And so, having run through three dozen acts Bubbling Under the chart, let us commence this year’s UK Country Festive Fifty.
Mention will be made where necessary of notable festival appearances, physical releases of new music and radio sessions. You can hear a playlist of songs from all 50 acts here.
50-41
50 The Night Hearts: just sneaking on to the Festive Fifty on account of all the admin needed to change their name from The Rising, although they also played Country on the Lagan and The Round Up. They are on the bill for the inaugural In It Together festival in Wales for May 2025, as well as the Roadhouse Weekender in July. Their regular livestreams and shows at the Belfast Barge, with which Chris from the band is involved, also push them on to the list. Plenty of new music is expected next year.
49 Robbie Cavanagh: after releasing his album Tough Love in 2023, Robbie has been gigging this year, with shows at Cambridge Folk Festival, at Pizza Express Holborn for Nashville Meets London and, next week, at Green Note Camden in support of The Jackson Line at their EP launch. In January he’ll be at Americana Music Week as a showcase performer.
48 Bailey Tomkinson: the Cornish coastal cowgirl, as she calls herself, appeared at Black Deer and The Long Road this year, and will play Roadhouse Weekender 2025. She also supported Simple Minds when they came to Cornwall. One newspaper called her and her band The Locals the UK’s answer to Daisy Jones and The Six, a band that doesn’t exist (much like the genre of UK Country).
47 Laura Oakes: one of the UK Country original gangstas, Laura was part of a writers round of Liver Birds at The British Country Music Festival and she also played a show as part of Nashville Meets London. Recently she’s been out playing arenas in support of Tom Walker and The Script, finding an audience befitting her talents away from the traditional UK country crowd.
46 Katie Rigby: testament to her rapid rise, Katie joined Jade Helliwell on her nationwide tour after wowing the tent at Buckle & Boots. She will play Roadhouse Weekender 2025.
45 Robyn Red: young Robyn increased her profile in 2024 with gigs at The Round Up, Live in the Living Room, Buckle & Boots and Mill Town Music Festival, and she will play Roadhouse Weekender 2025. Perhaps there will be more headline shows in her home city of Glasgow, after playing one at King Tut’s in July.
44 Lauren Housley & the Northern Cowboys: after winning Song of the Year at the UK Americana Awards 2024, Lauren and her band of cowboys were out on tour in the autumn and played a show for Nashville Meets London too. No new music this year, but mum-of-two Lauren has more than enough to be getting on with.
43 Daisy Chute: as well as going out on tour with Hollie Rogers and Lady Nade this year, Daisy also played Black Deer.
42 Foreign Affairs: brothers Lawrence and Adam were festival regulars this year, playing Buckle & Boots, The British Country Music Festival, Black Deer and Speedfest.
41 Orphan Colours: their new album King of Alchemy featured the sublime Blame It on the Weather, one of my favourite songs released in 2024.
40 Jill Jackson: having appearing at Mill Town Music Festival, Jill was announced as a showcase artist for UK Americana Week in January. She’ll also be appearing in Glasgow the week before, headlining a show at Celtic Connections.
39 Harleymoon Kemp: a four-song EP called Lone Ranger came out on the last day of spring, and then Harleymoon was MC at the Country Road festival in Southampton.
38 Tennessee Twin: a busy year for Geoff and Victoria, who made their debut at Country2Country and played their friend Sarah Yeo’s West Country Music Festival. They are booked for the Roadhouse Weekender 2025 and they run their own songwriters night too.
37 True Foxes: the Cornish cousins put out their debut album Howl on the first day of spring, and toured it extensively.
36 The Outlaw Orchestra: the South Coast-based trio put out their new album La Familia in October, which hardened their sound even more than before. They are on the bill for the inaugural In It Together festival in Wales for May 2025, which I am positive will not be their only festival booking.
35 Danny & the Champions of the World: Danny George Wilson got the band back together for a new album, You Are Not a Stranger Here, which they will tour early in 2025. They’re up for Live Act of the Year at the AMA-UK Awards too.
34 Georgia Nevada: a recent EP called The Bright Side of the Dark capped a busy year for Georgia, who brought her band to Country on the Coast and will play Roadhouse Weekender 2025 and Rock N Ribs a fortnight later. It’ll be perfect festival fare: the EP’s title track cranks up the guitars but leaves room for a supremely melodic chorus, while Pedigree brings dogs into UK Country too.
33 Nick Edwards: another busy fella, the man who got his start on Britain’s Got Talent played Country on the Coast, Buckle & Boots and the Country Road festival in Southampton. He also headlined both editions of Live in the Living Room and found time to put out an EP. An album is due.
32 Luke Flear: the young Leodensian played the main stage at Buckle & Boots this year, and he offered his rocking country sounds at Country2Country, The Round Up and Black Deer. Might we hear the fruits of his autumn trip to Nashville when he plays the inaugural In It Together festival in Wales next May and both the Roadhouse Weekender and Rock N Ribs in July?
31 Alan Finlan: the big man from the small town has just headlined the November Live in the Living Room event, as well as playing The Round Up, Country on the Coast and Southampton Country festivals. He’s booked for next July’s Roadhouse Weekender too, where he will play his 2024 single Til Last Call.
30 Matt Hodges: Tim Prottey-Jones once introduced Matt as ‘big man’ on his Homegrown radio show, and the man has been on some big stages this year: Buckle and Boots, Black Deer, the recent Country In The Afternoon and South Wales festivals. He also went on his own headline tour this year, and in 2025 he is high up the bill at the Roadhouse Weekender. He also has a monthly residency up in Wakefield at the LOT, under the banner Tailgate and the strapline ‘BBQ, Booze, Country’.
29 Danni Nicholls: now based in Nashville, Danni came back to the UK this year to promote her album Under the Neem Plum Tree, which included covers of old country songs beloved by her grandma. She’ll be back in the UK in January as a showcase act for UK Americana Music Week.
28 Wood Burnt Red: the hardest working band in UK Country, the quintet headlined Live in the Living Room in April, then played Country on the Coast, Buckle & Boots, Black Deer and The Long Road. They are already booked in for both In It Together in May and the inaugural Roadhouse Weekender in July, where they will play the four new singles they put out in 2024, many of them collaborations with Nashville-based British producer Tyler Spicer. They range from party songs Bartender and Best Things to the wedding song One Chance. They’ll be even higher up the Fifty in 2025; catch them as they rise.
27 Eddy Smith & the 507: having put out their excellent album Right Up Til Now in 2023, the band played Buckle & Boots and Speedfest this year, as well as a headline show at the Jazz Café in Camden. In May next year they play several dates in Spain.
26 The Staves: now a duo, they promoted their impressive album All Now in the UK and USA, including at KOKO and at Black Deer. They have a gig booked in at the Barbican Centre in February 2025. I should really put them higher as they’re one of Watford’s best musical exports, and I live in the town too, but I cannot show any evidence of local favouritism.
25 Ags Connolly: up in Oxfordshire, Ags is ploughing a Texmex furrow. He has just put out a tribute album to James Hand, Your Pal Slim, which is one of the best collections released in the last 12 months. He launched it at three events: one as part of the South Wales Festival, and a pair of events in Witney. He has a European tour and a London launch booked for January, and this year he also found time to publish a crime novel called Outside the Light.
24 Sam Palladio: Gunnar from Nashville’s debut solo album The Perfect Summer’s Day, Before We Lost the Light has been years in the making. Sam went on a UK tour to support it.
23 Blue Rose Code: the project of Ross Wilson, his/their new album Bright Circumstance was promoted on Ricky Ross’s BBC Radio Scotland show and during a tour this autumn. It was longlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year award. The band have also gained a much-deserved nomination for UK Song of the Year at the AMA-UK Awards for Sadie.
22 Raintown: after signposting the release of their album Acoustic Heart at Country in the Afternoon in 2023, Paul and Claire played Mill Town Music Festival and The Round Up.
21 The Jackson Line: hosts of their own Radio City Sessions event in Chelmsford, the band launch their California EP at the Camden Green Note on December 12.
20 Lady Nade: when she wasn’t being Nina Simone this year, Nade has been recording her new album and going out on tour with her own music as part of the Mystery Guest tour alongside Daisy Chute and Hollie Rogers. She is also very good value on social media.
19 Simeon Hammond Dallas: Simeon is crowdfunding her next EP, and perhaps some of those benefactors will have seen her at Country2Country or the London Round Up show. In January she’ll be at Americana Music Week as a showcase performer, and she’ll be at the Roadhouse Weekender too.
18 Emilia Quinn: a stonking performance at Country2Country kicked off a year in which Emilia headlined Buckle & Boots, went on a short acoustic tour and played Speedfest and Rock N Ribs. She’ll be at Roadhouse Weekender next year.
17 Hannah White: mum-of-two Hannah must be brilliant at juggling. As well as running the Sound Lounge in Sutton with her partner Keiron, she put out a song every month this year and played a session in Glasgow on her friend Ricky Ross’s Radio Scotland show. She was also named Caffe Nero artist of the month for November, which introduced her music to coffee drinkers around the UK. The AMA-UK Awards have put her forward again for Album and Artist of the Year, while Keiron is nominated for Musician of the Year; I think she’ll win at least one.
16 Sarah Yeo: Sarah was the driving force behind the West Country Music Festival down in Devon, which returned this summer, and she also put out an excellent album this year called The Wisdom of the Wind.
15 Jade Helliwell: now married to her guitar player Luke Thomas, Jade put out the EP How Love Goes, which is her best work so far and in support of which she toured in the autumn. She made a cameo appearance at Buckle & Boots and played full sets at Country on the Clyde and Speedfest, and she was onstage as part of the Girls Night In event in February. Her next big role is as a singer in the Country Hits Live roadshow, promoted by Luke, where she and Lars Pluto sing country songs past and present; she is also lined up for the inaugural Roadhouse Weekender in July 2025.
14 Gary Quinn: the circusmaster of Buckle & Boots deigned to play the main stage this year alongside his usual songwriters round appearance in the tent. He also played Country on the Lagan, a Northern Irish partner to Country on the Clyde, as well as Black Deer and Country in the Afternoon, where he brought his friend Jeremy McComb to London as part of a European tour.
13 Two Ways Home: having spent 2023 planning a wedding, Lewis and Isi spent their first year of marriage at the coalface. They took their Round Up across the country in November to promote their new single Hear a Heartache, and they played both Big Feastival and the spring iteration of Country in the Afternoon. The pair also brought their MC skills to the Front Porch stage at The Long Road, where they also put on a Round Up.
12 Twinnie: a busy year for Twin, who lives in Nashville most of the year and accordingly played a showcase gig at CMA Fest. She popped back to Blighty for five shows in late November to promote Something We Used To Say, a 22-track album which includes songs that were previously collected on two EPs called The Blue Hour. She also played a Nashville Meets London gig and festivals including Black Deer and The British Country Music Festival. Twinnie also found time to make a cameo appearance as a boxing promoter in TV soap Emmerdale.
11 The Wandering Hearts: the trio put out their third album Mother this year, which marked the changes in life circumstances for members Tara and Chess, and toured the album extensively, both on their own dates and at summer folk festivals. They have six Christmas shows lined up this month, some of which are sold out.
10 Gasoline & Matches: Sally and Steve made their Country2Country debut this year, testament to their support of the UK Country scene and its support of the duo in turn. As well as hosting their own event in Birmingham, the beloved Nashville Sounds in the Round, they took their guitars to a host of festivals including Black Deer, The Long Road, Speedfest, Rock N Ribs and Country Road down in Southampton. They also played a chunky set for the Clewes’ Country event at the Bedford in Balham, and they are on the bill for next year’s Roadhouse Weekender and the inaugural In It Together festival in Wales.
9 Morganway: for a band whose new album isn’t out until January 2025, the sextet had an incredibly busy year where they released several tracks from that album to streaming services. They performed them live at various events: UK Americana Music Week in January, The Long Road and Mill Town in August and as an opening act for Scarlet Rebels in October. Kieran and SJ also popped up on BBC 5Live where they sang football chants. The band are out on tour to support the album next April, and are also due to play the West Coast Folk festival in Blackpool in January, In It Together in Wales in May and the Roadhouse Weekender in July. Incredibly, they are one of 10 nominees for Live Act of the Year at the AMA-UK Awards.
8 Robert Vincent: still the real deal, still among the finest singer/songwriters working in Britain, Rob put out his album Barriers in 2024 which he promoted at The Long Road and at a recent London gig at The Round Up. As well as heading out on a headline tour in October across the UK, he opened up for his friend Robert Plant’s band Saving Grace including at a show in Paris. Rob will also be headlining a show in January as part of Celtic Connections, the same month he performs as a showcase act for UK Americana Music Week. He’s up for UK Song of the Year (for Follow What You Love and Love Will Follow) and Artist of the Year at the AMA-UK Awards.
7 First Time Flyers: having put out plenty of music in 2023, it was odd for the quartet to only put out a trio of tracks this year. Out of Your Mind, on which the band share lead vocals, was debuted on Radio 2’s Country show, while Jump made the Radio 2 playlist just in time to promote their tour dates this autumn and an appearance at The British Country Music Festival. They also played Buckle & Boots and Nashville Meets London, and they are booked for next July’s inaugural Roadhouse Weekender, before which they head out on the road for the second leg of their tour in February. Tim from the band has passed 200 episodes of his Homegrown show which promotes UK Country on CountryLine.
6 The Shires: Ben and Crissie have been on the scene for a decade now and will forever be the act that sold UK Country music to the Radio 2 crowd before anyone else did. In 2024 they set their songs acoustically on record and onstage, including at Black Deer, while Ben played Nashville Meets London as part of a bill with his friend Jeff Cohen.
5 Ward Thomas: after a busy 2023 which included a new album and a new baby, Catherine and Lizzie were treading the boards singing their catalogue in an acoustic fashion. They headlined both Speedfest in June and the West Country Music Festival in August, either side of playing Black Deer. They have also put out four tracks as a taster for a new album recorded with Nashville producer Aaron Eshius and written with regular co-writer Rebekah Powell.
4 Remember Monday: the trio started 2024 singing Hand In My Pocket by Alanis Morrisette on their friend Jennifer Hudson’s US TV show, and they went out to Nashville for CMA Fest 2024. Their year finished with the release of a five-track EP called Crazy Anyway, which they toured across the UK with dates at Glasgow’s Oran Mor and Islington Assembly Hall. Lead single Famous got Radio 2 airplay.
3 Elles Bailey: another busy year for Elles, whose AMA-UK award-nominated album Beneath the Neon Glow reached the top 20 thanks to support from indie label Cooking Vinyl. To promote the album she went on another huge tour across Europe; next summer she will support Rag N Bone Man at a series of dates, some of which are supported by TK Maxx, and she’s very high up the bill on the Scottish festival Belladrum. I have a feeling Elles will win at least one prize at the Americana UK Awards in January: she’s up for Artist of the Year too.
2 Ferris & Sylvester: the year began for Izzy and Archie with a UK tour to promote the completion of their album Otherness, two of whose three parts had been rolled out in 2023. They did a session for Ricky Ross on BBC Radio Scotland and also popped up on Radio 4’s arts magazine show Front Row. They appeared at Black Deer and have been announced as a showcase act for UK Americana Music Week 2025. I have a feeling they will win at least one prize at that week’s award show; they’re nominated for Artist and Album of the Year, which is justified because Otherness is a flawless piece of work. What a lucky child their son Lucky is to have parents like this.
1 Kezia Gill: it really could not be anyone else. Having started 2024 as a quarter of the Girls Night In tour, she helped present Radio 2’s coverage of CMA Fest and played the festival herself. Alongside trips to the Middle East(!) and a return to Nashville to record a new album, she duetted with Ward Thomas on their song Quarter Life Crisis, headlined The British Country Music Festival, featured in a writers round at Nashville Meets London, appeared at both Black Deer and Rock N Ribs festival and, amid an autumn tour playing her songs in an acoustic fashion which climaxed with two dates at West London’s Bush Hall, she was announced as main arena performer for C2C 2025. Kez is one of the 10 nominees for Live Act of the Year at the AMA-UK Awards. She is also high up the bill for Roadhouse Weekender 2025 and the inaugural In It Together festival in Wales. Sometimes Kezia has time to sleep. Maybe she’ll catch up on lost hours on the flight over to Australia to play CMC Rocks.
A reminder that you can hear a playlist with tracks from every act in the Festive Fifty here.
A Country Way of Life 