The Long Road festival, previewed on our site last week, is now less than a week away, at Stanford Hall in Leicestershire over the August bank holiday weekend (23rd to 25th August). One of the pleasures of attending festivals is discovering new artists, and I have picked seven contrasting artists to look out for, either new to the UK, or new to the big stage, out of the almost 70 artists appearing over the weekend.
Canada’s Jake Vaadaland, hailing from Saskatchewan, touring with his band the Sturgeon River Boys is my hot tip for a great live set. I flagged up Jake in my ‘More People Really Should Know About… ‘ piece earlier this year, and charismatic front man Jake and his band return to the UK for a short tour – playing at Buddy’s Good Time Bar on Sunday, promising a high energy blend of rockabilly and bluegrass.
Kassi Valazza plays Buddy’s as part of the Loose Music takeover on Saturday, her first big festival appearance in the UK, after some small venue dates in April And October last year, in support of her latest release “Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing”. The album included one of my favourite songs of 2023, ‘Watching Planes Go By’, leaning towards the contemporary folk/singer-songwriter corner of the Americana genre.
I have selected two home-grown acts to highlight – Brown Horse are a six-piece country rock band based in Norwich, with echoes of Ronnie Lane’s Slim Chance. Their debut album “Reservoir” got a rave review and a score of nine on our pages. Also part of the Loose Music takeover, they play Buddy’s on Saturday.
The Deep Blue are a four piece all female band from Manchester. Leaning towards alt folk, with glorious vocal harmonies, they have two EPs under their belts, and a third in the pipeline, they play the Front Porch on Sunday.
Adeem The Artist came to my attention through regular plays on Ricky Ross’s weekly Radio Scotland show ‘Another Country’. His latest album “Anniversary” is a fine successor to his last release “White Trash Revelry”. Blending classic country rock sounds with jagged edge lyrics, with some retro 60’s leanings too, their live show promises a memorable experience, at Buddy’s on Saturday.
Hailing from Texas, Flatland Cavalry make their first appearance in the UK, following the release of their third album “Welcome to Countryland”. Their six-piece line-up includes fiddle and banjo to the fore, with an energetic take on classic country and roots themes. They play the Interstate Stage on Sunday.
Last but not least, Meg McRee’s contemporary take on old time country themes offers fine songwriting with a touch of country pop too. She plays the Interstate Stage on Sunday.
So much great music to enjoy–and doubtless other new acts to discover too!
Brown Horse just got a 6 page focus article in the latest UNCUT and are clearly going places.
Kassi Valazza will surely be superb! (no pressure…. 🙂 )