Welcome to the UK Country Festive Fifty 2024, a hilariously subjective attempt to rank the biggest and most important acts in a genre that doesn’t exist.
UK Country is the sum of its practitioners: a mix of pop, rock, blues, folk, roots and even Texmex. Such acts are united by two factors: a) they all say they are country performers, and b) they all play country music festivals. Otherwise they sound different, look different and are at various stages of their career.
Some are baby acts yet to put out a full-length release, while others are on their fifth album which they can tour across the UK. Some acts are booked for the arena at Country2Country 2025, while others will be forced to deal with tannoy announcements while they play the small stage in the shopping centre upstairs in the O2 complex; some acts have been involved in the scene for 30 years, others for 30 months.
I have scoured festival lineups, streaming services and Facebook accounts to find the 50 acts that, this year, have made the greatest impact on the genre, but there are also a few dozen acts Bubbling Under those 50. The acts namechecked in this piece are in no particular order, but I will emphasise the likelihood of them breaking into, or returning to, the Festive Fifty.
For instance, if I extended the Fifty into the Sixty, acts placed between 60 and 51 would undoubtedly include acts who played either Country2Country or Country on the Clyde. Thomas Kavanagh, who put out an EP this autumn, played the former festival, while Liam Cromby was up in Glasgow promoting an album he released in 2023. Liam, who will be a showcase artist at Americana Music Week next month, also played one of this year’s shows under the Nashville Meets London banner, as did Essex County and Preston D Barnes.
Beth Nielsen Chapman headlined The British Country Music Festival, while Neeve Zahra was also on the bill as part of the Liver Birds songwriters round alongside St Catherine’s Child; this month she supports The View at their show at the O2 Academy Glasgow. Neeve also got some valuable airtime after she handed her CD to Bob Harris and was given a moment to natter with Bob on Radio 2’s C2C coverage.
Megan Rose, who is soon to take time out to care for her forthcoming baby, was also at Country on the Clyde in March, then played the Clewes Country event in October at the Bedford in Balham; Chanel Yates was also on the bill. In April and November, that venue resounded to two dozen performers in support of Live in the Living Room, with the two events showcasing the talents of Andrew Jones, Ben Selleck, Jackson Lake, Luke Edney, Mr Paul Adams and Steve Young, who made national news for being the first cancer patient to take part in trials to treat skin cancer with a vaccine.
If I then extended the Festive Fifty to a Festive Seventy-Five, there are yet more acts to consider. Nicole Shortland, who tends to a farm of her own and has also had some rather worrying recent health issues, sang her song World on Fire at the Bedford, then performed at a Lil Nashville club event and the Southsea festival Country on the Coast. Other acts who played that latter event include Kier and one of the acts who headlined one of those Live in the Living Room events, Laketown.
Two festivals will welcome country acts to new places next year: In It Together falls the same late May Bank Holiday weekend as Buckle & Boots, and its country stage features several acts who are in the Festive Fifty. Those bubbling under include Eleri, Rhiannon Page, Jeorgia Rose and Megan Lee. The announcement of the inaugural Roadhouse Weekender in July 2025 brought a first wave of British acts including Rhiannon Page, Brooke Law, Eric & Jensen, Katy Hurt, Jake O’Neill and Fin Pearson, the last two of whom played the tent at Buckle & Boots as they start out on the UK country scene. Oscar Corney was there too, showcasing the five original songs he has put out this year.
Oscar also popped up at The Long Road, whose bill included several British acts including Joe Martin and Georgia van Etten, both of whom miss out on an appearance in the Festive Fifty this year. Georgia will be a showcase performer at Americana Music Week in January.
Hollie Rogers, who impressed me when I saw her in Blackpool in 2022, also misses out; she was on the road in 2024 as part of a Mystery Guest tour alongside Lady Nade and Daisy Chute, who both make the Fifty. Holly, Daisy and Ed Blunt teamed up for a Christmas single called Big Bang Love (‘I want a cosmic power!!’) that is jolly good fun. Jonny Morgan, who in January was given the Bob Harris Award at the AMA-UK Awards, will also play Americana Music Week, where he will be playing songs from his 2023 album Good Luck with the Music (great title!) and perhaps a 2024 EP that includes a cover of Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan.
It is a mystery to me why Jess Thristan isn’t better known; she joined Demi Marriner, Jade Helliwell and Kezia Gill for their Girls Night In tour in February, which is fast becoming a regular fixture in the UK Country calendar. Kezia and Jade will be high up the Festive Fifty, while Demi misses out this year, although she is a pivotal part of her friend Elles Bailey’s crack band. As an artist in her own right she has been announced for January’s UK West Coast Folk festival in Blackpool.
Several acts who put out albums in 2024 miss out on the Festive Fifty too, although they would fit into a notional Festive Ninety. They include Jenny Colquitt, Sarah Louise, Adam Brucass, Matt Owens and Adele & Andy. Black Deer performers Dan Owen and Damian Lewis (yes, that one) would also squeeze into this chart, as would Mikki Evans, Emily Faye and Chloe Chadwick.
Backwoods Creek put out one of the videos of the year for Alright, the only new song they have added to streaming services this year. It seems astonishing that a band who have been on the scene for years do not make the Festive Fifty 2024, but such is the level of competition these days.
Three UK acts have been announced for the 2025 iteration of Country on the Clyde, which makes them ones to watch for next year: Cody Feechan, the ‘finger pickin’ good’ Tom Hodge and Jeorgia Rose. Keep an eye on Dreaming Spires, who were announced as a showcase artist at next month’s UK Americana Music Week, and Half a Chance aka, the husband-and-wife duo Joey Clarkson and Peter Dixon. Peter is a man of many talents, a brass player and a bass player as well as an artist, while Joey is a superstar who has endured a tough few years.
Indeed, the pair opened up about their struggle to conceive on new song Little Problems; you’re not supposed to talk about fertility treatment in a song, as Brad Paisley might say, but this is country music. The pair played at The Round Up event down in their home town of Bridport, which they recently showcased on Escape to the Country (which is available to view via the BBC iPlayer).
Finally, mazaltov to Hannah Paris on becoming a mum late this summer to daughter Grace. Her dad, Grandpa Rick, sent me a song called Oh Santa, which is available now. Here’s what he told me about the song.
‘The song Oh Santa began its journey over 12 months ago, but for various reasons, we didn’t manage to finish it in time for Christmas 2023. Releasing a song involves a meticulous process: it can take about four weeks from uploading a track to streaming platforms to ensure everything is ready for the release date. By late October 2023, we realized we needed more time to edit the track, and it became clear we couldn’t meet the deadline. Rather than rushing, we decided to focus on perfecting it for Christmas 2024.
‘Over the holiday season, however, all thoughts of the song were set aside when Hannah shared the joyous news with her family that she was expecting her first baby. Amidst the excitement, Oh Santa quietly took a backseat.
‘Fast forward to September 2024: baby Grace was about 7–8 weeks old, and we realized if the song was going to have a shot at being released this year, we needed to act fast! Midway through the month, we reopened the session in our home studio to revisit what we had worked on the previous year.
‘It’s always an interesting experience revisiting an old project. Sometimes the music doesn’t age well, and you decide to leave it behind. Other times, you’re pleasantly surprised. Thankfully, Oh Santa fell into the latter category.
‘The song tells a simple yet timeless story, one of Christmas magic and the emotions the season brings. As the days grow shorter and the cold sets in, many of us long for someone special to share those cozy moments with, whether it’s watching cheesy Christmas movies on the sofa or just enjoying each other’s company. For those without that special someone, the song imagines a whimsical twist: what if Santa himself could sprinkle a bit of magic and bring love into someone’s life? After all, Christmas is a time for dreams and magic.
‘For the song itself, we incorporated a glockenspiel to give it that unmistakable Christmas charm. Alongside it, if you listen closely, you’ll hear ukulele, drums, bass, acoustic guitars, and even an electric guitar, creating a rich, layered sound. To top it off, we added plenty of choral “oohs” and “aahs” in the background of the choruses, giving the track a warm, festive feel that we felt was perfect for the festive season.’
Odd how few Christmas songs UK country acts put out in any given year, but Oh Santa leads the pack for 2024.
A Country Way of Life 