16TH OCTOBER 2026
DOORS 7PM
THE OLD BREWERY STORE, FAVERSHAM
FROM £22
Erja Lyytinen Faversham — Friday 16th October 2026, The Old Brewery Store. Finland’s greatest blues export and one of the most decorated guitarists on the international circuit brings her 50th Birthday Rock & Blues UK Tour to one of Kent’s finest intimate venues. Ranked #2 in Total Guitar Magazine’s “10 Best Guitarists Now” poll, winner of the European Blues Award for Best Guitarist, and a performer who once received a personal nickname from Carlos Santana — this is not a show that comes to a room this size very often. Live blues-rock in Faversham does not get bigger than this.
Erja Lyytinen — Finland's Queen of Slide Guitar
There are guitarists who play the blues, and there are guitarists who live it. Erja Lyytinen is firmly in the second category. Born in Finland and now one of the most internationally respected figures on the blues-rock circuit, she has spent over two decades building a reputation that reaches from Helsinki to Nashville, from festival headline slots to a personal invitation on stage from Carlos Santana. When Santana called her up in front of 20,000 people in Helsinki in 2018, he introduced her to the crowd with a new nickname — “Lightning” — after Lightnin’ Hopkins. “It was inspiring to see her play,” he said. “It was from the future, and I like the future.”
That moment captures something essential about Erja Lyytinen. She is rooted in tradition but genuinely pushing forward. Her slide guitar work is world-class — technically extraordinary, emotionally direct, and utterly distinctive. She studied electric guitar at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, becoming the first woman to take the instrument as a major at that institution. Since releasing her debut album in 2003, she has released twelve studio albums and performed over 100 headline shows across Europe every year, including headline appearances at HRH Blues at the O2 Academy Leicester, the Byron Bay Blues Festival in Australia, and the legendary Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshannon, Ireland.
For this very special Faversham date, Erja is celebrating her 50th birthday with a hand-picked setlist drawn from across her entire career — gems from over two decades of recording, alongside tracks from her latest studio album Smell the Roses (2025), and some surprises she has promised her audiences will not see coming. As she puts it: “This year we have updated our set list with some old gems and surprise numbers, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
What the Guitar World Says About Erja Lyytinen
★ “My new friend represents the future — and I like the future! Erja… I call her Lightning!” — Carlos Santana (inviting her on stage in front of 20,000 people, Helsinki 2018)
★ “I sure enjoyed her guitar skills. She’s obviously made a big name for herself. Things are going well for her and for good reason.” — Sonny Landreth, slide guitar master
★ “One of the best guitarists on the scene at the moment — forget male or female, forget rock or blues — just one of the best.” — Music News
★ “The Finnish slide goddess.” — The Blues Magazine
Erja Lyytinen — Awards & Career Highlights
★ European Blues Award — Best Guitarist 2017 — The continent’s most prestigious blues guitar prize
★ HRH Angel of Rock Award 2024 — Presented at Great Yarmouth in recognition of outstanding contribution to rock, metal and blues — previously awarded to Doro Pesch and Jackie Chambers of Girlschool
★ Blues Matters Writers’ Poll 2015 — Voted #1 International Solo Artist
★ Total Guitar Magazine — Ranked #2 in the “10 Best Guitarists Now” poll
★ Guitar World — Ranked #14 in “30 Best Blues Guitarists Today” — alongside Eric Clapton, Joe Bonamassa, Derek Trucks, Buddy Guy and John Mayer
★ MusicRadar — Voted 7th best blues guitarist in the world in a poll of 136,000 votes
★ Maple Blues Awards 2022 — Nominated for BB King International Artist of the Year — the first Finnish artist ever nominated
★ Classic Rock Magazine — Bad Seed named one of the best rock songs of 2022
★ Guitar World — The guitar solo from Bad Seed voted one of the top ten guitar solos of 2022 by readers
★ Finnish Presidential Castle — Invited to attend on Independence Day, 6th December 2022 — a rare honour reflecting her national cultural standing
★ New Year’s Eve, Helsinki — Performed live in front of over 80,000 people, broadcast nationwide across Finland
★ MTV Finland — Featured on Tähdet, Tähdet (Stars, Stars), performing to half a million viewers weekly
★ 12 Studio Albums + Multiple Live Albums — Including the critically acclaimed Smell the Roses (2025), Waiting for the Daylight (2022), and Stolen Hearts (2017, mixed by Rolling Stones producer Chris Kimsey)
★ Published Autobiography — Blueskuningatar (Blues Queen) released in Finland in 2019 — the first popular music artist to receive the prestigious Savonmuan Hilima award that same year
★ Sibelius Academy — First woman to study electric guitar as a major at Finland’s most prestigious music institution
★ Shared Stages With — Carlos Santana, Joe Bonamassa, Sonny Landreth, Jennifer Batten, Dan Aykroyd, Tom Jones
What the Press Say About Erja Lyytinen
★ “One of the best guitarists on the scene at the moment — forget male or female, forget rock or blues — just one of the best.” — Music News
★ “The Finnish slide goddess.” — The Blues Magazine
★ “Smell the Roses is her heaviest, most riff-laden album to date.” — Guitarist Magazine
★ “A consummate master of the craft — this album is an absolute must.” — Happy Metal Geek
Ross Harding — Special Guest
Joining Erja on stage is South African-born, UK-based dark blues artist Ross Harding — and this is something of a homecoming. Ross has performed at The Old Brewery Store before and returns for this special occasion performing a solo acoustic support set. Known for his powerful voice, raw emotion, and masterful guitar work, he blends the grit of rock with the deep soul of the blues in a style that has been described as having “a remarkable dark and moving depth — cracked, soulful and incredibly emotive.” He has been featured in Blues Rock Review and Kerrang!, performed at the Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival, and his album Blood & The Blues reached number four in the IBBA Top 40 Most Played Album chart in December 2025, sitting alongside Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Joe Bonamassa.
A 50th Birthday to Remember — An Evening Not to Be Missed
This is a once-in-a-career show. Erja Lyytinen turns 50 in 2026 and has chosen to mark the occasion with a special tour featuring a setlist she has been curating for months — the highlights of twenty years on the road, alongside new material and surprises. The Old Brewery Store holds a strictly limited capacity, which means if you are reading this, tickets are available — but that will not be the case for long.
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.