March 2020

Four-time Grammy Award winner Jason Isbell will be returning to the UK and Ireland in November with The 400 Unit for three dates – one in London, one in Manchester and one in Dublin. Tickets are available here. Isbell will be touring to support his upcoming album, ‘Reunions’, which is due for release on May 15 and will mark his seventh studio album. His last two albums peaked at Number One on the US Country Chart, while they both also charted in the Top 10 of the US all-genre album charts – ‘Something More Than Free’ peaked at six and ‘The Nashville sound’ peaked at four. The new album is described as “a seamless collection of ten new songs that delve into relationships with lovers, friends, children, parents and one’s self,” while the first hit of music comes in the shape of new single Be Afraid. The dates are part of Isbell’s European tour, which will also see him perform ten dates across the continent and venture into places such as Sweden, Germany and Holland. The date in London will be at the Eventim Apollo, which is a huge upgrade in size from his previous exploits in the English capital, when he performed double nights at London’s HMV Forum and one night at the Roundhouse. Jason Isbell will be playing: November 7 – Stockholm Waterfront, Stockholm, Sweden November 8 – Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark November 10 – Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany November 11 – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands November 12 – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands November 14 – De Roma, Antwerp, Belgium November 15 – Gloria Theater, Cologne, Germany November 17 – Eventim Apollo, London, England November 18 – Albert Hall, Manchester, England November 19 – Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland

Grammy nominated sister duo Larkin Poe have revealed that their fifth studio album ‘Self Made Man’ will be released on May 1. You can pre-order the album here. The duo, made up of Atlanta born but Nashville based Rebecca and Megan Lovell, have made huge strides in recent years as a duo, with the pair taking their brand of American roots rock all round the world. Speaking about the record, the sisters said that it is an upbeat album that reflects on the previous 10 years that they have shared as a duo and that it is intended to highlight some of the better times. “Life is all about balance,” Rebecca said. “Sometimes it’s sweet, sometimes it’s sour. With She’s A Self Made Man, I wanted to write a song about the up-and-down ride that Megan and I have been on for the past 10 years of building Larkin Poe. It’s hard to know who you are and it can take time to figure out what your purpose is, but I feel thankful that in recent years, my own feelings have started to click and make sense. Knowing and accepting yourself: that is empowerment.” “This is, in a lot of ways, is the first lyrically uplifting record we’ve made,” Megan added. “People can go through terrible things. People can weather immeasurable sorrow and hard times and yet we can still come out on the other side, pull ourselves together and thrive. This record reflects some of the joy and positivity that we ourselves feel and appreciate.” The tracklisting for ‘Self Made Man’ by Larkin Poe is: 1. Self Made Man 2. Holy Ghost Fire 3. Keep Diggin’ 4. Back Down South (ft. Tyler Bryant) 5. Tears of Blue to Gold 6. God Moves on the Water 7. Every Bird That Flies 8. Scorpion 9. Ex-Con 10. Easy Street

The Shires are in pole position for their first ever UK Number One album, as their fourth record ‘Good Years’ is currently leading the way in the midweek charts. You can read our review of the record here. The duo – made up of Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes – have been very successful in the UK Country charts, with all three of their previous albums reaching the top spot, but they are yet to claim a Number One in the all-genre chart, with ‘My Universe’ and ‘Accidentally on Purpose’ both peaking at Number Three. The duo will face stern competition from former One Direction member Niall Horan however, whose second solo album ‘Heartbreak Weather’ is hot on the heels of ‘Good Years’ in second place. Speaking about the news, the duo said in a statement that they are very thankful to everyone who has ordered the record and also expressed their regret at not being able to play at C2C over the weekend, following the festival’s postponement. “We are so grateful to every single person that has bought ‘Good Years’,” the duo said. “We set out to make a positive, uplifting record and we hope it brings some joy to people right now at this difficult time. “We were so sad not to be able to play C2C last weekend, but it’s great to see our community coming together this week for (fingers crossed) a UK Country #1.” The only other possible new rival for The Shires is UK indie rock band Circa Waves, whose latest album ‘Sad Happy’ is currently sitting in fourth in its first week of sales, while Lewis Capaldi remains at three with ‘Definitely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent’.

Rising Australian artist Zoee has released a new song in the shape of Nashville, which is to be used for the US web show ‘Nashville Meets World’. You can listen to the song here. In addition to the song being used for the web show, the Scotland based artist – who co-hosts the show – will be donating all proceeds from the song for the next three months to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee in order to assist the victims of the recent Nashville tornado. Speaking about the track, the artist explained that – as the name suggests – the song was created from her experiences of the place, while also confirming that the proceeds will be going to charity. “My new single Nashville is a result of my trip to Music City,” Zoee explained. “The proceeds for the following three months are being donated to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to aide the victims of the Nashville Tornado disaster.” Zoee’s story is rather unique in the sense that she has travelled all over the world in order to pursue her dream of being a country music singer and was pencilled in to perform at C2C 2020 in Glasgow, before its untimely postponement.

Margo Price has revealed that she will be releasing her much anticipated third studio album titled ‘That’s How Rumors Get Started’ on May 8. You can pre-order the album here. Produced by Sturgill Simpson and with Price and David Ferguson co-producing, the album will feature her recent single Twinkle Twinkle as well as nine other tracks and was largely recorded in EastWest Studios in Los Angeles. Simpson built up a band of Matt Sweeney (Adele, Iggy Pop) on guitar, Pino Palladino (D’Angelo, John Mayer) on bass, James Gadson (Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye) on drums and Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) on keys. The Nashville Friends Gospel Choir were also used in recording, as they feature on Hey Child. ‘That’s How Rumors Get Started’ follows in the footsteps of ‘All American Made’, which was nominated for a Grammy Award and was hailed as one of the best albums of the 2010s by the likes of Billboard and Pitchfork. The tracklisting for ‘That’s How Rumors Get Started’ by Margo Price is: 1. That’s How Rumors Get Started 2. Letting Me Down 3. Twinkle Twinkle 4. Stone Me 5. Hey Child 6. Heartless Mind 7. What Happened to Our Love? 8. Gone to Stay 9. Prisoner of the Highway 10. I’d Die For You