Interview: JESS & THE BANDITS, The Long Road Festival, Leicestershire

What a pleasure to catch up with UK country staples Jess & The Bandits before their Main Stage set at The Long Road Festival (you can read my thoughts on that here). We chatted about literal long roads, the makings of a good bandit, and what they really want ahead of a festival set... hope you enjoy!

CC: Hi all! I’m joined by Jess & The Bandits at The Long Road Festival in Leicestershire!

All: Hi!

CC: First off, how’s the year going for you?

Jess (J): It’s going pretty good I would say! Busy, very busy.

CC: Any end in sight?

J: Definitely not!

CC: Good! It’s great to meet you all – when I think of UK country, there are a number of bands who pop into my mind, and Jess & The Bandits is certainly one of them. Fantastic to see you at the inaugural Long Road Festival.

J: Thank you!

CC: So we’re here at The Long Road – what’s the longest road you’ve been on as a band?

J: Felt like today! We came down from Scotland.

Luke (L): All on one road, all the way to here! We actually did come down the long road to this festival.

J: I think we’ve all been on long journeys with our careers for sure. This entire thing has been one very, very long road, but a really good road, full of twists and turns and bumps and all that! But that’s what it’s all about, just the journey that you go on.

CC: You’re playing a couple of shows over the festival – I take it we’ll be hearing a lot from Smoke & Mirrors?

J: Oh yeah, we’ve got loads of songs from the new album.

CC: What were the best and worst parts of creating that album?

J: The worst part is trying to pick the songs that are going to be on the album, because we ended up with about thirty to choose from, and then had to bring it down to fourteen on the album. That’s the worst part. I’d say the creative part can be kind of hard too because you’ve got this goal, and that can be a bit stressful for a while, trying to write the perfect songs.

Jake: And you kind of get attached to them, but you can’t have them all on the record!

J: The best part is when it’s done! And the first time you get to perform them, and seeing if people like them.

L: You don’t know if they’re any good until then!

J: And then people sing along to them. So many good parts!

CC: Could you have a B-Side of all of these next songs?

J: There could be!

Callum: That’s the next album!

CC: I’m sure you’ve been asked a lot about the band name and how it came about, but what I want to know is, what makes a good bandit?

J: Ooh, I don’t know? What do you guys think makes a good bandit, bandits?

L: A good bandit? Someone who listens to me.

J: When he says ‘me’, he means ME!

CC: I love coming to festivals like this to find out about up and coming artists – are there any bands or people out there who you think are underrepresented that people should be listening to?

J: Let’s see… Jess and the Bandits?

CC: Good answer!

J: In seriousness, I think on the Main Stage you have all of your obvious artists there, so it’s the ones you see on the smaller stages that are working so hard and getting their name out there. It’s great to see the main acts and all that, but if people can go and see the new artists coming up, those are the ones that you’ll probably see on the main stage in a few years.

CC: Very true since you’re on the Main Stage this year! Finally, is there one question you’ve not been asked in an interview but would love to be?

J: Can I get you a glass of wine? No-one has ever asked me that!

Chris: You’d get some real answers for that too!

CC: If that were the question, what would be the answer!

All: Yes please!

CC: Unanimous! We’ll see if we can arrange that next time! Thank you all so much for joining me.

J: Thank you so much for having us! 

Thanks to the band for taking the time to chat with me. If you liked this, be sure to follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry for even more reviews and interviews coming soon, and drop me a comment below with any ideas for who you'd like me to interview next!

Interview: AARON WATSON, The Long Road Festival, Leicestershire

Welcome back to the blog! Read on for my interview with The Long Road headliner Aaron Watson (you can read my opinions on his set here) to hear his thoughts on filling in for Carrie Underwood, why the UK is so obsessed with Texas, and some of the hardest songs he's ever had to write - hope you enjoy! 

Ciara’s Country (CC): What a privilege to be joined by The Long Road headliner Aaron Watson! So this being The Long Road, what’s the longest road you’ve taken in your career?

Aaron Watson (AW): Maybe my whole career! I don’t know, we’ve probably played 2,500 shows in my career so we’ve been on a lot of long roads. We’re so excited to be here – it’s unfortunate Carrie Underwood can’t be here, I flew my wife all the way from Texas to see Carrie, but we’re still going to have a lot of fun. Carrie’s in our hearts and prayers and we hope she starts feeling better soon.

CC: I think everyone is excited to see you too!

AW: We are going to have fun!

CC: You’ve had such an impressive career spanning over a decade and over 2,500 shows – has there been a highlight?

AW: I think every night is a highlight. To get to do what you love is such a blessing. I’ve gotten to sing songs with Willie Nelson and a lot of other greats. We’ve put out number one albums, three top ten albums, two top forty singles this year, and we’ve been able to do all of that independently. I think that’s a little bit of icing on the cake.

CC: And your latest album Vaquero was also a hit in the UK. What I find really interesting is that the type of music you write is sometimes talking about your hometown and a lot of American small town stuff a lot of people in the UK probably haven’t experienced. What do you think it is about that kind of music that appeals to UK fans?

AW: I don’t know, maybe because I was raised on The Beatles. I think that music is kind of a universal language, and even though I may be singing about things in Texas, when I’m sharing my heart, heartache is heartache, joy is joy. I had a guy last night in London – I think he was from Essex?

CC: Me too!

AW: Oh cool! Well he told me his dad had just passed away, and the song that’s helping him get through the loss of his father is a song I wrote called Texas Lullaby. For me, on The Beatles White Album there’s a song called Julia. When I lost my little girl six years ago, right after she was born, that song helped me get through it. Music is a universal language and people know when there’s heart and soul in a song.

CC: Is there a song you found particularly difficult to write?

AW: Oh, lots of them. Writing a song is always a challenge. Trying to get it right – some songs take me a couple of songs to finally get right, whereas some songs write themselves. You just never know. That’s what makes writing songs so fun.

CC: And creatively, what’s your process? Do you pick a theme first or does the melody come to you first?

AW: You just never know. I think I used to kind of revolve my writing process around a hook or one line, but now I’m really just open minded to everything and anything. I might have a melody that I like, or I might start off with a line or a guitar lick. I’ll take those ideas anywhere they come from.

CC: I find coming to festivals like this great places to find new artists. Is there anyone you think is rather underrated who deserves to be listened to?

AW: Gosh, I think if you just Google ‘Texas music artists’ you’ll see a list of hundreds that are incredible, and most of them are way more talented than me. There’s so many great artists in Texas, and obviously I kind of favour those guys and girls.

CC: I’ll go home and Google that then! Finally, is there one question you’ve never been asked in an interview but would like to be?

AW: I think I’ve been asked everything. In all these years, I don’t know if there’s anything I haven’t been asked. I’ll be thinking about it, and then next time I see you, I’ll be better prepared.

CC: I’ll see what you have to say then. Thank you so much!

AW: Thank you for having me! 

Thanks to Aaron for chatting to me - I hope you enjoyed reading this interview as much as I enjoyed doing it. If you'd like to check out more of my interviews and reviews, be sure to follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry, and don't forget to drop me a message in the comments if you have any questions or thoughts on my content!

Interview: THE WANDERING HEARTS, The Long Road Festival, Leicestershire

Welcome back to Ciara's Country! I recently caught up with country/Americana band The Wandering Hearts ahead of their set at The Long Road festival (you can read my thoughts on their performance here) - read on to find out more about their Wild Silence album, who they think you should be listening to, and their favourite animals...

Ciara’s Country (CC): I’m joined by The Wandering Hearts at the inaugural Long Road Festival in Leicestershire. First off I have to ask how the year is going for you all?

Chess Whiffin (CW): The year is going pretty darn well.

CC: Understatement?

CW: Yeah, everytime we talk about it it’s hard to put into words. We can’t put into words how this year has gone. It’s been amazing, and it’s not over yet!

Tim Prottey-Jones (TPJ): I can’t believe it’s all been the same year! The album came out in February, which felt like a long time coming any.

Tara Wilcox (TW): Then the Americana Awards in March.

TPJ: Yeah, then a tour. Nashville, then festival season which we’re kind of still doing. It’s been amazing actually, it’s been a really busy summer and we’re off out to Nashville again before our tour at the end of the summer.

CW: 2018 is good!

CC: The year of The Wandering Hearts! It must be an honour to be selected for the first festival of The Long Road, which judging from what I’ve seen looks like it will continue for a number of years.

TPJ: Absolutely, it will. We love doing new festivals – Black Deer earlier in the summer which was also wonderful, great people and you see so many familiar faces now in the audiences that we’ve met at like C2C and places like that where they come in their thousands to see great country music. We’re chuffed to be here, it looks amazing, we need to get out and hear some other music out there! I do think it will carry on for many years.

TW: So wonderful to be invited to play.

AD: They put so much into it as well. You can see everywhere you go that so much has gone into making this a total badass festival. We’re pumped to walk out there and see what’s what and play some music.

CC: And let’s talk ‘The Long Road’ too because that’s something that inspired me. What’s been the longest road for you as a band?

TPJ: Probably the years building up to us coming together as a four. I can say that with confidence because I’m the oldest, so it’s felt like a long time! I think sometimes it can be misconstrued that the band has happened very quickly and overnight almost in some cases which is obviously not the case, but you don’t see the years that have gone into improving your craft, being better at playing, being better at writing.

TW: And that kind of self-doubt that you have as musicians, those battles of ‘do you give up and do something different because this is too hard?’ We’ve all had those individual fights to go ‘can I do this?’ So when we met and it became this amazing, wonderful thing, Tim’s exactly right, it was a really long road to get to this point.

AD: And that’s always there, because as much as we’ve had hard times before this band got together, the more good stuff that happens, the crashing and the downsides after that feel so much lower than before. That’s an ongoing battle that we have, and we’re lucky we’re a four so we have each other to lean on for that.

CC: Country as well, you hear about all those stories that go into the music – do you think some of the themes that you’ve just told me made their way onto Wild Silence?

TPJ: Absolutely, and so many other songs as well. We did about 60 songs for that first album, and so many had those elements of these battles and struggles we were talking about. It’s hard not to because they’ve shaped our lives and our music.

CW: And as well they’ve shaped our lives up to that points, the experiences we were having as people – that all went into the songs too. It’s good that we’re not 11, we’ve had those experiences.

CC: Festivals like this are great stomping grounds for up and coming artists – who out there do you think is underrepresented and deserves to be listened to?

TW: We had Laura Oakes support us on tour, and her voice is just incredible. Elles Bailey is just wonderful too. There’s almost too many to mention.

TPJ: I agree. They’re doing amazingly but Striking Matches we also love.

AD: Jarrod Dickerson aswell. It’s funny because there are so many UK artists growing up in this scene, so it’s been interesting going over to the States and seeing how American artists are received over there and then coming over here too.

CC: So true, they have to remake themselves again.

AD: Exactly!

CC: Finally, what’s one question you’ve never been asked in an interview but would love to be?

TPJ: That one!

CC: I bet!

TPJ: Cats or dogs?

CC: Okay, quick fire round then!

TPJ: Cats.

TW: Dogs.

CW: Dogs.

AD: Dogs.

CC: Just what we needed to know. Thank you guys so much!

Thanks for reading! You can keep up with all of the reviews and interviews I post by following me on Twitter @CiarasCountry - plenty more to come! If you liked this interview or have any more questions for The Wandering Hearts for the next time I interview them, drop me a message in the comments below. 

Concert Review: THE LONG ROAD FESTIVAL (Day 3), Stanmore Hall, Leicestershire

Make sure you read my Day 1 review here and Day 2 review here of The Long Road first - enjoy! 

It was another thankfully late start on Sunday, kicking off with Gary Quinn on the Front Porch. He brought good vibes with his fun songs like First Glance, On Your Way Out and Love Each Day to which some people even got up to dance. Overall, a very enjoyable set for me, with the exception of final song I Love To Watch You Leave, the subject matter of which I never really appreciate, although there is a great deal of it in country music.

I wandered into the Interstate stage where another band I hadn’t heard of, Ferris & Sylvester, were performing. From the first song of theirs I heard, Superhuman, I could see that a lot of people would like them, and as the set went on, so did I. They made us act like Vikings (to the bemusement of some of the dogs in the tent who weren’t sure why everyone had spontaneously started grunting and clapping), and dedicated Better In Yellow to the event security guards, which I loved. Definitely one to watch.

First up on the Rhinestone Stage was Jess & The Bandits (interview coming soon to the blog!) who brought immediate high energy with My Name Is Trouble and You Can’t Stop Me. Jess has impeccable vocals and everyone was having a great time as they sang songs from new album Smoke and Mirrors, ranging from gospel like I’m Not Going Home, the sexy Kiss Me Quiet and a big ‘screw you’ to those who say you have to look a certain way with Nitty Gritty. For those who might not have known their music before, they certainly would have recognised covers like the Dixie Chicks Some Days You Gotta Dance, to which the crowd certainly obliged.

Back in the Interstate, Yola Carter was wowing even more festival goers with her full band, great for groovy tracks like He Don’t Mind. I’ll say she has a lot of new fans following the festival. On the main stage, Joshua Hedley treated fans of more traditional country with his bluesy/swing music.

Having seen Ashley Campbell at C2C earlier this year, I knew I wanted to catch her set at the Honky Tonk where she wowed us all with her brilliant songwriting, from the satirical Better Boyfriend and Looks Like Time, the sweet Wish I Wanted To and Remembering, and just the downright great The Lonely One. And don’t even get me started on her banjo playing!

Emily Barker was playing soft and slow tracks in the tent, and the little I saw of her set made me appreciate just how talented the session musicians supporting some of the artists were, with the band playing with her having only started rehearsing two days prior.

On the Rhinestone, The Brummies who yes, are from Birmingham, but the one in Alabama, not the nearer one, were bringing somewhat of a 80s/punk vibe with the lead singer looking vaguely reminiscent of Freddie Mercury. They were certainly the more rocky end of the country spectrum with Takes Some Time, Lovers Do and another ABC/CMT Nashville track Be My Girl.

I took a wander around to see what else was going on, including Andrew Alli on the Front Porch shredding on harmonica (if one can shred on harmonica), Worry Dolls playing a more upbeat set than I’d seen them, complete with singalong in the Honky Tonk (interview with the duo here), and The Lone Bellow showing themselves as the perfect late night in downtown Nashville act.

Another ‘name’ of the festival was Una Healy of The Saturdays fame who had since turned her sights on the country genre. She was a decent performer, with her own music like Please Don’t Tell Me as well as covers like Brett Young’s In Case You Didn’t Know and Christy Moore’s Ride On, but I would say that without her background, she would have otherwise have been playing on one of the smaller stages rather than the main stage.

Back on my wanderings, I stumbled across Swedish duo The Dimpker Brothers showing how international country is on the Front Porch, and Ferris & Sylvester again on the tiny stage up in the Showground, part of the site I hadn’t visited yet where they held storytimes around the campfire and a kids park. The duo attracted a good crowd, no doubt many of whom had seen them that morning, playing some of the same songs as that morning as well as a cover of Johnny Cash’s Jackson which sounded great with the female vocals.

I watched Dori Freeman perform again on the Front Porch, the perfect act for that kind of stage. She looked effortlessly bored (in a good way) while performing, with new tracks like I Shall Never Forget the Day and banjo tune Pretty Little Martha. Definitely one to listen to if you’re looking for something different.

An act I knew would be good on the Rhinestone stage was Charlie Worsham, who if you want to know what country music is, this is it. He put on a great set of his catchy country songs like Young To See, Please People Please and Want Me To. His voice ran out across the site, and he to me embraces all that is good about country music. Underrated? Yes. He’s good enough to deserve a lot more credit.

With a bit of a break before the next act, I went to check out the cool Folk Soul Revival on the Front Porch who treated us to proper toe tapping tracks like Ball and Chain, Hot Like Smoke and Chinatown. Now this is proper Nashville bar musi – I’d love to see them on Broadway someday.

We made our way back to the Rhinestone stage for Take Two of Ashley Campbell who once again proved to me that she was the best songwriter at the festival as every song she performed had meaning, from the passive aggressive The Lonely One, the honest Good For You and the relatable Wish I Wanted To. Her insane banjo skills were also very much present on Carl & Ashley’s Breakdown and Classical Gas. Is there anything she can’t do? I for one am already looking forward to her return to the UK!

We had forty-five minutes to kill so I checked out Billy Bragg in the Interstate tent and well…certainly not what I had been expecting from the festival. Billy was very much a political singer with lyrics including “let’s get Boris Johnson sacked.” I very much felt that he had every potential to incite a riot as the whole tent shook as he sang There Is Power in a Union. Certainly a vast change from the rest of the acts at The Long Road!

And with that, we’d come to the final act of the festival, Sunday night headliners The Shires who, along with Ward Thomas, have definitely received the most support within the UK country community. Crissie and Ben certainly are showmen and played songs from their three albums including Beats To Your Rhythm, My Universe, Stay The Night, Friday Night and Accidentally On Purpose.

I liked it when they spoke about the inspiration or process behind certain songs, but thought on certain songs they were trying too hard to be the American country artists they should be – for instance on State Lines with opening lyrics “You always take me by surprise, like when it rains in California…You got a crazy sense of humour, dry as the sands in Arizona” or on Daddy’s Little Girl with lyrics about Old Spice and ‘flat caps on the dash’.

Maybe I’m being cynical, but such overt references to what I think are stereotypical Americanisms are not always necessary, and as one of our premier UK country acts, they should in fact be embracing their Britishness – why not “You always take me by surprise, like when it’s sunny in London”? Regardless, props to them for being good performers and ending the festival on a high.

Final thoughts about The Long Road? I’ll admit it, I’m impressed. This was an inaugural festival, and it was very well done. The setup was impeccable, and the line-up impressive with enough recognisable acts to draw people in, and new acts to make them stay and want to come back. Yes, I believe the festival would have been fantastic had Carrie been the headliner, but that was out of everybody’s control. It only suggests that next year will be even better – I’m already looking forward to it. 

I hope you've enjoyed my roundup of The Long Road Festival! I'll be posting interviews with some of the artists on the blog very soon so make sure you follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry to be the first to know when something is posted - you'll also find my play-by-play Twitter review of the festival here with all the acts summarised in 140 characters or less! If you were at The Long Road or are planning to go next year, drop me a message in the comments below, I'd love to know what you think!   

Concert Review: THE LONG ROAD FESTIVAL (Day 2), Stanmore Hall, Leicestershire

Make sure you read my Day 1 review of The Long Road here first - enjoy! 

We were granted a lie-in on Saturday morning, with music not starting until 11am, which gave ample time to stock up on a hearty breakfast as food is not allowed inside the site. This is a shame as it would be nice to bring a picnic in, but there were plenty of lovely food stalls inside – the Mac Mart’s mac & cheese was hands down the best I’d ever had, and I’ve had a lot of mac & cheese!

I began my day back at my beloved Honky Tonk for the Women in Country songwriters round featuring Megan O’Neill, Laura Oakes, and Danielle Bradbery. I LOVE songwriters rounds, and the Bluebird Café in Nashville is one of my favourite places in the world. They could easily have had a full weekend of songwriters rounds and I would have been there. Each artist played two songs each, Megan opting for Don’t You and Now That You’re Mine; Laura singing Old Ghosts and Learn To Be Lonely; and Danielle Goodbye Summer and Sway. They were all fantastic, and what I really appreciated was the mutual appreciation they shared for each other, which was really pleasant to see.

I think someone the night before had recommended that I go see Dori Freeman, an artist I’d not heard of before but thought I’d check out on the Front Porch. I’m glad I did. I definitely wouldn’t have previously said that her style of Americana/traditional country was up my street, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. She played a great set with her own songs like Just Say It Now, Over There, and You Say and covers like the Carter Family’s Gold Watch and Chain and Jim Reeves’ Yonder Comes a Sucker (what a great song title.) Her music reminded me of that in O Brother, Where Art Thou – well worth a listen.

I went to see Australian Americana singer Ruby Boots who sounded almost a bit punk with her rough voice, something that I think would sound great on vinyl. It was then time for a quick interview with Saturday night headliner Aaron Watson (coming soon to the blog!)

I then headed back to see Angaleena Presley perform. I loved her satirical songwriter which you can see even in just the titles of some of the songs she performed – Knocked Up, Drunk, and Unhappily Married for instance. She certainly wasn’t afraid to make a statement with her lyrics like “You’d knock a girl down / So you could feel tall / You’d burn Cinderella’s dress / So you could feel like the hottest girl at the ball / You’re a beauty mark on the human race / And if you bless my heart I’ll slap your face.” It certainly wouldn’t be country music without lyrics like that.

Laura Oakes kicked off proceedings on the Rhinestone Stage, showing a very different side to her self when compared to at the songwriters session earlier that morning, with songs like Better in Blue Jeans, Make It Look Easy and her love song to Nashville, Nashville Stole Your Girl.

Back at the Honky Tonk, Yola Carter was setting the room alight with her incredibly powerful voice. Having interviewed her a few years ago (you can read that here) I was thrilled to hear that her album was finally coming out, with heartfelt songs like It Ain’t Easier and Whatever You Want, which will definitely be going in my book as one of the best songs of the festival. She has so much power, it’s incredible – it was no surprise that her set got the best response of any artist that I’d seen yet.

Up on the Front Porch, The Adelaides (I’ve interviewed them too, check it out here!) were showing off their great harmonies on tracks like Reckless, I’d Do It Again, and Don’t Want to Love You Anymore. Their fashion sense remains impeccable and they certainly looked the part.

Caroline Spence was next to take to the stage in the Honky Tonk, another artist that I wasn’t familiar with and pleased the festival had opened me up to. She had well written and meaningful songs like Softball, about girls not being allowed to play baseball, something I’ve always found stupid; and a song recently played by ABC/CMT Nashville’s Clare Bowen, All The Beds I’ve Made. A great act to watch, and undoubtedly one I probably wouldn’t have come across on my own.

Outside, Brent Cobb was bringing the rocky side to the Interstate stage with songs about moonshine (#onlyincountrymusic) before heading back to the main stage to see an act I was very excited for – Logan Brill. I’d thought she was great the first time I saw her perform at Nashville Meets London in 2016 (and yes, there’s an interview for that too!) so it was great she was getting even more UK exposure. She played mostly new music including Good Story and Giving Up and well as oldie-but-a-goodie World’s Still Round. I was supposed to rush off for another engagement, but she started playing one of my favourite songs, inspired by Bonnie Raitt If We Didn’t Break Each Other’s Hearts, and I had to turn around and stay!

I managed to catch the end of Erin Rae’s set in the Honky Tonk, and I maintain that it’s unfair someone should be able to sing that pure without autotune. Back in the tent, The Wood Brothers were dancing their way across the stage with great energy to songs like One Drop of Truth, The Muse and drinking song I Feel Alright.

Back on the Rhinestone Stage, Striking Matches were shredding on guitars, as is what they’re known for – they certainly know how to put on a show, particularly given that it was just the two of them, their guitars and a kick drum on stage. My highlight was watching them perform the song they wrote for ABC/CMT Nashville – When The Right Ones Comes Along – it’s absolute beauty.

I walked into the Honky Tonk briefly as Frontier Ruckus were performing but found their style a bit weird, with most songs sounding like they were written when high and lyrics like “Your eyelashes are like needles” repeated multiple times. To each their own!  

Jess Morgan was playing at the same time on the Front Porch, and I appreciated her not trying to hide her British accent as too many UK country singers do, and she put on a chill set for those of us who needed a break from dancing, with In Brooklyn making me nostalgic for a trip to New York.

With Carrie Underwood having had to pull out of the Saturday headline spot due to illness, arguably the artist with the next highest star power was Danielle Bradbery, previous winner of the US version of the voice and probably the most commercially successful of the rest of The Long Road artists. As she took to the Rhinestone Stage, her mic wasn’t working but she went on singing Mad At You until it was fixed. I had to duck out of her set for another interview, but she showed her star power to its full extent on tracks like Young In America, Messy and a cover of Lady Antebellum’s American Honey. Her vocals shone as she sang, making it clear why she’d won a singing competition. Without a doubt a highlight of the weekend.

Another highlight for many was Lee Ann Womack on the Interstate stage, who undoubtedly should have been on the main stage as the tent was completely packed, so much so that I couldn’t even get in to see her perform. Hearing her beautiful voice was enough as she sang songs like Last Call, Sunday and the song everyone seemed to know all the lyrics to, I Hope You Dance. I’m sure the organisers won’t make the mistake of having her on one of the smaller stages again should she return!

The revised headliner that evening was Aaron Watson, whose career has spanned impressively over a decade, particularly given that he remains an independent artist. He certainly knew how to work the crowd, showing off his honky tonk country side with songs like These Old Boots Have Roots and That’s Why God Loves Cowboys as well as his softer side with July in Cheyenne about the tragic death of rodeo rider Lane Frost, written after the death of Aaron’s daughter. He seemed like a genuine guy (as you’ll see in my upcoming interview!) bringing some kids onto the stage to play the fiddle, allowing his band to shine in an extended introduction, and even thanking the interviewers who’d spoken to him throughout the weekend. Now that, I appreciated! We ended with catchy hits Run Wild Horses and Outta Style, proving that Aaron was a worthy stand-in headliner.

The night wasn’t over yet, and we headed back to the Honky Tonk for another Logan Brill set which again was very busy. She played similar songs to earlier, including Good Story, Giving Up and World’s Still Round as well as showing off her unreal vocals on Love Me Like A Man. A well deserved standing ovation and a great way to round off Day 2 of the festival. 

Thanks for reading my Day 2 review of The Long Road! Stay tuned for my Day 3 review coming very soon to the blog, along with interviews with some of the performers. You can follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry to be the first to know when something is posted. If you were at The Long Road, I'd love to know what you thought - drop me a message in the comments below!  

Concert Review: THE LONG ROAD FESTIVAL (Day 1), Stanmore Hall, Leicestershire

If you’re going to encourage people to travel across the country to a field in the middle of Leicestershire, it had better be for something good. The Long Road Festival, despite only being in its first year, had the potential to be just that, with star power on the line up in the form of Carrie Underwood, and a large variety of acts across the country music genre to keep you occupied for the rest of the weekend.

We arrived late Friday afternoon, and I was surprised to see just how many tents and campervans were already there. We parked up, and after a bit of difficulty with the Box Office not really seeming to know what was going on, were ready to bring on the weekend.

Entering the site, I was immediately impressed. You first saw the main Rhinestone stage, which is apparently of similar size to that of Glasto which bade well, and a big Long Road sign next to it, perfect for your festival photos. My only comment is that this stage could have done with some screens, as as we discovered throughout the weekend, if you were anywhere aside from standing at the front, you couldn’t see anything.

Further in was the Interstate stage, a medium sized marquee with a small stage and annoyingly a series of metal poles holding up the tent, meaning your view was obstructed no matter where you stood – let’s hope they fix this for next you. You then entered ‘Crossroad County’, a series of facades made to look like a Nashville street, with an entrance to the Honky Tonk bar.

This is where I became really impressed. Walking in, I was immediately transported to Broadway with the décor really well done, including neon signs, posters and old records up on the wall. Kudos to whoever was in charge of designing this set.

This was my first destination, to see Kevin Mcguire kick off the festival. He sounded pretty American as he sang catchy pop tracks like Alright, Tonight! and Everything That You Are, so I was surprised when he started talking in a Scottish accent, but alas, that’s a trope of many British country singers who try to sound American to ‘fit’ more with the genre. I liked Kevin, and am looking forward to the release of his upcoming record, if new single As Good As It Gets is anything to go by.

I stuck around to see the beginning of Megan O’Neill’s set (you can check out my interview with her here) where her pure voice shone on tracks like new single Without and a cover of Maren Morris’ My Church. It was then time to run off for an interview with the lovely The Wandering Hearts (coming soon) and then back to the Interstate for Andy Brown. Andy’s style wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea, with more of an indie vibe, but that’s the beauty of these types of festivals where there’s something for everyone and you can pick and choose what you want to see.

I headed round the corner to the Front Porch stage, and was again very impressed by the setup as it genuinely looked very much like a Southern USA front porch, complete with house plants and empty bottles of moonshine. Very well thought out. We sat down on the grass to watch Case Hardin, who quickly became my festival buddy’s favourite act of the weekend with their rock country style and clever lyrics on tracks like (Jesus Christ) Tomorrow Morning, Do I Still Have to Feel This Way and These Three Cities. I thought as well they’d be great road trip or movie soundtrack music – take a listen to Lullaby or Marie Marie and you’ll know what I mean.

Back at the Interstate, it was time for The Wandering Hearts. They were fantastic, treating us to plenty of tracks from new album Wild Silence including the super catchy Fire and Water, Wish I Could which they got everyone singing along to, River written with Striking Matches (more on them later), Devil, and the more country style Push and Pull.

I felt they had the best of both worlds, with Chris Stapleton worthy vocals from the guys and beautiful harmonies from the ladies. In my opinion, this band should have been higher up the line up than where they were, and could well have been main stage artists.

As the night rolled on, we wandered back to the Honky Tonk, packed out for Twinnie. She put on a great show with pop infused tracks like That Type of Girl, More, Half Gypsy and Cool, as well as more obviously country like Daddy Issues and Better When I’m Drunk. Given the right support, she could be a star. I was shocked to discover when doing my research later that she doesn’t appear to have any commercial releases – let’s change that!

I popped briefly into the Interstate stage to see the end of Ward Thomas’ set, although arguably other artists should have had that Friday night headline slot, as it would seem certainly UK country artists have received more support than others who deserve it too. Nonetheless, they have a large fan base so no doubt were a pull for people to come to the festival.

To finish the night, we watched Zack Logan on the Front Porch as there was very little activity in the Buck ‘N Bull After Party. Zack was very like Luke Combs I thought with his raspy voice and nostalgic lyrics on tracks like Home I Call Place and Raised by Wolves. A nice chill way to end the first night of the festival. 

Thanks so much for reading my Day 1 review of The Long Road! Stay tuned for Day 2 and 3 reviews coming very soon, along with interviews with some of the artists from the festival. Make sure to follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry to be the first to know when something is posted! Were you at The Long Road? Drop me a message below to let me know what you thought of it!