The Whisky Flowers win Emerging Artist accolade at UK Blues Awards

The Whisky Flowers took home the Emerging Artist of the Year award at the UK Blues Awards 2026, which took place earlier this week.

The event, organised by the UK Blues Federation, seeks to celebrate the very best in British blues and are widely regarded as the leading national honours in the genre.

The quartet, who released their debut EP Broken Bones last year, had previously reached the Top 5 in the category, but were left stunned when announced as winners.

Guitarist Aiden Pryor said: “It feels a bit surreal to have won Emerging Act for 2026 and I’m still as shocked as I was when our name was read out.

“I couldn’t be more proud of Steph, Ben, Elliot and myself for all the hard work we’ve put in this past year and I couldn’t ask for a better band to share this moment with.”

Joining Mr Pryor in The Whisky Flowers are singer and guitarist Steph Ashcroft, bassist Elliot Clark and drummer Ben Hart.

The recognition caps off a breakthrough year for the group, who had already made the Top 20 in four separate categories earlier in the awards process, including individual nominations for vocalist, instrumentalist and young guitarist.

Singer Steph Ashcroft said: “Feeling so, so grateful for everyone’s support over the last couple of years, and so proud of the band – I might burst.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever been in a room filled with so much talent, and I have so much admiration for everyone who was nominated.”

The UK Blues Awards highlight the most exciting and influential artists across the country, with winners decided through a combination of industry recognition and public voting.

It took place on Wednesday, April 8, at The Stables in Wavendon, Milton Keynes.

As well as building a growing reputation on the national blues scene, The Whisky Flowers remain deeply rooted in the local music community.

The band run regular jam nights at The Red Lion in Broughton, offering an open space for musicians of all ages and abilities to perform, collaborate and gain experience on stage.

They hope their success will inspire more people in Kettering and across Northamptonshire to get involved in music.

The band added “We’d love this to encourage more people locally to pick up an instrument, come to a jam night and get involved.

“Music has given us so much and it’s something we want to share.”

Northampton musician Greg Coulson was also a finalist in the Blues Instrumentalist Of The Year Category which was won by Will Wilde.

Full details of this year’s winners can be found at https://ukblues.org/finalists-2026/

For more information abut The Whiskey Flowers, visit https://thewhiskyflowers.com