2019

Black Deer Festival – specialising in Americana and country music – is returning for its second year between June 21-23 in Royal Tunbridge Wells, but what does the festival fully entail? Here’s a full introduction from the festival themselves about it all and what to expect should you attend.  What is Black Deer Festival? Black Deer Festival is a three-day celebration of music, food and family – cultivating a community of spirit and independence where the lines between artists, supporters and promoters disappear.  Heading into its second year,  Black Deer Festival is back and will be taking place across three days at Eridge Park in Royal Tunbridge Wells between June 21-23. The festival is a living and breathing demonstration of what Americana and country music can be and offers a soundtrack to an independent way of life across seven dedicated stages, each with the highest production values. You’ll also find live music scattered throughout Black Deer’s spectacular and unspoilt landscape, helping to set the perfect scene. Its founders are no strangers to UK music festivals – having produced and directed much-loved events with musical legends like Bob Dylan, The Eagles and Neil Young (remember Hop Farm?) – and have a lifelong love affair with country music and the authentic Americana aesthetic. You only have to read the story behind Haley’s Bar to understand the importance of this place in their hearts. This compelling blend of originality, experience and passion has shaped Black Deer into an exciting and emerging force on the UK festival scene and one in which families can take advantage of top-class production values, quality and comfortable accommodation and great food. Music The music is from the top table, too. There are big names you’ll recognise – such as country icon Kris Kristofferson & The Strangers (Merle Haggard’s band); Aussie roots rockers John Butler Trio; The Mavericks celebrating their 30thanniversary; blues heroes Fantastic Negrito, The Marcus King Band and Larkin Poe; Texas troubadour Ryan Bingham; bluegrass boppers The Dead South; country punk Justin Townes Earle; alongside a who’s who of Americana musicians making waves on the country and roots circuit: Band Of Horses, The Staves, Neko Case, The Wandering Hearts and Yola. Legendary English song-writing hero Billy Bragg will also be at Black Deer, whilst a real coup has been pulled off in securing ‘Wild Rose’ star, Jessie Buckley, who’ll be performing songs from the hit country film’s big-selling soundtrack. Family Black Deer welcomes children of all ages and offers families the chance to create memories that will last forever – kids can safely climb to the top of ancient oak trees, work together to help to build a wild west town or listen to stories around the campfire. Comfort is king at Black Deer and organisers have gone to great lengths to provide world class production facilities and top of the range accommodation offerings for locals and visitors alike: if you’re looking for luxury, try Fancy Camping; if you’re looking for value for money, try Pre-pitched Camping (the option to arrive with your weekend home ready and waiting in the general camping area). The not-for-profit ‘Woodland Tribe’ bring their unique approach to outdoor adventure play to the Young Folk children’s area of the festival and this is the place where your children will make memories with their very own stage, dedicated to inspiring the next generation of musicians. Arts and craft workshops, guitar lessons, face painting, dressing-up tents… you name it, your kids will find it. Food The festival also offers the very best in outdoor and smokehouse cooking – with expert demonstrations and competitive BBQ competitions taking place across the three-day event. Skilled masterclasses from celebrated chefs such as legendary US pit master Ray ‘Dr BBQ’ Lampe; Channel 4’s ‘River Cottage’ expert Gill Meller; BBC regular and ‘Guild of Food Writers’ Chair Genevieve Taylor; ‘UK BBQ Magazine’ Editor, Marcus Bawdon; ‘Caravan Restaurants’ Executive Chef, Matt Burgess; maker of probably the best charcoal in the world, Matt Williams; award-winning food and drink journalist and author, Melissa Cole; ‘Temper’ owner and chef, Neil Rankin; ‘Hunter Gather Cook’ founder and forager, Nick Weston; and UK BBQ pioneers, restaurateurs and authors Jon Finch and Ben Merrington will all treat you to more than just a glimpse of the good life. Lifestyle If you’re looking to shop, Black Deer’s Mercantile area offers thoughtfully-crafted artisan wares for you to browse – but expect to part with your hard-earned cash for things such as authentic leather ware, denim, homewares, tools, original printed art, quality textiles and much more. Mercantile is where Black Deer pays homage to the cultural heritage of America, but also where contemporary artisans bring new perspectives and offer modern interpretations of classic designs.  What they say about Black Deer… “I am confident that we will be paying host to Black Deer for many years to come.” – The Marquess of Abergavenny, owner of Eridge Park. ‘Best New Festival on the Block’ – Association of Independent Festival Awards 2018 “Homely, friendly, well-organised and fun. The setting was so beautiful it took my breath away when I arrived.” – UK Festival Guide “Black Deer was bold and creative.” – Americana UK “An amazing weekend!” – Times of Tunbridge Wells And from Black Deer’s audience (4.9 out of 5 Stars, Based on the opinion of 99 people who took the time to review our festival): “Really well thought out, lots for the children to do, great stages, too many choices of great acts!” “What a great first year festival black deer was! Tonnes of top acts, some surprises to discover and those you already enjoyed. Add in the food selection and the whole experience was brilliant.” Black Deer offers music, food and fun for all the family – the three pillars of any award-winning, modern-day festival. Set in a location that is one of the best in England, Black Deer is a unique celebration of all the things that are at the heart of Americana and country music. You can get tickets here.

Glastonbury Festival have announced a further wave of artists for their 2019 event, with The Shires, James Morrison and Jade Bird being pencilled in to play the Avalon Stage. The contemporary music festival, which takes place between June 26-30, will be headlined by Stormzy, The Killers and The Cure, but Glastonbury is unique in the sense that fans of any genre can attend and find 15-20 acts they would like to see. Elsewhere on the Avalon Stage will be Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Yola, Lucy Spraggan, Beans on Toast and classic acts such as Reef and Bananarama. The Shires’ inclusion will be a notable one for country music fans attending the festival and the group – who are also supporting Carrie Underwood in the summer – are no strangers to it, having headlined the Acoustic Stage in 2016 Tickets for Glastonbury have completely sold out, but there will be a resale on April 28 for those who missed out in October. The Avalon Stage lineup is (in alphabetical order): Bananarama Beans on Toast Cut Capers Elephant Sessions Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls Hobo Jones & The Junkyard Dogs Ibibio Sound Machine Jade Bird James Morrison Lucy Spraggan Morcheeba My Baby Nahko and Medicine for the People Reef Skinny Lister Steeleye Span Tankus the Henge The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican The Blue Aeroplanes The Burning Hell The Cat Empire The Dead South The Magic Numbers The Shires Yola

The first wave of artists have been announced for the 25th edition of Millport Country Music Festival, with American Young, Lockeland and Sydney Devine scheduled to perform at the festival, which takes place between August 30-September 1. In addition, Remember Monday, Morganway and Jade Helliwell have been revealed in the first Millport announcement, which has unveiled 25 of the 50 acts that have been booked. Some of the other 25 included Sarah Jory, Hotel Caledonia – an Eagles tribute band from Scotland – and Izzie Walsh, while Keep It Country presenter Kerry Fearon and Maverick’s 2018 Emerging Talent Showcase winner Zoee were also announced. Something new for this year is the inclusion of PS Waverley, who has timetabled a Millport Country Music Festival Cruise on September 1 this year, leaving Glasgow in the morning, stopping at Greenock and arriving at Keppel Pier in Millport for the festival, before returning back to Greenock and Glasgow early evening. The Saturday headliner is as of yet TBA, but Tier 1 and Early Bird tickets are already close to capacity. Tickets can be purchased here. The list of artists announced for Millport Country Music Festival 2019 are: American Young Lockeland Sydney Devine Remember Monday Hotel Caledonia Sarah Jory Izzie Walsh Morganway Gasoline & Matches Jade Helliwell Stevie O’Connor Kezia Gill Stuart Landon & Angels with Dirty Faces Backwoods Creek Kerry Fearon Simon James & The Deep River Pilots The Scoundrels Elaine Lennon Zoee Have Mercy Las Vegas Carson City Steve James Rick Lambert Greyhound Express Rodeo Stomp

The 54th ACM Awards will go down as a very successful ceremony for Kacey Musgraves and Dan + Shay, with the pair taking home five awards between them. Fresh from their Grammy Awards success, Musgraves took home Female Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for ‘Golden Hour’, while Dan + Shay scored Duo of the Year, Single Record of the Year for Tequila and Song of the Year for Tequila. Elsewhere, Keith Urban won Entertainer of the Year – meaning he has won that category at both the CMA and ACM Awards in the space of a few months – Thomas Rhett won Male Artist of the Year and Old Dominion won Group of the Year. There was also success for Ashley McBryde (New Female Artist of the Year), Luke Combs (New Male Artist of the Year) and LANCO (New Duo or Group of the Year), while the award for Video of the Year went to Chris Janson for Drunk Girl. Finally, Dierks Bentley and Brothers Osborne won the Music Event of the Year award for Burning Man, Shane McAnally was crowned Songwriter of the Year and Jason Aldean was given the special Dick Clark Artist of the Decade award. The ACM Awards were hosted by Reba McIntyre for a record 16th time and saw performances from Florida Georgia Line (with Jason Aldean), Chrissy Metz (who performed with Carrie Underwood, Lauren Alania, Maddie & Tae and Micky Guyton), Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, Maren Morris and Blake Shelton.

Old Dominion will be returning to the UK and Europe as part of their ‘Make It Sweet Tour’, marking the fourth time they have travelled from America to play in Europe. The critically acclaimed group were only in Europe as recently as October, with Old Dominion wowing the public at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in particular, but will return 12 months on to perform nine performances. One of those will be at London’s 5000 capacity Eventim Apollo, marking the largest headline gig the band have had this side of the Atlantic. Tickets are available via a special pre-sale at 9:00am on April 10 and on general sale at 9:00am on April 12. Old Dominion will be playing: October 4 – Nalen, Stockholm, Sweden October 6 – Astra Kulturhaus, Berlin, Germany October 7 – Live Music Hall, Cologne, Germany October 8 – Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands October 10 – Eventim Apollo, London, England October 12 – Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland October 14 – Albert Hall, Manchester, England October 15 – O2 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham, England October 16 – O2 Academy Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland

Long Ryders PSYCHEDELIC COUNTRY SOUL Cherry Red Records **** Country-rock as it should be First album in more than 30 years and The Long Ryders gallop back as if nothing has changed. And indeed, it really hasn’t. It’s the same line-up – Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Sowders and Tom Stevens – and it’s the same producer, Ed Stasium (Ramones et al) who directed their last set, 1987’s Two-Fisted Tales. There are twin guitars – plenty of 12-string – leading the charge of rocking, rolling country of that Byrds-meets-the-Clash variety, LA with the spirit of London Town, that was so spine-tingling. And it’s all done with an element of elegance, an air of country gentlemen, that makes it all more beguiling than ever. Starting with the freewheeling Greenville, it’s a set of 11 new songs plus a cover of Tom Petty’s Walls. And while the latter might be a tribute to a huge star, what’s difficult to understand is how The Long Ryders didn’t end up as big as Petty in the first place. It’s irrepressible – the pop of Griffin’s Molly Somebody, the punk-tinged exhuberance of What The Eagle Sees, the gentle, acoustic Bells Of August and more. There are touches of the Beatles here in the harmonies and the at times delicate guitars – and particularly the closing title track, a six-minute swirling country-pop anthem with its glorious hints of Eastern mysticism. A masterful return from one of the great names in country-rock. Nick Dalton www.cherryred.co.uk

Tom Russell Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay 27thMarch 2019 A stalwart of the Americana scene with 35 albums to his name, singer/songwriter, author, painter and troubadour Tom Russell has a hard core of devoted UK fans who are prepared to travel the length and breadth of the country for an evening of anecdotes and great music. A sell-out in the tiny 90 seat Norwegian Church Arts Centre was therefore guaranteed, although surprisingly, there were a few no-shows. Bouncing onto the stage displaying his usual brash persona, Russell pretended to be the opening act. Nobody was fooled as he launched into a medley of snatches from some of his favourite artists; Ian & Sylvia’s More Often Than Not, Townes’ Pancho and Lefty, Warren Zevon’s Carmelita, Guy Clark’s LA Freeway and Willie Nelson’s Whisky River. With his new five star album ‘October in the Railroad Earth’ prominent on the merchandise counter, things were off to a rip-roaring start with the Johnny Cash classic Wreck of the Old 97, the only cover on the album. With such an enormous back catalogue, Russell at times seemed unsure what to play next, often responding to requests although his promise to play Small Engine Repair never materialised. Hair Trigger Heart and Guadalupe satisfied the purists but not before we’d been treated to his Dylan Thomas medley with a couple from ‘Folk Hotel’. Eager to promote the new album, the Tex-Mex flavoured tale of Monterey cowboy Isadore Gonzales, his GPS love song Back Streets of Love and of course the title track, highlighting author Jack Kerouac’s time working as a Railroad brakeman, convinced many punters to pay a visit to the merch counter in the interval. The raucous Tonight We Ride closed the first set. Much dog howling accompanied The Light Beyond the Coyote Fence before Russell displayed his lighter side with Finding You, written for Swiss wife Nadine who inspired When the Road Gets Rough, recounting some pretty horrendous journeys when touring the UK. With five numbers from the new album covered, it was back catalogue all the way to the inevitable finale Who’s Gonna’ Build Your Wall? handed a new lease of life given the recent antics in the US. The usual somewhat contrived encore brought three more from the past; Stealing Electricity, Nina Simone and Navaho Rug, were all enthusiastically received by the audience who responded with a fully deserved standing ovation. Tonight, we had just Russell and his guitar so some of the ‘twang’ prevalent particularly on ‘October in the Railroad Earth’ could not be replicated, but nevertheless, this was a great evening of folk, country, Tex-Mex and country rock and few in the audience would have left without owning the new album. One enthusiastic devotee even eagerly parted with £100 for a piece of damaged Tom Russell artwork. Devotion indeed! John Roffey  Tom Russell played: Medley: More Often Than Not/Pancho and Lefty/Carmelita/LA Freeway/Whisky River Wreck of the Old 97 Medley: Up in the Old Hotel/The Sparrow of Swansea Hair Trigger Heart Guadalupe Isadore Gonzalez Back Streets of Love October in the Railroad Earth Tonight We Ride The Light Beyond the Coyote Fence When the Road Gets Rough Finding You East of Woodstock, West of Vietnam St. Olav’s Gate Blue Wing Who’s Gonna’ Build Your Wall? —————————————————————– Stealing Electricity Nina Simone Navaho Rug

Country pop duo Ward Thomas have been announced as one of the 10 new acts for Isle Of Wight Festival 2019, taking place between June 13-16. The twins, who recently released their third album ‘Restless Minds’, will be playing on the Big Top Stage and have been announced alongside Keane, Garbage, Dermot Kennedy, Cage The Elephant, Picture This, Wet Wet Wet, Björn Again, The Marcus King Band and Feet. The contemporary festival itself is being headlined by Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds, George Ezra and Biffy Clyro. At the Songwriter’s Series at C2C 2019, Ward Thomas were invited out by Cam and subsequently surprise presented with the CMA Jeff Walker Global Country Artist Award, before doing an impromptu performance of Cartwheels. The duo are currently on tour in the UK and have a date pencilled in for O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire to come, with The Wandering Hearts providing support across all dates. Ward Thomas will be playing: April  – Institute, Birmingham, England April 2 – O2 Guildhall, Southampton, England April 3 – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, England April 5 – SWG3, Glasgow, Scotland April 6 – Sage, Gateshead, England  

Fresh from being announced as one of the headliners for The Long Road Festival, Kip Moore has also announced three full band dates in the UK for September. The US singer-songwriter will be performing in the UK for four dates in May to support his ‘Room to Spare’ acoustic tour, which sold out immediately, but has now announced a selection of full band shows for the second half of the year. In addition, Moore’s ‘Room to Spare: The Acoustic Sessions” EP will be released on vinyl for Record Store Day, with the vinyl featuring five additional tracks that weren’t on the initial release. Kip Moore will be playing: September 2 – Roundhouse, London, England September 4 – O2 Academy Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland September 5 – Ulster Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland