Single Review - How Long Have You Known - Kezia Gill and Jade Helliwell

 

As a fan of the UK Country music scene, you will surely have come across Kezia Gill and Jade Helliwell – be it on their own headline tours, their joint “Girls Night In” tour or perhaps at one of the various festivals around the UK.  Both have their own loyal followings, built in part during lockdown with livestreams – which spawned the “Friday Night Club” for Kezia.  Lockdown (can we talk about that as just history now?) also led to remote songwriting sessions for many – and especially for two best friends.

The outcome of one of these sessions – and only the second time of collaborating this way for Kezia – was the song How Long Have You Known.  Now three years on from its creation and after performing it together live on many occasions the pair have now recorded it for release on Friday 31 May.

Written about the shock of finding out your partner is leaving, the song and the performance are emotion laden, reflecting that bolt from the blue feeling

Didn’t see it coming, didn’t think you’d break my heart

Accompanying the two powerful vocal performances is a beautiful string arrangement which blends perfectly and highlights the soulful delivery and feel of the song.

As well as being able to now download or stream the song, you’ll have the chance to hear both of these artists live later this year, as Jade takes to the road in October for her How Love Goes acoustic tour while Kezia will be touring in October and November with her The Story So Far tour.  Tickets for both are available now and selling fast!

 

 

How Long Have You Known, 

the new song from Kezia Gill and Jade Helliwell is available on all platforms from Friday 31 May

 

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Gig Review - Nashville Sounds In The Round - Birmingham Symphony Hall May 2024

 

You guys have Ed Sheeran, why would you want to listen to me?

 

Despite flying in from America, playing guitar for Keith Urban, and being booked for a couple of festivals, Maggie Baugh retained that humble feeling that people in the UK wouldn’t know her music, having had a specific request in the interval.  John Wesley Satterfield quickly reminded her that “The internet is everywhere”

This kind of interaction is why we love songwriters rounds, and especially the regular Nashville Sounds InThe Round in Birmingham.  The latest show was a curtain raiser for Buckle and Boots this weekend, as it featured three American artists who will be playing at the Farm, alongside regular hosts Gasoline and Matches.

Joining Maggie on her first visit to the UK were Jeremy McComb, who is becoming a regular face over here, and John Wesley Satterfield, another UK debutante.  Maggie and John had also played Country InThe Afternoon at the weekend, while Jeremy – who will be co hosting the main stage at Buckle and Boots – has been on tour with Cody Pennington, opening with Gary Quinn.

A songwriters round is, by its very nature, an intimate style of show.  The artists tell us stories – about their songwriting inspiration, about their careers and often about their own lives.  As the show progresses the audience get to know the performers better, and as the artists get to know the audience better they start to loosen up more.  As this trio haven’t met each other very much before, you could see them get to know each other, and with Jeremy and John this led to more and more interaction and jokes, with them seeming like long lost twins by the end!  We were treated to more sensitive songs and stories than you might get on a full stage show, and also some hilarious conversations from the American contingent trying to navigate not only our currency “Your coins have an old lady on them” but also what we call our toilets.

All three guests were very entertaining as well as very talented  - and those seeing them again at the weekend are in for a real treat.

 

As for our hosts Sally and Steve, they also shared a very special story with us all.  They’ve got married!

 

Congratulations to Sally and Steve, and to the Americans – see you at Buckle and Boots!

Silverball Country attended Nashville Sounds in the Round as guests of Gasoline and Matches and B:Music

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

 

The Half Moon pub in Putney, South West London is no stranger to great line ups, over the years it has played host to some of the absolute greats, and twice a year for the past few years has been home to Country In The Afternoon, brought to us by those fine folks at Cumbrae Promotions – Gavin and Christine Chittick.  Even if you haven’t heard of Country In The Afternoon, if you’re a country music lover you may have attended on of their other events - notably Millport Country Festival, or perhaps you’ve caught one of their ad hoc intimate evenings both in London and in Scotland.  If you’re a Buckle and Boots attendee, you’ll have seen Gavin running the Paddock Stage along with Silverball Country and Christine looking after the all-important beer tokens!

You have to wonder if these two ever stop.  We think the answer is no.  There's two more new events in the calendar this year alone, plus the next Country In The Afternoon.  They do take time for holidays – but those are as much for talent spotting as for relaxing!

Country In The Afternoon is two days of music in an iconic venue running from 12:30 until 5 – which gives time for drinks between the 4 acts (as they turnaround the stage) on each day plus a chance for a meal in the pub garden afterwards, especially when the weather is as good as it was this past weekend.

We joined the Chitticks on Sunday, which had an international line up – two American acts, two British acts – and an Austrian!

 

First up, from Nashville was John Wesley Satterfield.  John has a very traditional country sound to his voice, and a traditional style to his songwriting, with songs about his guitar, whiskey – great subjects!  Whilst he would never sell his battered old guitar, he did offer his beagle dog for sale!  Accompanied on stage for a couple of songs by Jon Stone (American Young) the storytelling was as good as the songwriting, with some numbers inappropriately dedicated to Grandma!  John didn’t use a set list preferring to go with the flow – and the same was true for the second act – Georgia born Ian Flanigan. Having appeared on The Voice - USA as part of Blake’s team, Ian is now known simply as “The Voice” and what a voice he has!  Despite being from the US, his stories resonated and were easy to follow.  We were treated to another guest appearance from Jon Stone who has written and produced the new material that Ian treated us to.  Notable was “The song with the longest title” – the very relatable Words I Never Heard An Old Man Say.

 

Both John and Ian were visiting the UK for the first time, whereas the next band to take to the stage were far more familiar having played the event before and also just finished a UK Tour.  Lewis and Izzy (from Austria!) better known as Two Ways Home.  As well as their trademark light teasing of each, other Two Ways Home delivered a loud and rocking set backed by Michael Clancy on guitar and Jake Stanton on drums.  Even Gavin Chittick was moved to declare that it was possibly the best they have ever sounded – and we have to agree!  The band are very hardworking and seem to constantly look at ways of improving their show – this time including some more intimate songs around their bespoke, old style microphone – in fact there are only three of these microphones around, and notably, Bob Harris has one of the only other two!

 

The afternoon was rounded off with a storming set from First Time Flyers, who are making waves across a number of stages and festivals.  First Time Flyers gave us our second full band set of the day, and brought with them an enthusiastic and dedicated following showing that whatever the size of the event, independent gigs can build and hold an audience!

 

Time to rest?  Nope.  Next up from Cumbrae Promotions is the Signature Brew Americana Showcase, London E17 on 22 June and Milltown Music Festival in Paisley nr Glasgow on 31 August

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

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EP Review - To Be Continued - Emily Lockett

 

With Buckle and Boots only a week or so away, we’ve been sent an exclusive preview of an EP that will be released at the festival.  Although this year will be the first time that Staffordshire based artist Emily Lockett will be performing, its certainly not her first rodeo, having performed at the first ever British Country Music Festival in Blackpool as well as other big events around the country, and recently opened two dates for Buckle and Boots  favourite Jade Helliwell.

Although she is perfectly comfortable being alone on stage with just a guitar, Emily has put together a new, all female, band this year, and on the new EP you can hear how the fuller sound really adds to her performance.

Initially a CD only release, with a possibility of digital release in the future, To Be Continued contains 4 tracks, some of which you may have heard Emily play at live gigs.  The storytelling in the songs often deals with themes of love and heartbreak, but very much from a modern – might one say “gen Z”? – perspective, with pop culture references scattered throughout.

Opening with Blow Your Mind, Emily’s distinctive vocal is backed with a guitar and drum line that gives the EP a rocking start, excellent instrumental breaks and backing vocals make this a song that is going to sound great on stage!  Rush Hour Crush was inspired by the feature of the same name in the free newspaper you can pick up on trains and buses. It’s the story of seeing someone, fleetingly, on a train journey.  It’s probably the time to make the Taylor Swift comparison at this point – Emily’s personal sound does put you in mind of Taylor, as does the modern take on love songs.  There is no question of impersonation, just a pop country similarity!  As the vocal and instrumentation rise, you can hear the imploring, wanting the object of the crush to notice you – although you aren’t going to do anything more than wish!

Your New Blonde jumps straight in – straight in with the vocal, straight in with the emotion “I hope she hurts you”.  Its another real story, the aftermath of an ugly break up.  Wishing your ex goes through what they put you through is an emotion as old as time, brought up to date with the idea of watching it from afar over social media.  Describing the new girlfriend as “your new blonde” helps with the mix of emotion and reluctant hate, and the delivery feels like the hate is expressed through tears.  Final track Back Of The Church really displays Emily’s gift for descriptive songwriting.  Even those four words conjures up the image of a wedding with the storyteller creeping in late to avoid being seen, sitting at the back away from all the other guests – the wedding she doesn’t want to be at, but just couldn’t keep away from.

Although still relatively young, Emily writes songs with an apparent lifetime of experience behind them. This new ep is stories of unrequited love but delivered in a positive way with plenty of energy. Modern, pop country but very relatable to most listeners.  An accomplished guitar and keyboard player, now backed by her new band Emily has plenty more to show us, and her future is very much To Be Continued.

 

To Be Continued, the new ep from Emily Lockett will initially be released only on CD and will be available after her Buckle and Boots performance.

If you are at the festival, mark 6:30 on the Paddock Stage in your planner to see Emily Lockett and her band playing live.

 

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

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Single Review - Daddy's Girl (Live) - Emilia Quinn

A few short years ago, the Paddock stage at Buckle and Boots played host to a girl and her guitar – she was just about to release an ep, and we even recorded a promo clip with her.  The next time she was at Buckle and Boots she was back on that stage, playing an absolute storming set with her full band.  From there she went to the main stage, and this year she will be headlining the main stage!

We are talking, of course, of Emilia Quinn, whose journey from mid-afternoon slot to headliner we have felt part of, and seeing her on her headline tour was of course very exciting!

Emilia not only understands how to entertain a crowd, she also understands value – that headline tour having now produced a second live single, both recorded at her Birmingham date (we were at that one! Review )

Her new single – Daddy’s Girl – originally appeared on her Wanderlust and Breaking Rules Album and in fact supplies the name in its first words!  Recorded through the sound desk at the venue it is a “clean” recording (no crowd noise etc until the end of the track) but it captures Emilia’s performance vocal and energy that comes from being on stage in front of a live audience.  The song will be familiar to many – opening with a strong guitar line (with a wonderful mix of electric and Emilia’s acoustic) the instrumental has a very “western” feel to it, and the vocal is very much that of a story teller.

Emilia describes it in a way that is almost a description of herself…

A feisty, sassy, and take-no-prisoners kind of song, layered in metaphors which is one of my favourite ways to write. It is a story of standing up to the patriarchy that seems never too far away in life and particularly in the music industry. Read between the lines for a whole new perspective to this song...

These live recordings (along with the previously released Head Rush) are a great way to hear Emilia, although the best way to to see her live!  With a list of festival appearance this summer, you have plenty of opportunity!  Check Emilia’s socials and website for more details of where you can see her play.

Emilia is also on her own "Barefaced" tour again later this year

Emilia has come a long way since that first Buckle and Boots Paddock stage appearance – we can’t wait to see where this feisty, sassy take-no-prisoners artist goes next!

Daddy's Girl (Live) - the new single from Emilia Quinn - is available to download and stream from Friday 3 March

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

 

Emilia Quinn is represented by ZimagineD Artist Management

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Album Review - Acoustic Heart - Raintown

  

Its been a while since we’ve had an album from Raintown, but they have been busy both playing, recording – and living life with two young children!  When we saw them at Country In The Afternoon, they promised us new music and previewed some of this as part of their set.  Their new Album Acoustic Heart is finally here, with nine new songs alongside reimagined versions of Raintown’s previous songs including Writing on the Wall and Light the Fuse Up.

 

When asked about the album, Claire McArthur Bain said

This record takes an inward look at who we are as musicians and the true essence of Raintown. We took inspiration from the Transatlantic Sessions which brings together the best music of Nashville, Ireland and Scotland – three areas whose music has inspired us greatly over the course of our career. 

We wanted to peel away the layers with Acoustic Heart, unveiling the heart of each track and song. With Stevie’s rich background in trad music and our own unique perspective on country music and songwriting, we felt we had the appropriate tools to see our musical vision for this album come to life.

 

Play it Loud, is a superb opener for the album, excellent instrumentation (with the usual unusual mix of instruments, especially from Stevie Lawrence!) before Claire starts singing about not going out – is this autobiographical Claire?  Opening the album with such an uptempo joyful song is a great idea – it’s the emotion we felt when we got the album!  The tempo varies, the energy is there, and we agree with the demand to play it loud!

Day In The Sun has a wonderful Celtic feel and features Paul on lead vocals, while Claire returns for the plaintive My Whole World, opening with the emotive line “Wedding Dress For Sale” and accompanied by simple guitar and wonderful violin from Fiona Cuthill  Red Dress takes the tempo back up with an almost Honky Tonk feel, incorporating piano and horns on a track sure to get you tapping your feet if not up and dancing! 

My Drum My Beat is pure Raintown from the combined vocals to the music while Light The Fuse Up gives us almost a minute and half of instrumental intro ahead of the vocal showing that Raintown is very much a collective band.  In Your Heart shows how much power Claire can out into what is essentially an acoustic track and Run With The Night shows how much Raintown can mix styles and genres to create great, fun music. 

The stripped back cover of One Love is simply genius.  When they performed this live, you could see people taking a moment to connect the song to 90s Boy bands!

 

These Tears Tonight and an acoustic rendering of Writing On The Wall take us to the album’s final track Thankful For It All.  A slow, mellow track with again a superb blend of traditional instruments accompanying the acoustic guitar, it feels like a perfect way to end, with an element of reflection in the lyrics and an underlining of the Celtis influences on all of the music.

 

The entire album is well put together, and feels like a live gig in the order of songs, changes of tempo, changes of lead and the backing musicians who are allowed to come to the fore.  The list of instruments used in the recording is quite impressive, including as it does fiddle, viola, drums, harmonica, accordion, piano, Uilleann pipes, whistles five-string banjo, cello, dobro, saxophone, trumpet, acoustic guitar and snare drum.

Acoustic Heart really is fusion music at its very best, and, quite possibly, Raintown at their very best.

 

You can download and stream the album from Friday 26 April, and catch Raintown live at a number of forthcoming live performances.  

For more details find them on Facebook and Instagram and follow them on Spotify

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Gig Review - Matt Hodges - Actress and Bishop, Birmingham

 

Matt Hodges spends most of the year on the road, so it seems apt that his latest tour is called – “On The Road”

That road brought him to Birmingham last night where he played at The Actress and Bishop with special guests Gasoline and Matches.

Looking very comfortable on stage - as they always do – Sally and Steve of Gasoline and Matches admitted being slightly nervous of both the hometown crowd with many friends in the audience – and of the smoke machine as they seem to have a reputation for venues burning down!  The evening was also an unofficial continuation of Sally’s birthday celebrations from the night before in Manchester.  Although mostly ignoring doctor’s orders to rest her voice, Sally did have to relinquish vocal duties to Steve, notably on their track Smiling Viper, which did sound slightly different with Steve on lead.

Matt told us that he doesn’t like calling his opening act a “support act” – and Gasoline and Matches demonstrated this by giving a polished, powerful show, with Jamie Clayton on bass and James Randle on drums, filling the room with sound.

 

We’ve seen Matt Hodges play acoustic, in a songwriter’s round, with an orchestra and, finally, last night with his full band (Morgan Smith on Bass, Simon Hant on drums and Cole McNulty on lead guitar).  Matt has such a commanding presence and such a gruff, powerful voice it doesn’t seem to matter who is backing him – his vocal will take up the stage and the whole space, he can quite easily just stand and sing, capturing the audience.

 

Matt has been on quite a journey throughout his career in music, playing covers in Nashville, returning to songwriting after an 8 year break to now playing at independent festivals and being recognised with awards.  He is keen to include the audience on that journey and speaks fondly of the UK Country family – both artists and fans alike.  His set includes a song he wrote when he was 18, a song written in one hour as a challenge, a cocktail list inspired track, and a song used by couples for their first dance at wedding.  Matt is a down to earth, no nonsense performer.  He’s hard working – although he’s reduced from 310 shows last year to “only” 250 this year (and the year isn’t over yet!)

He highlighted the line from the song written by 18 year old him.

I know somehow I’ll always be proud to be me

Ending the show with two party hits that had the audience up dancing (with Sally and Steve back on stage), Matt has plenty to be proud of.

You can catch Matt on the remainder of his tour this month, and next Friday you can download his new single Make This Our Town

You can find Matt on Facebook and Instagram and follow him on Spotify

Silverball Country attended this show as guests of Matt Hodges

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