Erja Lyytinen Announces 50th Anniversary Rock Blues Birthday UK Tour

24 February 2026 rocknews

Award-winning Finnish blues-rock guitar virtuoso Erja Lyytinen is celebrating her 50th birthday in style with a special 50th Anniversary Rock Blues Birthday UK Tour this October.

The seven-date tour kicks off on Thursday 8 October in Dudley and runs through to Friday 16 October in Faversham, giving UK fans a rare chance to experience one of the most exciting guitarists on the international scene in intimate venues.

Tickets go on general sale Monday 23 February at 10am GMT via erjalyytinen.com/tour.

Full 50th Anniversary UK Tour Dates 2026

Thu 8 Oct – Dudley, Lamp Tavern
Fri 9 Oct – Sedgefield, Parish Hall
Sun 11 Oct – Edinburgh, La Belle Angele
Tue 13 Oct – Sheffield, The Greystones
Wed 14 Oct – Oxford, The Bullingdon
Thu 15 Oct – London, Half Moon
Fri 16 Oct – Faversham, The Old Brewery Store

Erja will perform a special celebratory setlist packed with career-spanning gems from her 20+ year repertoire (since her debut in 2002), highlights from her current album Smell the Roses, plus some unexpected surprise songs chosen especially for the birthday tour.

Speaking about the tour, Erja said: “I did my first tour in the UK with Blues Caravan back in 2006, so it’s been exactly twenty years now doing gigs on this music lover’s island. What I loved the most was the fact that the audiences understood and related to my lyrics. The witty humour and friendly British people simply stole my heart.

This year I’m celebrating the big number of turning 50, but I still feel like that 15-year-old girl who fell in love with playing electric guitar… 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 to come to the UK for a birthday tour!”

About Erja Lyytinen & Smell the Roses

One of the leading blues-rock guitarists on the global circuit, Erja has released 13 studio albums and multiple live albums, earning widespread acclaim for her powerful vocals, mesmerising slide guitar work, and high-energy live shows.

Her most recent studio album Smell the Roses (released March 2025) has been praised worldwide for its riff-heavy sound and blend of modern blues-rock with classic ’60s/’70s hard rock influences. It reached #6 on the UK Independent Blues Broadcasters chart and features standout tracks such as the epic “Stoney Creek”.

Erja has shared stages with Carlos Santana, Sonny Landreth and Jennifer Batten, and has collected major awards including “Best Guitarist” at the European Blues Awards and a historic nomination for “BB King International Artist of the Year” at the Maple Blues Awards in Canada.

Tickets & Info

Tickets for all shows are on sale now from erjalyytinen.com/tour.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to celebrate 50 years of one of the most exciting guitarists in blues-rock — in intimate UK venues with a very special birthday setlist.

TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM
https://erjalyytinen.com/tour

DUDLEY, THE LAMP TAVERN
THURSDAY 8 OCTOBER 2026
Buy Tickets
116 High St, Dudley, DY1 1QT
https://lamptavernlive.co.uk

SEDGEFIELD, PARISH HALL
FRIDAY 9 OCTOBER 2026
Buy Tickets
Front St, Sedgefield, Stockton-on-Tees, TS21 3AT
www.ents24.com/sedgefield-events/sedgefield-parish-hall

EDINBURGH, LA BELLE ANGELE
SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER 2026
Buy Tickets
11 Hastie’s Close, Edinburgh, EH1 1JD
https://la-belleangele.com

SHEFFIELD, THE GREYSTONES
TUESDAY 13 OCTOBER 2026
Buy Tickets
Greystones Road, Sheffield, S11 7BS
www.mygreystones.co.uk

OXFORD, THE BULLINGDON
WEDNESDAY 14 OCTOBER 2026
Buy Tickets
162 Cowley Rd, Oxford OX4 1UE
www.thebullingdon.co.uk

LONDON, HALF MOON
THURSDAY 15 OCTOBER 2026
Buy Tickets
93 Lower Richmond Rd., London, SW15 1EU
www.halfmoon.co.uk

FAVERHSAM, THE OLD BREWERY STORE
FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER 2026
Buy Tickets
Mill Place, Faversham, Kent, ME13 7DY
https://rockinrootsevents.co.uk