Festival Roundup - The Long Road 2026

 

“We can build our own Nashville

Underneath these grey skies”

Never has this line sung by The Shires on Friday night at The Long Road Festival been more apt.  On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday grey skies gave way to rain and storms, but spirits weren't dampened.  Yes, there were stages closed, evacuations for safety and some mud underfoot – but what’s a festival without a bit of mud?  Ok, quite a lot of mud!  Walking - or squelching - our way around the site, we saw some imaginative ways of dealing with the weather – ponchos, shower caps for hats, and the one young lady repurposing an Ariat t-shirt bag (whilst never letting go of her Pint) – we salute you!

The Long Road is the fashionista festival of country, with attendees planning their outfits for months with lots of chatter about it on social media. While  the weather did seem to reduce the usual fantastic array of festival outfits, some were undeterred and wore them anyway, while others dressed for the weather.  Many people managed to combine Country Chic with Waterproof Chic – we could probably do a whole feature on waterproof coats (dry robes especially in fashion this year) but the dogs certainly made an effort and camping trolleys were well decorated! Perhaps next year the festival could import the idea of “drying tunnels” from American theme parks – surely perfect for UK bank holiday weather, and might reduce the number of wet guests deciding to cut their visit short.

But in between the rain, we did Build Our Own Nashville...looking out across the sea of heads in front of the Rhinestone stage wearing cowboy hats and trucker caps, thousands of country fans came together for another large UK country festival, following on from C2C, Country Calling and Garth Brooks headlining BST at Hyde Park - something that might have been beyond a dream ten years ago.  Many artists commented on the growth of Country Music in the UK, and it goes beyond listening to American bands, as some genuine homegrown talent made their main stage debt – First Time Flyers on Saturday, Kezia Gill fulfilling her dad’s prophecy and her dream on Sunday, plus 2025 talent Show winner Liam Price showing this year’s contestants what is possible as he too took to the biggest stage on Sunday Morning.  Friday Night, that stage belonged to the biggest band in UK Country Music – The Shires – returning to the festival that they first performed at in 2018.

 

2026 was, sadly, the year of Dolly.  All around the site were tributes to the Queen of Country music, with tribute walls to sign and leave messages on, a “What Would Dolly Do” display and a touching video montage ahead of the Sunday Night Headliner Maren Morris.  From every stage you could hear artists paying their own tribute, choosing from her 3,000 songs.

The attraction of The Long Road is the variety.  As you wander around, you’ll find a range of country music on the various stages – from open mic sessions on the relocated Showground stage, to barnstorming shows in the (thankfully covered) Interstate and definitely some new discoveries deep in the woods at Buddy’s Good Time Bar.  It was there that we saw “Queer Cxuntry”, unashamedly LGBT and unashamedly creating a truly amazing party experience.

There’s also the chance to go fantasy car shopping at the Lucky Dice Car show, real shopping with the range of traders who can supply you with bespoke jewellery, bespoke hats or even a whole new outfit – especially useful on a wet weekend!  The food offering was as big as ever this year, with festivalgoers sharing benches and sharing tips for what to try for your evening meal.

Despite the weather, this year’s Long Road saw a lot of first-time visitors, and they will surely join the many who return year on year, buying their tickets before the line up is announced.  If you are one of those – early bird tickets go on sale tomorrow!

 

Whenever you buy your ticket, we’ll see you next year, and we'll once again… welcome back old friends…

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Silverball Country attended The Long Road as media guests of the organisers and WMA Agency

Gig Review - Jade Helliwell Rebegin Tour - Hare and Hounds Birmingham

 

If you’re heading off to see Jade Helliwell on her rebegin tour this week, make sure you’re there in time for the opener – Matt Rogers.  Matt is a Nashville based singer songwriter with a humble demeanour, a great talent for storytelling and clearly – from some of his songs – a rather cheeky side!

Matt worked hard to awaken the Tuesday night crowd, throwing out options for song choice, not being defined by a set list. He even taught them “Holla and Swalla”

 

Despite the big, deep voice, Matt comes across as humble, giving the backstory to each song. He is bound to hook you in. Warning though, he not a fan of the cosplay cowboy, hailing as he does from a farm in Atlanta.

 

The room grew darker and the band (Arnie, Harry and Luke) took to the stage first, before Jade made her entrance. In room 1 of the Hare and Hounds the artists must make their way from the back of the room, across the dance floor and up a flight of steps.  Later than advertised, it was a confident entrance and Jade looked great (especially having a 5-month baby) in a black bodysuit, sparkly trousers and cow-print arm tassels.  No messing, straight into her opening number, full of energy.

Although the tour and album are called “Rebegin”, when Jade took to the stage, it was the Jade we know and love. 

Jade played a mixture of old and new music including the 2022 BCMA Single of the Year – Smoke.  Asking if there were any couples in the audience, she decided “How Love Goes” to them, rather than husband Luke. Incorporating their names in the same and a slight hint at another baby (“a house built for 4”) she displayed not just her writing skills (it’s absolutely one of her best songs) but her sense of humour and ability to interact with the crowd. The performance and vocals probably belong on a West End stage belting out musical theatre.

After ending with “Drink You Outta My Mind”; Jade briefly exited the stage, returning for the encore with “Women I am”, despite Luke’s claims that they “didn’t know any more songs”.

Motherhood hasn’t slowed Jade down at all, a new album, a tour and booked up for an array of country festivals this summer -  but it has influenced her merch, adding a Baby grow to the mix alongside her first vinyl album!

Don’t worry if you not got your tickets for this rest of this tour yet -  Tickets -  you can catch up with both Matt (with full band) and Jade at Buckle and Boots Festival in May.

 

Find Jade on Facebook, Instagram and her website and follow her on Spotify

 Silverball Country attended the show as guests of Jade Helliwell and UK Country Live

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Gig Review - Country In The Afternoon November 2024 - Half Moon Putney

They say “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” but they never said that you can’t change it! 

Due to (In Gavin’s words) “The stars aligning” the latest instalment of this twice-yearly fixture in the country music calendar became a one day special – and how special it was! 

In addition, the format of the day also changed, instead of a build-up of artists which grow in experience and fan bases, we saw three of the best male artists on the scene each take to the stage following by a highly anticipated writer’s round,  combining  them for an afternoon of music and stories.

We even saw Gavin deviate from his normal strict timekeeping, this was cast aside in favour of an early set start to allow more time for a certain artist who we know likes to talk.

Kicking off the show was Matt Hodges, followed by Gary Quinn, who invited on stage, to sing a duet, his special guest Mikki Evans.  Jeremy McComb followed the trend and also invited guests to the stage, including Robyn Red (on her way to another show) for a solo performance as they can’t find a song they both know; followed by his touring guitarist Yannick Van Riet to rock out  together.  The afternoon was rounded off by that quite special writers round, and yes, it ran over time!

With Jeremy centre stage you know you were in for fits of laughter, even when the sentiment of the story is supposed to be a sad one. Matt warned we might end up in tears, based on an previous telling out in Nashville but the laughter had already taken hold. Often, we can’t believe some of these events actually happened, but we all knew where the story was going from the minute Jeremy mentioned the hot water pull cord in the Quinn’s bathroom – yes, he pulled the disability alarm cord during the show in South Wales the previous night. Whilst we are used to artists playing along during a round, these three bounced off each other adding the raucousness of the event – it certainly wasn’t PG! “Whoop whoop” could be Mr McComb’s and the event’s title – a warning of an afternoon of fantastic music and stories. Yet again CITA didn’t disappoint.

Despite the fun, throughout the day, there was a repeated sentiment of gratitude, to the hosts but also to the audience. An appreciative audience, that enables artists to deliver their craft.

We at Silverball Country echo the gratitude, as its you, the fans that enable Country Music in the UK to survive and grow. Keep buying the music, the tickets and the merchandise and we’ll see you at an event soon!

 Silverball Country attended Country In The Afternoon as guests of Cumbrae Promotions

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Gig Review - Emilia Quinn Bare Faced Tour - Hare and Hounds Birmingham

 

The Emilia Quinn Bare Faced tour has been around the country, and on Sunday night it reached its final stop in The Hare and Hounds, Birmingham.  The venue has a special place in music history, and in Emilia’s own journey.  A year ago she played here with her full band on her very first headline tour, and the show was recorded so that a series of live singles could be released.  This time around there was no band, just Emilia, her guitarist John W Doyle, a coffee table and some mugs of tea.

 

The relaxed set up suited the intimate, seated audience and perhaps was a welcome rest at the end of a tiring tour.  In another break from the “normal” concert style, the warm up act was John – just him, his guitar and his stories.

 

If you’ve seen Emilia live over the last couple of years you’ll easily recognise John W Doyle, not just for his amazing beard, but also for his skilled guitar playing.  This tour allowed him to take centre stage, if only for a while, and show off those quite incredible guitar skills and his songwriting.  Normally with either Emilia’s band or a blues band, he displayed a fabulous intimacy with the listening audience.  Although he doesn’t believe in talking too much about the songs “because if you've done a good job, the song should tell the story” John is fun to listen to, with a mix of stories and one liners – and great song writing.  Inspired by his time on this tour he performed a song that he had finished that morning with the great title and repeated line Whiskey Into Wine, a song that really suits his soft yet gruff voice.

Before finishing his solo set, John apologised for singing depressing songs but said “A brighter future is coming”  Throughout the whole evening, from Emilia coming out to introduce John on stage, to the duet main show the genuine affection and mutual respect was very obvious.  These two have a genuine chemistry and have clearly enjoyed this quite special tour – the catchphrase being “I’ve had a lovely time”

 

There was a short break before Emilia came to the stage along with John – slightly delayed by eating cake in the green room!  Somehow even hearing about the cake added to the feel of the evening as we all shared in the story, if not in the actual cake!

 

Emilia is the ultimate rock chick.  An Outlaw, a firecracker, the baddest bitch in the land and has rocked out festival stages with her boundless energy, but on this tour she has gone “bare faced” and stripped back – and it suits her just as well as those big stage performances.  We were promised old songs, new songs and reimagined songs – and boy did she deliver!  Notable was the smoky, jazzy version of her anthemic Outlaw, so reimagined that it took a moment to even recognise it.  Vocally and stylistically, it was Emilia channelling her inner Amy Winehouse.  If there was ever any doubt about Emilia’s sheer musical range, this one song crushed that! 

We had a new song inspired by a chat gpt prompt, we witnessed Emilia play cello on a number of songs (incredibly well!) including on a reimagined Pretty Pink Pills, we had a “full circle” moment when we heard Let It Burn which was recorded at this venue and only ever released as a live track.

Emilia paid tribute to the important people in her life – during Father's Daughter she sang to her Father on Facetime, she dedicated the next song to her ever-worrying mother and of course she praised her wife, tour manager and voice of reason Tammy – “Everybody needs a Tammy”

 

All too soon this show, and the tour, had to come to a close (with a cover of Chris Stapleton’s Fire Away and an encore of Without You) but Emilia can’t sit still for long – she’s already announced her next live shows!

 

An album being recorded, a single release planned for February in London and Manchester all on the heels of a great tour with a change of style.

It seems there is no stopping Emilia.

Find Emilia on Facebook, Instagram and her website and follow her on Spotify

 Silverball Country attended the show as guests of Emilia Quinn

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Gig Review - First Time Flyers - Hare and Hounds Birmingham

The autumn tour season was opened yesterday by the first night of the First Time Flyers “Jump On Tour (part1)” – a teasing title, hinting that there may be more than just the three dates currently announced.  For their second headline tour since forming as a band, and their second full show in Birmingham they moved to the iconic music venue The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath.  Its one of those “imagine who has played here” places, having played host to some legendary names over the years, and indeed Poppy Fardell promised from the stage that they would “always remember the night we played the Hare and Hounds”
 
Each night of the tour has a different supporting artist, and for those of us who saw the Birmingham show we were treated to the deep transatlantic tones of Jake O’Neill.  Hailing from Liverpool (“One of the good parts, I promise”) Jake has been gathering quite some attention, and in the summer played the Paddock Stage at Buckle and Boots festival – his first ever festival appearance.  Jake’s set was mostly his own compositions, each with a little explanation of its origins or what it means to him.  These included his first single after his semi final appearance on TV’s “The Voice”, his latest single and one written across the Atlantic, with a two second delay.  He’s also written a song in 15 minutes whilst sat on the bedroom floor at home, about wanting to leave his small town!  If you get the chance to hear Jake’s voice, and his songwriting, you really should take it!

 
Slightly delayed by some tech issues (it was the first night after all) our headliners took to the stage.  Almost immediately we were encouraged to “make some noise Birmingham” by Vicki Manser before the intro track kicked in.  Although on a small stage in a small room, the band certainly know how to let the crowd know they’ve arrived!  The songs are powerful from the off, the bass line and drums thumping.

When it comes to genre, its hard to classify First Time Flyers.  Their pedigree is solidly country, mixed with an absolute gift for performance – including between them the West End and some of the biggest stages you can imagine.  The songwriting is a collaborative affair, with experiences from all four thrown into the pot which is the honest storytelling we expect in Country Music, but the delivery at times is pure energetic pop.  Described as the “ABBA of UK Country” when you hear the pop vibe and energy and see the synchronised hand dancing from the girls during Heartbreak Handshake I’m tempted to call them the “Steps of UK Country” – in a tongue in cheek and loving way!

What is not in doubt is that all four – Tim Prottey-Jones, Poppy Fardell, Vicki Manser and Jake Morrell – love being on stage, love performing and love being on stage.  Their stage presence and their interactions demonstrate that not only is this a band made up of a lot of individual talent but also four very close friends.

The band were joined on stage by KT Parker on Bass and Lewis Jenkins on drums

Their final song was “Happier” – fitting for how much fun they were having – and was sung by the whole crowd with gusto.  The encore, after 90 minutes on stage was Say What You Wanna – with the lyrics delivered at machine gun speed, suggesting that, if allowed, they could have gone for another 90 minutes.  I guess we’ll have to wait for part 2!
 

High energy, high tempo and high volume.  However you classify them, First Time Flyers sure know how to put on a show!

 

You can catch Jump On Tour in London on 13 September and Manchester on 18 September.  Details on their Facebook and Instagram, music on their Spotify!

 

Silverball Country attended the show as guests of First Time Flyers 

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Festival Round Up - Pure Country Music and Dance Festival - Squires Cafe Yorkshire

 

“Its not my first rodeo” is an expression often used by people, but for the Pure Country MDF it sort of was.  Only “sort of” because although the team behind it are very experienced, this was their first time coming together to organise and run a weekend festival.  The team consisted of Kriss and Steve of Country 2 Western and Nashville Sessions, who are not only regular faces at many festivals, but also radio presenters and local promoters, and Alex Wise, a Leeds based line dance teacher and DJ.  We at Silverball Country were thrilled to be asked to join them – and the rest of the “ranch hands” (as the team were known) to bring our own events experience and to host the main stage across the weekend.

 

There are different styles within Country Music – traditional country, old Country, 90s/Bro country and modern country, to name but a few – and even in the UK scene there are some differences with the line dancers, the traditionalists and the modern.  Pure Country aimed to bring all of these together in one place – and they did so very well!  With a variety of acts across the four days there really was something for everyone.

Live music was punctuated by line dance teaching, the dance floors were full most of the time, and outside there was even a chance to try out horseshoe tossing and quick draw.

 

As well as the music there were traders in the Ranch Village, and each day saw a raffle to raise money for two very worthwhile charities – BrainKind and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

 

Kicking off on Thursday night with a nod to American Independence Day, Sam Marshall took the stage interspersed with Country Karaoke – or “Countryoke” as we renamed it.  With the room decked out with flags, props and the Dutton men plus Rip and Forrie from TV’s Yellowstone and the attendees decked out in Red White and Blue, it showed what was to come for the rest of the festival.

Friday morning saw the main part of the festival begin, with one of our finds of the festival – The Arkut Brothers.  New to the Country Scene they sang and played as though they had been country forever, with voices to match!  They play together and harmonise perfectly – perhaps it’s a brother thing!  Ellen Roy, Georgia Barker and Martin Boyd played through the afternoon, with Georgia and Martin also appearing on the acoustic stage outside, before the break to set up for the evening.  A familiar face around the Yorkshire circuit and a festival organiser herself Zenne played two sets before headliners Badlands took to the stage.  A band formed around a dad and his two daughters (one on lead guitar, one on sound) Badlands absolutely rocked out with a mix of songs taken from across the decades.  An encore was inevitable, it started with a Mona Conga – and the first conga we’ve seen with a guitarist taking part while still playing!

 

Saturday started early – for those already up and about there was line dancing in the main room before the live acts for the day.  Favourites from the club circuit Tanya Turner and Darren Knight kept everyone dancing while new band Po Po and the Fogies split their time between the main stage and the acoustic.  Also on the acoustic stage was our second find of the festival – Wirral based singer Tom Hodge who made the most of the sunshine, impressing everyone who heard him – definitely a name to remember and deep, southern vocals to remember too!

The Dolby Gang were the last act before the afternoon break allowed some to take in a football match while the stage was re-set for the evening.  After sound checking our headliner, Chris Raddings warmed everybody up with a very well received split set.  A short break for the raffle – which was generously supported all weekend – and a prize draw for tickets to next year’s festival and it was time for Stevie O’Connor and his band.  An absolute force of nature, Stevie suggested that nobody would need seats for his set – and he was right.  Absolutely exploding with energy, the Silverball Country Entertainer of the Year winner had the dancefloor full for the whole time he played.

Two full days, two big headline shows – and it still wasn’t over!

Sunday morning saw the whole festival move outside to the acoustic stage, this time with rows of seating!  Sam Marshall once again started us off with Alex Wise keeping us going until the arrival of Luke Flear, who only had a short drive from a neighbouring village!  Appearing at festivals all summer, Luke played a perfectly pitched set for a Sunday morning, showing his range of skills – guitar, keyboards, crowd interaction and winning personality.  The set really was the ideal way to round off this inaugural festival.

There is a need for the big festivals – but big festivals start from small ones, and we love to see them grow.  Even a mostly local event (for artists as well as “ranchers”) can attract people and acts from all over the scene and show that country music is for everyone – whether you’re a line dancer or not!  The Pure Country Music and Dance festival is pure in its approach – inclusivity and country music values

 

It may have been the first Pure Country Festival but we know it will not be the last – next year’s is already being planned.

 

With the strong start and excellent support, why not join us next year?  The dates are 3 – 6 July, and you can book via the Facebook page or by emailing purecountry.mdf@gmail.com.  

More details on the website

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Gig Review - Alyssa Bonagura - Hare and Hounds Birmingham

 

Birmingham has always had a thriving music scene, birthplace to (among others) UB40, Duran Duran, Ozzy Osborne and host to many touring acts, recently including The Shires at Town hall supported by a certain Alyssa Bonagura.  

Kings Heath’s Hare and Hounds - itself an iconic venue – was the venue for the first date of Nashville Unicorn Alyssa Bonagura on her first ever headline tour.  We call her a Unicorn because she's a Nashville native, growing up on a tour bus as the only child of travelling musicians with Baille & The Boys.  Despite her American upbringing, Alyssa has a real fondness for the UK, having performed here many times and graduating from Liverpool Institute Of Performing Arts.

Opening for her Birmingham show were close friends and Brum natives Gasoline and Matches.  Equally accomplished as an acoustic duo and a full band, tonight saw just Sally and Steve on stage entertaining the crowd with personal stories, and songs from their ever-growing catalogue.  Both could relate the story of when they first saw Alyssa when she was playing as part of duo The Sisterhood and how their friendship grew, including hosting her as part of their popular “Nashville Sounds In The Round” literally across the road in the intimate Kitchen Garden Café.  Its not a Gasoline and Matches set unless they finish with their popular drinking game/song “Never Have I Ever” which was joined in with gusto – despite it being a school night for most!

 

Alyssa took to the stage with a cry of “Are You Ready To Rock?” and for the next hour or so showed us what can be achieved with just two guitars and excellent songwriting.  Three guitars – she took delight in playing a beautiful blue guitar that was just “£80 in Denmark street”

 

Alyssa was accompanied on stage by Steve Shirley who plays lead guitar and boyfriend!  Together for two years, Welsh born Steve brings his own Birmingham connection having graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Physics – “Shout out to all UoB physicists” was possibly the most niche shout out ever!

 

Its very clear how much Alyssa loves being on stage – and it doesn’t matter how big the stage.  She’s performed all over the world but seems incredibly at home in any venue. Talking about how much she enjoys hearing stories of how her fans relate to her stories she described her audiences as “We start as

strangers but leave as friends”.  The whole set could be best described as upbeat acoustic with songs drawn from across many years.  “This could be my Eras Tour” she said before inviting the audience to suggest what they sing next – which did mean a little bit of discussion over how songs start and showed that Steve isn’t just a guitarist/boyfriend but a great support to her on stage. Writing “happier songs” over the past two years, even Alyssa’s more heartfelt songs still have an element of energy to them, and we were all thrilled to light up our phones in memory of friend and collaborator Roman in a lovely tribute.

 

I caught up with Alyssa after the show, and after she’d taken time with every audience member – signing merch, posing for selfies – and asked her, after a lifetime touring, how different this – her first headline tour – feels

 

It’s a dream come true.  I’ve been wanting to do this since I was a little kid and its crazy when people buy tickets to your show and your able to pack out a venue.  Tonight was sold out.

It’s a total dream come true

 

In the words of her song Road Less Travelled

 

I ain't gonna chase money or fame

I'm just gonna do what makes me smile

 

You can catch Alyssa on her UK tour for the rest of June as well as find her on Facebook & Instagram and follow her on Spotify

Silverball Country attended the show as guests of Alyssa Bonagura and Gasoline and Matches 

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