Two generations of serious guitar fire are heading onto the same stage as award-winning British blues talent Connor Selby joins five-time Grammy nominee Robben Ford for a nine-date UK tour in January and February 2027.
Some tour pairings simply make sense.
Chips and curry sauce. Rain and British festivals. Guitarists saying they only need one more pedal before buying another six.
Now we can add Robben Ford and Connor Selby to that list.
Fast-rising British blues singer, songwriter and guitarist Connor Selby has been announced as the special guest on Fordâs forthcoming Planet Rock Live UK tour, bringing two phenomenal musicians from different generations together for nine nights of blues, rock, jazz, soul and enough glorious guitar tone to make every six-string obsessive start examining their bank balance.
The tour begins at The Glasshouse in Gateshead on Thursday 28 January 2027 and travels through Edinburgh, Holmfirth, Buxton, Lytham, Stamford, Norwich and London before finishing at Fromeâs Cheese & Grain on Sunday 7 February.
There is no Welsh show on the itinerary â boo, hiss and someone gently strike a sad minor chord â although Frome will likely be the most practical option for many fans travelling from South Wales.
đ¤ Two Generations, One Seriously Tasty Bill
Robben Ford has spent more than five decades building a reputation as one of the most sophisticated and distinctive electric guitarists in the business.
Trying to squeeze his music into a single genre is a bit like trying to fit a festival tent back into its original bag. Technically possible, perhaps, but nobody really knows how.
Ford moves effortlessly between blues, jazz, rock, soul and fusion, combining dazzling technique with the touch, restraint and emotional instinct of somebody who understands that one perfectly chosen note can hit harder than fifty played at motorway speed.
Connor Selby might belong to a younger generation, but his approach carries that same appreciation for feel, songwriting and musical tradition.
He is not interested in simply standing beneath a spotlight and firing notes around the room like a malfunctioning nail gun. Selbyâs music is rooted in blues and soul, with a warm, expressive voice and a playing style that serves the song rather than attempting to wrestle it into submission.
Put the pair on the same bill and you have the makings of a proper guitar loverâs night out.
đ¸ Robben Ford: A Musicianâs Musician
Fordâs CV reads like somebody has accidentally combined several chapters of modern music history.
Across his remarkable career, he has performed and recorded with artists including:
- Miles Davis
- Joni Mitchell
- George Harrison
- Bob Dylan
- Bonnie Raitt
- John Mayall
- Michael McDonald
- Jimmy Witherspoon
- Kebâ Moâ
- Mavis Staples
He is also a five-time Grammy nominee and has long been admired by fellow musicians for his ability to connect blues tradition with harmony, improvisation and the wider language of jazz.
That reputation hasnât turned Ford into a museum piece.
His 2026 album Two Shades of Blue finds the guitarist continuing to explore new territory, moving from the low-slung funk-blues of âMake My Own Weatherâ to sweeping instrumentals, soul balladry and his unmistakable blend of precision and feel.
The record was tracked with different groups of musicians in the United States and Britain, giving its eight songs a flexible, lived-in character.
The new UK dates will give audiences the chance to hear material from that album alongside selections from a career stretching back more than half a century.
đĽ Connor Selbyâs Rise Continues
Connor Selby has quietly assembled one of the most impressive CVs in modern British blues.
He won Young Artist of the Year at the UK Blues Awards for three consecutive years in 2020, 2021 and 2022 before graduating to the Traditional Blues Artist of the Year prize in 2025 and retaining the title in 2026.
That is not a bad collection of silverware for somebody whose career still feels like it is gathering speed.
Selby has already supported or shared stages with an extraordinary list of musicians, including The Who, Beth Hart, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Robert Cray, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Kebâ Moâ, Bettye LaVette and soul legend P. P. Arnold.
He performed with The Who at Wembley Stadium and appeared at Londonâs Hyde Park alongside Pearl Jam and Stereophonics.
Selby was also among the enormous collection of guitar heroes featured on Mark Knopflerâs 2024 charity recording of âGoing Home (Theme from Local Hero)â, joining names including Bruce Springsteen, Slash, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Brian May, Pete Townshend and Tom Morello.
Imagine receiving that session list and attempting to behave normally.
We would have printed it, framed it and carried it into Greggs to show the person behind the counter.
đż The Truth Comes Out Eventually
Selby released his latest album, The Truth Comes Out Eventually, in August 2025.
It is his most personal and musically varied collection to date, stretching beyond straightforward blues into soul, folk, big-band colour and deeply reflective songwriting.
The title feels particularly suitable for an artist whose personality reveals itself gradually through the music. Selbyâs performances are calm and controlled rather than desperately showy, but beneath that composure sits enormous emotional weight.
His guitar playing carries echoes of players such as Peter Green and Eric Clapton without slipping into imitation. The influences are there, but so is an identity that increasingly belongs to Selby alone.
That makes him a cracking choice to open these shows.
The audience wonât be receiving twenty minutes of anonymous background noise while trying to find their seats. Theyâll be getting a genuine headline-level talent before one of modern blues guitarâs most respected figures walks onto the stage.
Get there early, mun.
đ Robben Ford With Connor Selby: UK Tour Dates
January 2027
- Thursday 28 January â Gateshead, The Glasshouse
- Friday 29 January â Edinburgh, Queenâs Hall
- Saturday 30 January â Holmfirth, Picturedrome
- Sunday 31 January â Buxton, Opera House
February 2027
- Tuesday 2 February â Lytham, Lowther Pavilion
- Wednesday 3 February â Stamford, Corn Exchange
- Thursday 4 February â Norwich, Epic Studios
- Friday 5 February â London, Union Chapel
- Sunday 7 February â Frome, Cheese & Grain
đď¸ Ticket Information
Tickets are on sale now through Robben Fordâs official tour page, authorised ticket agents and the individual venues.
Prices vary according to the venue, seating area and booking fees. Current listings generally begin at approximately ÂŁ30, with many options falling between ÂŁ33 and ÂŁ43.50 including some fees.
Examples include advance admission at Holmfirth Picturedrome from ÂŁ30 before booking fees, Gateshead tickets around ÂŁ41.20 including fees, and Lytham options listed from approximately ÂŁ37.90.
Always check the final checkout total before buying, because ticket fees have a habit of appearing from the shadows like a surprise support band nobody asked for.
đ´ No Welsh Date â But Frome Offers an Option
Sadly, Robben Ford and Connor Selby will not cross the Severn for a Welsh date on this run.
For fans travelling from Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and the wider South Wales area, the final show at Fromeâs Cheese & Grain on Sunday 7 February will probably be the most practical option.
It is still a decent journey, so check the finish time and your route home before booking. Sunday-night public transport can become more terrifying than any extreme-metal album cover once the final train disappears.
Frome tickets are currently advertised at roughly ÂŁ36âÂŁ42 before or including varying booking fees, depending on the seller and seating choice.
Naturally, we would love to see another Welsh show added. Cardiff, Swansea, Newport â there are plenty of stages ready for this kind of guitar magic, butt.
đś What Fans Can Expect
Fordâs live performances are built on musicianship, spontaneity and communication.
This isnât a production that needs fifty-foot inflatable monsters, indoor fireworks or a drum kit suspended above the audience. The drama comes from the playing: songs stretching into new shapes, musicians reacting to one another and solos developing differently every night.
Selby should complement that atmosphere beautifully.
Both guitarists understand space. Both can shift from a whisper to a roar without losing control. Both draw from the blues while refusing to be trapped by it.
You can expect soulful vocals, deep grooves, moments of jazz sophistication and the kind of guitar tones that will result in several audience members going home and spending three hours adjusting the knobs on their amplifiers.
Their neighbours have been warned.
đĽ The Riff Report Verdict
Adding Connor Selby to Robben Fordâs 2027 UK tour turns an already tempting run of shows into an essential night for blues and guitar fans.
Ford brings more than five decades of experience, a genre-bending catalogue and the touch of a musician who has played alongside some of the greatest artists of the modern era.
Selby represents the strength of the new British blues generation: respectful of the musicâs roots, emotionally honest and confident enough to develop his own voice.
This isnât a token support slot. It is a meeting between two artists connected by feel, restraint, soul and a shared understanding that great guitar playing is about far more than the number of notes squeezed into a bar.
The tour begins in Gateshead on 28 January 2027 and finishes in Frome on 7 February, with tickets already on sale.
Get there before Connor starts. Turn off the phone flash. Keep the inevitable argument about guitar pedals until the interval.
Two generations. Nine UK shows. Twelve strings and enough blues fire to keep January warm. Tidy! đ¸đĽđ¤
