The powerful blues singer Alice Armstrong and her band took the Login Lounge crowds by storm supported by the Lily Beck Trio. Alice is an award-winning blues star who won the UK Blues Challenge in 2024 and the European Blues Challenge in 2025, as well as competing in Memphis Tennessee at the International Blues Challenge.
As Alice explained in a pre-gig interview: "Because at the beginning of starting this project, Alice Armstrong, I really didn't know yet who I was as a songwriter, and so it was a very deliberate decision to release a trilogy of EPs, each with a very different personality to try and explore my songwriting, learn different corners of the blues and root genres and R&B. Which helped me discover what my style is, what my sound is."
As Alice explained in a pre-gig interview: "Because at the beginning of starting this project, Alice Armstrong, I really didn't know yet who I was as a songwriter, and so it was a very deliberate decision to release a trilogy of EPs, each with a very different personality to try and explore my songwriting, learn different corners of the blues and root genres and R&B. Which helped me discover what my style is, what my sound is."
Her band were Josh Regal (bass & backing vocals), Ollie Knight-Smith (guitar & backing vocals) and Don Bannister (drums). Regular drummer for the band Kev Hickman was on a UK & European tour with American legend Walter Trout.
First up was the excellent Lily Beck with her trio of Lily Beck (vocals), Ryan Cornall (guitar) and Paul Glover (percussion).
Full Image set from Login Lounge, Camberley
Full Image set from Login Lounge, Camberley
She kicked off with ‘We’ll Be Fine’ off her new EP which was an upbeat number with effervescent vocals with great guitar riffs, followed by ‘Take the Time’ a slower tempo blues song with evocative vocals.
Josh Regal then joined on a couple of numbers on bass on Bill Withers song ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ with slinky & powerful vocals from Lily with the bass line underpinning the guitar picking and percussion, and then another cover with Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’ with passionate vocals from Lily and great guitar break from Ryan and Paul’s percussion backing.
An original song ‘Freebird’ about Lily’s life initially travelling the world but now settled down with a baby on the way, followed by ‘Move In’ a slower more soulful song with gentle guitar riffs, which is the latest single to be released next month.
She finished with her last single released in July ‘Super Magic’ with its powerful vocals and offbeat guitar riffs and great drums & percussion and ‘Break In’ with guitar picking and percussion to start before Lily’s emotive vocals.
Then after a short break to refresh drinks (the pizzas were excellent too!) the headliner Alice Armstrong took to the stage.
She kicked off with the upbeat ‘Upbeat Baby’ a powerful blues song to start with evocative vocals from Alice and great guitar picking from Ollie, followed by ‘Scratching Walls’ which starts with echoey guitar to a slower tempo, then builds with emotive vocals from Alice and powerful rhythm section with great guitar break from Ollie.
‘Blood on the Water’ was next a great blues soul song vocally with great guitar riffs and solid rhythm section and backing vocals from Ollie & Josh, followed by ‘Your Guess’ an upbeat blues song about having no money with Alice’s powerful vocals and great guitar riffs.
A change of style brought us ‘Taxi Man’ with its slower tempo offbeat song with echoey guitar and emotive vocals from Alice and brush drum sticks from Don, followed by Willie Dixon’s ‘Built for Comfort’ with a great solo from Ollie on guitar after slinky but powerful vocals from Alice, then ‘Life I Chose’ which Alice wrote a while ago about being worried she wouldn’t achieve enough in life, written with Josh and inspired by Freddie King. Slower tempo blues & soul number with inspiring vocals from Alice with great band backing.
Then a song co-written with the sorely missed Matt Long of Catfish ‘Auto Assassin’ about love, death & sex which is a heavier blues rock song with powerful echoey vocals with rocky band backing.
After another break the band returned with ‘Hanging on’ a powerful personal song for Alice after losing both grandad and Father in 2026, with Alice’s emotive vocals and powerful guitar riffs and rhythmic drumming and bass support, followed by ‘Strawberry Moon’ a fifties inspired tune with Alice’s passionate vocals with Ollie’s guitar riff led backing supported by great bass & drums.
Then we had a song ‘Women Like Me’ from her Halloween EP 'The Witching Hour' with rhythmic drumming to start and great guitar chords, and is Alice latest single most recent which has appeared on Joe Bonamassa’s playlist. Alice is a fan of Aretha Franklin’s music so we had her version of ‘Rock Steady’ which kicks off with bass and drums with guitar chords and riffs in a funky rhythm with tempo quickening before joins in with her great soulful vocals.
‘Good Love’ is a great funky blues soul song with strident vocals from Alice excellent guitar riffs from Ollie with backing vocals from Josh & Ollie.
Alice and her band were then joined by the Lily Beck Trio on a song ‘Bang Bang’ that came out in 1970s originally written for Cher by Sonny Bono, with its emotive vocals from Alice & Lilly with the powerful twin guitars of Ollie & Ryan.
The Alice’s band’s last song of the night was ‘B Side’ inspired by BB King, with the song written a few years ago, with Alice’s slinky and emotional vocals. After a standing ovation the band were persuaded to come back for an encore with ‘It Wasn’t Me’ a funky number with powerful emotive vocals from Alice.
Alice and her band showed why they are an award-winning blues band and definitely well worth catching on future dates on tour.