This weekend brought some of the UK’s hottest country artists to the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. Catherine McGrath, Ward Thomas and Sarah Darling headlined The British Country Music Festival. Featuring an array of the UK’s best country artists, the three day event boasted four stages, across three venues, including the iconic Empress Ballroom, the Art Deco Arena, Gillows Bar and the Horseshoe Pavilion.

The Empress Ballroom set a great atmosphere for the main acts, and the candle lit tables offered a nice chilled out vibe. I thought the attendance seemed comfortable, considering the size of the room and the event being in its first year.

With a high talent threshold spread across the whole event, you would be hard pressed to find anyone below par. Unfortunately, it was impossible to watch everybody; however, I did notice some outstanding acts.

On Saturday, young country trio The Adelaides put on a great show at the mainstage, demonstrating impressive three-part harmonies. The Midlands Country pop girls performed a range of their own songs, including ‘Jack Daniels’ and ‘Jelly Baby’, with a couple of well known covers thrown in, including Lady Antebellum’s ‘Need You Now’ and Mark Ronson/Miley Cyrus’s ‘Nothing Breaks Like A Heart’. The group have said to draw influences from Maren Morris, Carrie Underwood as well as The Dixie Chicks. 

The Adelaides have also performed at The CMA Festival in Nashville and are still a relatively new act, having only formed in 2017.

Ward Thomas attracted perhaps the most attention when they headlined Saturday night. Twin Sisters Catherine and Lizzy Ward Thomas didn’t disappoint in performing a range of their own songs. Midway, they dropped ‘Cartwheels’, the title track of the 2016 album they have received most success from, which gained a UK number one album position. They also performed several songs from their recent top 10 album Restless Minds. Featuring their amazing blood harmonies, the sisters chopped between relaxed numbers and upbeat anthems.

On Sunday, Norfolk’s Jake Morrell took to the stage. He stunned the audience with his own songs, including ‘Half Your Heart’ and ‘Freewheeling’, from his latest album Home. There’s no doubt he has serious songwriting skills, and talent that’s sure to attract attention from Nashville. Jake was discovered by Dermot O’Leary and has also gained support and praise by the legendary Bob Harris. 

Megan O’Neill showcased her great Americana talent, switching between acoustic guitar and keys to perform her popular song ‘Ghost Of You’, the eponymous track from her album released last year, which gained a number 1 position in the UK/Ireland iTunes chart. Irish-born Megan has just finished her fourth record set for release in 2020. Dubbed the ‘Irish Carrie Underwood’, she has also opened up for Sir Tom Jones, and had her song featured on the hit TV series ‘Nashville’.

The Worry Dolls played just before the main headliner on Sunday. The Indie/folk duo added variation to the acts, bringing to the stage a range of instruments including banjo, double bass and pedal steel. They played some of their popular songs including ‘Miss You Already’, and ‘Light Oh Light’, featuring prominent slide and double bass. All seemed to go down great with the audience. Their debut album ‘Go Get Gone’ that was recorded in Nashville is already receiving top feedback. The Worry Dolls are definitely one to look out for.

The festival ended on a high on Sunday with Northern Irish Country singer-songwriter Catherine McGrath headlining the Empress Ballroom. Many of her fans who’d travelled especially for her performance had been waiting eagerly.

Having interviewed her last year, we are quite familiar with her style and music already-- she is also my favourite of the weekend. 

She played a range of songs from her debut album ‘Talk of This Town’, including; ‘Lost in the Middle’, ‘Wild’ and ‘Thought It Was Gonna Be Me’, plus a couple of covers, Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’, and Sheryl Crow’s version of ‘The First Cut Is The Deepest’. Holding great stage presence and sound, her impressive voice rang through the room. Already signed to Warner Bros, and teaming up with the likes of Hunter Hayes, the future looks bright for this young talent.

With the country music scene gaining more traction in the UK, it’s encouraging to see events like the The British Country Music Festival helping push this genre in such a stylish way. The festival is set to return to the Winter Gardens, Blackpool next year, and like any new event, the organisers will no doubt have improvements and new ideas to add for 2020.

 Country    British 

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and Managing Director of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.