The recent positive news that two different Coronavirus vaccines have been approved for use in the UK has made many wonder if we have finally turned a corner with the virus that has blighted our lives for much of the last 12 months.
With a handful of exceptions, live music has pretty much been at a standstill since the middle of March.
My own introduction to country music came back in the early part of 2017. Kevin, a friend and former work colleague, recommended that I listen to a live broadcast that was happening on BBC Radio 2. It was a pop-up station at a country music festival called "Country to Country" and the show was being broadcast live from the O2 Arena in London. I had never given country music all that much thought but Kevin has never steered me badly when it comes to music suggestions so, "What the heck" I thought, and switched on the show.
I was immediately greeted by the sound of a band performing an excellent cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody" - the most well known song of my favourite band Queen. After listening to the remainder of the broadcast, I found out that it was a group called Zac Brown Band. The singer had a decent voice and the band sounded excellent. Their own songs sounded great also and were more than enough to kick off my interest in country music.
Zac Brown Band - Bohemian Rhapsody - C2C London 2017
Following on from this, I became a regular listener of the Country Show with Bob Harris which broadcasts on a Thursday evening. My interest in country music grew exponentially and I have Bob to thank for introducing me to so many great artists.
Fast forwards a few months and I found out that a friend of a friend was also a country music fan and we were introduced at a gathering we were both attending. We spent some time together reeling off the names of artists we liked and it turned out we had quite a few favourites in common. One thing led to another, and we ended up booking tickets to attend the 2018 Country to Country event in London.
I enjoyed both the 2018 and 2019 Country to Country festivals, the latter containing my favourite live performance to date - Chris Stapleton's headline set on the Sunday evening. There was so much to see - live music for over 12 hours a day, every day - I went home at the end of the weekend happy but utterly exhausted.
Chris Stapleton - C2C London 2019
Country to Country started back in 2013 and on the back of its growing popularity in the UK, other country music festivals have sprung up in various guises all over the country. There is clearly a strong market for it now and these extra events afford a greater number of fans the chance to see some live country music by artists from all around the world.
One such event came to my attention in the Spring of 2019. The Long Road is a relatively new festival and takes place in the grounds of Stanford Hall in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. Geography being something of an interest of mine, without checking I knew roughly that this festival was less than an hour away from home. This provides an immediate advantage over C2C, which involves a three or four hour trek and all the logistical difficulties that a trip to London entails.
I didn't know much about The Long Road festival but it sounded promising enough so decided to buy a ticket for the Saturday just to see what it was like. The parking arrangements were straightforward and after a small amount of queuing I was admitted into the grounds. I attended with a friend, another country music fan and fellow first time visitor to the festival.
The Long Road is predominantly an outdoor festival and this is one of the main reasons that I enjoy it. It feels to me much more what I imagine a country music festival in America to be like. Obviously the festival being held in early September, as opposed to C2C which takes place in March, gives the event a much higher chance of being availed of decent weather. I could imagine that if the weather was rainy, the grounds could quickly be transformed into a Glastonbury-esque mud bath. If the forecast was poor, wellies should definitely be packed!
Fortunately the weather was favourable on the day I attended. Pleasantly warm, sunny spells in the afternoon although at that time of year the temperature can drop quickly in the evening. A choice of thin layers would be my recommendation. But anyway, enough talk about weather.
The festival is made up of several different stages. The main (Rhinestone) and smaller Front Porch stages are outside and completely open to the elements. The Interstate stage is a spacious covered tent area with a bar at one side which is always quite busy. The small, intimate Honky Tonk is a smaller indoor stage with very limited capacity. This stage is especially good for artists who are particularly good in a more up-close setting. The downside to this stage having a limited amount of space is that it tends to get busy early in the day and stays that way. If you're lucky enough to get a good spot, it's not something that you're going to want to give up. Quite often the less fortunate end up having to watch from the doorway. Being over six feet tall does have it's advantages in this kind of situation, however I am always conscious of not blocking the view of others!
Aside from the excellent choice of live music, there are also several stalls and various establishments dedicated to keeping you fed and watered. There were also some classic American cars on display. I didn't look too closely but they looked interesting and I would definitely have a closer look if they were there at future festivals. All of these things add to the excellent atmosphere and authenticity of the festival.
The first part of the lineup was released a little while ago and it is fantastic. It is especially good if, like me, you are a fan of female country artists. Brandy Clark, Sunny Sweeney, Gretchen Peters, one of my personal favourites Whitney Rose, Sarah Shook, Lilly Hiatt, Roseanne Reid. It's just tick, tick, tick of artists that I want to see live. Backed up by up and coming British talent like Jess Thristan and Morganway - it really is a line up to savour. In fact, one of my friends who saw the line up described it as, "The best country festival line up I've ever seen in the UK". To think that this is only the first part of the line up, it could get a whole lot better which is incredible to think about!
As the terrible year of 2020 draws to a close, I look towards 2021 with a flicker of tentative optimism. I don't think anyone knows what form live music next year will take. Many of us are desperate for its return but we have to balance this with the overall picture of what is going on in the world.
At the time of writing this post, it has been 290 days and counting since I saw any live music. I'm sure that it could be quite a few more before I am in the presence of it again. When that day comes, it will be an emotional one - of that I am sure.
There is nothing more special than live music, no other atmosphere and connection with audiences and artists! I cannot wait till it happens sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteHi, Good article this. Your enthusiasm reminds me how I felt in the 90s when after coming to the genre in 1991/2 (via Mary Chapin Carpenter) I was listening almost exclusively to country music. I am therefore able to make comparisons with today's country music. I would not consider myself a traditionalist and have very little pre 90s country music and did not feel obliged to check out the "greats". Yes I called myself a country music fan without ever owning a CD/Download by the likes of Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Dolly and Brooks & Dunn. I was something of a closet country fan and did not let it be known that I liked it but it was like having a treasured secret hobby. It was great to feel like listening to all the wonderful music that no one else was, a guilty pleasure. I was once sent a cowboy hat that would fit a 5-year old as a wind-up Christmas present. You had to be extremely dedicated in those non internet, social media days when you relied heavily on print magazines to find the music and it was expensive as most were imports £16/£18. Well how did social media work back then? Word of mouth. I remember buying a CD at a London Record Fair, 1 because it looked interesting and 2 after hearing a track on Bob Harris' Saturday show. Of people who heard it that went onto 20 others buying the same album and attending the groups London Shows. Thinking there might not be many attending there was actually a long queue rond the block for what was the first time Bush Hall had opened as a music venue for several years. Speaking to people in the queue they also discovered the music via Bob Harris and told friends, great day! I was advised to listen to the David Allen's Country Hour on Radio 2 and his show was actually better than Bob Harris who from 1999-2008 completely ignored British artists.
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ReplyDeleteFor me country music began to change around 2000 when it went more poppy and has got steadily worse. My love for label acts dropped off but my love of unsigned country/singer-songwriter/ Americana rose dramatically actually getting to know some US touring acts on a personal level. The CMAs of 2007/08 was also a point with the likes of Aldean and Big & Rich on the scene that make me turn off even more with mainstream. We have seen years and years of country radio and charts dominated by male acts which for me was a degrade. Ward Thomas & The Shires marked a turning point for the Brit scene together with C2C (another festival which has less appeal each year with only the Festival Stages gaining my attention. You make some interesting points in this blog. The Long Road has become arguably fans fav festival with a better artist balance and the attention to detail for fans to enjoy the whole experience. Baylen Leonard really should and has been congratulated and has the right contacts/ team to make it a success. One criticism i did hear was that artists like Lee Ann Womack were wasted on smaller stages when they deserved mainstage. The last Long Road was used as a platform for Radio 1s Scott Mills and the signed UK stars to make a documentary to try to rebrand country. It was full on inaccuracies and assumptions. Country music back in the 70s (when country acts were heard on daytime radio and charted regularly on UK charts) was more popular than in 2019. Country & Western has also not disappeared and even Uk festivals use that title. A year or saw before The Long Road Bob Harris booked Mary Chapin Carpenter, Beth Nielsen Chapman and Rosanne Cash to headline with other strong names for a planned festival at Silverstone but it was pulled some 6 weeks before the planned date due to poor ticket take up. This was addressed for The Long Road to work and build from there. That line up for 2020 really is excellent and Baylen really knows his music and identifies top acts. Not helped by Covid I do feel that the shine may have dropped off the Brit Country scene. The Shires may be selling out Royal Albert Hall but their music sales and charting weeks has dropped off a cliff and Ward Thomas have suffered also. I really enjoyed seeing The Shires but it did not feel like a country gig. Maybe with the return of live shows we will see a big resurgence? It is easy to live in the Uk bubble and be unaware of the hugely talented unsigned acts from America, Canada and Australia. Also with the disappearance on 2 UK TV country channels and the 1 addition (that no one even mentions) along with the shuttering of Country Music Magazine this also reflects a demise. Country music will never be big over here and with UK media backing US male acts in the hope it might happen is for me an own goal. Nearly all the country stars that have made a mainstream breakthrough (Dolly, Shania, LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, Gretchen Peters, Taylor, Carrie) are who the UK public at large connect with best. The live shows is the only place now that really counts and how well it will be supported and embraced. I really applaud your enthusiasm and your link up and support for the Voice Of A Woman show. Luckily for us we identify that the best stuff and creativity comes from female acts. The problem we now have is that it gets harder and harder to dig it out. I would no longer consider myself a country fan. Most of the Uk Country Radio output is not to my liking but maybe the target are the under 35s? I would regularly listen to 50 hours a week now I am down to 0 - 4 hours max a week! 80 - 90% of male acts I have no interest in either. I would no longer recommended country as a genre to anyone and I look around the genres to seek out music I like and playlist via subscription streaming. It's great to get excited about the music you like. My observation comes from someone who can look back and compare. Kind Wishes and success with your blog and love of music.