By Cédric Vernet 
Blues Actu continues its overview of the festivals to watch in 2026. From September 25 to October 18, the RHINO Festival will present 42 concerts across 36 towns and venues in the Loire and Rhône departments. Jazz, world music, rock, gospel, soul and blues will come together over 22 days, with a Blues Night featuring Jane Jeresa, Sons of Killdozer and Andy Balcon on Saturday, October 17 in Saint-Chamond.
By adopting the name RHINO Festival this year, the event is embracing a musical diversity that has always extended far beyond jazz. Monty Alexander, Amaro Freitas, Kyle Eastwood, Ana Carla Maza, Étienne Mbappé and Sandra Nkaké are among the leading names on the bill for this travelling edition.
Blues, soul and gospel also have an important place in the programme. Several events will take place throughout the festival before the traditional Blues Night, scheduled for Saturday, October 17 at the Salle Aristide-Briand in Saint-Chamond.
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A Blues Night in three parts
Following the cancellation of Kenny Neal‘s tour, the festival reshaped the evening around Jane Jeresa, Sons of Killdozer and Andy Balcon. Three very different acts, moving between vocal blues, soul-funk and stripped-back acoustic music.
Considered one of the emerging voices on the international blues scene, Jane Jeresa draws in particular from the repertoires of Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Koko Taylor, Nina Simone and Fela Kuti. Her first EP, released in 2017, already revealed a songwriting style in which African rhythms met soul and blues. Released in 2022, the album Freedom confirmed this identity, carried by a deep and powerful voice. In Saint-Chamond, Jane Jeresa will be joined by Pablo Leoni on drums, Andrea Caggiari on bass, Roberto Morbioli on guitar and Luciano Pesce on keyboards.
The evening will also mark the return of Sons of Killdozer. Formed between Lyon and Givors in the late 1970s, Killdozer developed a sound at the crossroads of rock, soul and funk. The band drew as much inspiration from the Stax label as from James Brown, Fela Kuti and the J. Geils Band. After recording a single album in 1980 at Scorpio Studio in London, Killdozer disappeared two years later. The release of previously unheard demos by Simplex Records in 2022 eventually convinced several original members to hit the road again under the name Sons of Killdozer.
Alongside singer Robert Lapassade, the line-up notably includes guitarists Édouard Gonzalez and Jean-Pierre Gouillon, singer Marina Venet, drummer Yves Rotacher, trumpeter Fred Roudet and saxophonist Phil Gilber. A comeback connecting the Lyon scene of the late 1970s with the band’s current sound.
Andy Balcon will take the stage alone with his guitar. The British singer began performing solo at the age of 18, playing shows across Europe and New Zealand while regularly busking in the streets. His meeting with beatboxer Dave Crowe led to the formation of Heymoonshaker in 2011. The duo developed an unusual formula built around guitar, a gravelly voice and vocal percussion. Following the EP Shakerism and the album Noir, Heymoonshaker performed on numerous international stages, from the Montreux Jazz Festival to Glastonbury. Now performing under his own name, Andy Balcon has returned to a more stripped-back format. A direct way to close this Blues Night, with nothing standing between the musician and the audience.
From blues to heavy funk
Several other evenings will be of particular interest to blues and soul fans. It would be difficult to mention them all, but we have picked out a few featuring artists who will already be familiar to Blues Actu Radio listeners.
We begin on Saturday, September 26. Annie Lalalove, who recorded a great collaboration with Mister Mat on the track “Summer Wine”, will bring her African-rooted soul-pop-folk to Saint-Maurice-en-Gourgois. That same evening, Thomas Kahn will return to L’Escale in Veauche with his band and a horn section. His new album “Undertones” continues to explore a sound somewhere between modern soul, the Motown legacy and reggae influences.
On Thursday, October 1, Tankus will return to the RHINO Festival at La Passerelle in Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert. The band made a strong impression during the 2023 edition with its appearance in Unieux, before singer Jaz Delorean returned solo the following year. The London sextet combines British rock, blues-gospel, New Orleans brass-driven ragtime and psychedelic ballads. Its fourth album, Valley of Distraction, was produced by Jim Sclavunos, a collaborator of Nick Cave with the Bad Seeds and Grinderman.
Two duos close to the roots of the blues
On Sunday, October 4, Monkey Tonk will perform at the Espace du Châtelard in Tartaras. The duo brings together Christophe Raynaud, aka Chris Ray, on vocals and acoustic guitar, and Bruno Pilloix, aka Dr No, on electric guitar and saxophone. After playing together for around twelve years in the French Connection Band, the two musicians formed Monkey Tonk in 2017. Following a first record captured live and the studio album All Ways, they return to a stripped-back format combining original compositions and reworked standards, moving between blues, soul, rhythm and blues, country and jazz.
The following day, Marc Loy and Diabolo will take over the Auberge Laffont in Dargoire. A well-known figure on the French blues scene, Marc Loy writes music at the crossroads of blues, folk, French chanson and country-rock. His latest album, Nu(e), notably features guest appearances by Patrick Verbecke and Jean-Yves d’Angelo. Alongside him, harmonica player Diabolo, who came to prominence with Jacques Higelin in the early 1980s, has also accompanied Alain Bashung, Christophe, Patricia Kaas, Didier Lockwood and Manu Lanvin. Their repertoire combines songs by Marc Loy with a selection of tracks by Jacques Higelin. Proceeds from the evening will be donated to the Une Goutte d’eau au Faso charity.
Let’s soul!
On Friday, October 9, The Supersoul Brothers will take over La Gare in Saint-Martin-la-Plaine. Named best band of the year at the 2025 France Blues Awards after reaching the final of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, the band from Pau will present its album By the Way. Built around the voice of David Noël, aka Feelgood Dave, the group brings blues-soul, gospel and New Orleans funk together. Horns, backing vocals and a tight rhythm section give their live shows an energy made for the stage.
On the eve of Blues Night, Ceux qui marchent debout will perform at the Ellipse facilities in La Ricamarie. For more than thirty years and nearly 1,500 concerts, the band has been among the groups that helped reinvent the French brass band scene. Their music combines New Orleans brass, blues, go-go, rocksteady and P-Funk. The group will notably perform material from its tenth album, From Blues to Funk. A standing concert that will kick off the festival’s final weekend.
Rhino Festival 2026
📆 From September 25 to October 18, 2026
📍 36 towns and venues across the Loire and Rhône departments
🎤 42 concerts over 22 days
🎸 Blues Night: Saturday, October 17 at 8 p.m., Salle Aristide-Briand in Saint-Chamond
🎟️ Blues Night: €25 reduced rate and €30 full price
🌐 Full programme
🎟️ Official ticketing