prowess” — Blues Rock Review, 2025
★ “A well-seasoned guitarist who’s been releasing albums for over two decades — Lister’s songwriting remains as inspired as ever” — Blues Rock Review
★ “His vocal reminds me at times of the legendary Paul Rodgers” — Get Ready to Rock
★ “Music is a release for me. When I play I get lost in it and it’s a very happy place to be” — Aynsley Lister
An Evening Not to Be Missed
Aynsley Lister has been doing this for thirty years and he is still getting better. The 2022 album was his strongest yet by most accounts, and the live show has never been sharper. This is a guitarist who opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd to 16,000 people, headlined Glastonbury, and still chooses to play rooms like The Old Brewery Store — because he understands that this is where the music really lives. Up close, no distance between the band and the audience, in a room built for exactly this kind of night.
One of Britain’s best. Faversham’s finest venue. Don’t miss it.
THE VENUE : AN AUTHENTIC SETTING FOR LIVE MUSIC
Located within the historic site of Shepherd Neame — Britain’s oldest operational brewery, founded in 1698 — The Old Brewery Store carries more than three centuries of history in its walls. With its industrial charm, vaulted ceilings, and a character that no purpose-built venue can replicate, it provides the perfect atmospheric backdrop for a night like this.
With a capacity of 250, the room strikes that rare balance between grand and intimate — big enough to create real atmosphere, small enough that you’re never far from the stage. Whether you’re at the front of the room or grabbing a pint of locally brewed Shepherd Neame at the bar, you’re guaranteed an immersive experience in one of Kent’s most unique live music spaces.