Anna Hyams

FRIDAY

It’s that last drip of summer, the deepening skies and smell of woodsmoke in the air. Autumn is on it’s way but we have one last hurrah in the form of The Long Road festival. Nestled in the woodland and fields surrounding Stanford Hall, these Leicestershire lands play host to a little slice of Americana once a year. Bring your cowboy boots and your Stetsons, it’s time to throwdown at the hoedown.

Friday at Long Road is a relaxed affair, with the main stage not being open today there is ample time to wander around the other areas and find our feet. We catch a little of American Aquarium over at The Interstate tent, who start off sounding a lot like punk-rock but eventually settle into a more country style. After a quick tour around the food offerings we opt to take seats on one of the many long benches set out in front of The Interstate, and choose Bayou Kitchen cajun shrimp bowls. This is my go-to food at TLR, so I’m glad to see they’re back again.

We mosey around, stopping to listen in at The Front Porch and once again I can’t help but admire the choice to theme this stage. If you don’t know, The Front Porch is a cabin with… well, a front porch. Bands perform on the porch as if you’re in their backyard, there are rocking chairs and smoke pours from the little chimney. While there is always a small standing crowd up front, this stage is the place to go if you want to have a chilled sit-down to enjoy the music, and tonight there are many doing just that – under the soft festoon lights and dwindling sun.

Taking a stroll around the various shopping stalls, boots and hats enticing us at every turn, we are drawn into the Solo Stove area where bright fires are crackling into the pink sky. The merch stall is already full of people grabbing their TLR t-shirts and caps, and this year there’s an incredible knitted blanket on offer that catches my eye. We decide to finish up our night with a pot of Crumble (incredible festival food choice) and joining in with the line-dancing class at The Front Porch. It won’t be the last time I hear Rascal Flatts this weekend, but hey – now I can Cowboy Hustle to it!

SATURDAY

Today, the arena is in full swing and we are heading in for a day of rootin’ tootin’ antics, off first in search of some lunch. Today we hit up the Brisket wagon, which is a truck that houses proper southern style smokers, for some low and slow fall-apart meat on top of cheese-fries. Heaven.

Suitably satiated we take to the main stage for Kristian Bush (yes, of Sugarland fame), who is bringing some melodic country rock and his dry humour to the proceedings, alongside his brother Brandon on keys.“You tighten one butt-cheek at a time, this is for all you men out there going “oh I have to dance?” that’s how you do” giggles Bush, as they drop into hit ‘Trailer Hitch’ – which I absolutely love for it’s lyrics.

In another smooth move, Kristian talks about loving the UK show Taskmaster, and how he’s watched all of the seasons (huge cheers from the crowd) before telling us that he should get paid more for bringing the sunshine here today and yelling “…this is for all you people who still believe in summertime!”.

“I’ve won loads of country music awards and never wrote a song about drinking. I apologise. Have you ever been at the bar and suddenly you can’t walk? It just happens…” is his leading line into ‘Flip Flops’, a song that will resonate well with anyone who has ever been on a bender… which let’s face it, is the entire UK population.

Kyle Daniel is up next, shouting “Let’s boogie” and launching into some classic country rock with ‘God Bless America (Damn Rock n’ Roll)’ which is, as you can imagine; very singable. A huge crowd has come out to see him today, probably in large part thanks to the exceptional performance he gave here a couple of years ago, albeit with a different backing band. We also get a taste of his epic collaboration with The Cadillac Three – ‘Summer Down South’, which comes with the comedic timing of a side of rain.

We take off after that to check out the Fort Worth x Weber grills area, new to the arena this year. To the side there’s a tiny bar where they’re mixing up cocktails and giving out bandanas and tiny hip flasks as freebies, as well as providing a hot-branding station for leather boots. On the other side under cover, Weber are doing the most mouth-watering cooking demos you can imagine, but there are A LOT of people waiting for taste today so we shuffle off to grab our own food elsewhere. Jonah Kagen is giving the Interstate a good giggle, saying that his British Airways pilot on the way here, sounded like David Attenborough.

The Yeti custom shop has brought back it’s very successful laser-cutter custom shop again, and a double size space to house all the amazing goodies on offer. I don’t know in what world I will ever need a travel cafetière that makes 10 cups of coffee, but I sure do want one now.

Oklahoma kid Wyatt Flores is giving a fantastically energetic performance over on the Rhinestone, but unfortunately the rain is moving in fast and heavy. We run for cover under the Visit Austin barn, and manage to snag ourselves some more freebies in the form of bandanas and tote bags – which have armadillos on them. Cute. There’s even a photobooth in there, nice swag Austin, nice.

After the downpour abates, we hop over to The Showground to watch the annual Hot Dog Eating Contest. Last year was beset by calamity in the form of Brioche buns – and the winning contestant only managed a measly three dogs. No such silliness this year, as the very standard buns are brought over in giant catering trays, to the gingham-clothed table.

Drawn from a hat, the contestants fill the tables and are told that they have 7 minutes in which to chomp as many hot dogs as they can, that there’s a sick bucket behind them, and that the ambulance service people off to the side are trained in the Heimlich maneuver. A girl named Jordan (who didn’t even enter) is filling in for her absent boyfriend, and is expertly dunking her bready buns into water cups to consume faster, Aussie Harry seems entirely unbothered and looks like he’s just there for lunch, but the winner is Miles with 8 hot diggity dawgs. Congratulations man! Although I must point out, that champion scoffer Joey Chestnut has just recently downed 83 dogs in 10 minutes at his most recent match. So, there’s that.

Brittney Spencer is our next pick, she’s rocking an incredible laced-flared 70’s floral two-piece and has the most phenomenal voice, one of my favourite performers of the weekend by far. It might be overcast and cold today, but there’s no standing still when she shouts “Get your drinks up, put your tequila whisky or water up!” for ‘I Got Time’, so we are all dancing along with her.

Following Brittney is ethereal moonchild Paula Cole, who is giving ‘next-door neighbour who is actually a witch and will help you hex your ex’. “This song is about my mother” she says about ‘Follow The Moon’ a beautiful melancholy ballad. If you like Tori Amos, Sinead O’Connor or Kate Bush – this is your jam at TLR. ‘Where Did All The Cowboys Go’ and Dawson’s Creek tv show theme tune ‘I Don’t Want To Wait’ close up the show with a big old dose of the 90’s, and it’s really interesting to hear her speak on her most well-known hit; “I wrote this for my grandfather. He came back from Okinawa with more than just physical scars. It affected my whole family.”

Afterwards we take a chance to re-fuel with some delicious chicken and gravy sandwiches from the Roaming Rotisserie, and catch Brittany Spencer taking on (extremely unsuccessfully) the buckin’ bull rodeo game – kudos for trying though, that thing looks difficult.

The ‘American Troubador’ Don McLean is tonight’s Rhinestone headliner, heading to the stage with a big ensemble and not much other fanfare, smiling in his shirt and jeans. Touring through the back catalogue ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Winterwood’ come interspersed with tales of his musical career, “…don’t know how I found myself in Nashville, but I went and I stayed there, and I have been treated so well by the country music community. I’m sort of a misfit… I have songs from here there and everywhere because I’m interested in everything”.

A cover of Roy Orbison’s ‘Crying’ is lovely, but it’s clear that Don’s voice is waning as he cracks through a couple of notes. My Mum used to sing ‘Vincent’ to my sister when she was little, so we all croon along to that, but it honestly takes until the obvious choice ‘American Pie’ to get the whole arena joining in. With red white and blue strobing stage lights, Don takes the crowd’s enthusiasm for a ride – doing an extra chorus and verse to finish up. All in, I’m glad I saw him live, but I wouldn’t say it was a spectacular set otherwise.

SUNDAY

Kaitlin Butts is giving us gorgeous sunshine vocals on The Interstate as we head over to Lil’ Possum County kids area to play some cornhole and skittles, before hitting up the Weber area for a Chilli tutorial (culminating in tasters of the delicious Elk chilli, made Texas-true – no beans!).

Vincent Neil Emerson is giving a soulful banjo-picking performance in Buddy’s through the woodland walk, and we take the opportunity for a beverage and a sit down. It’s a shame the low tent stage facilitates so few people here, this is one that I wish would grow a bit for next year.

Brooke Eden is stunning in an all-white fringed outfit on the main stage, she’s enigmatic and funny, bringing her loud and proud pop-spiked brand of country to our little corner of the world.

“Have you ever fallen In love with your best friend… I did and she was a girl” she says, to cheers. “I moved to Nashville from Florida… Florida’s beautiful but you know craaazy” she laughs, before telling us “I’ve performed with my Dad’s band in country bars since I was 6yrs old… and you know I thought I’d meet a country guy there, and get married… but I met my wife.”

“They told me if I wanted to keep my career in country music I had to stay silent. Did that for 5 years and… don’t do that. I don’t recommend it. I came out 3 years ago with a music video with my wife in. I just had to scream it from the rooftops.” She says, as she leans into her Trisha Yearwood cover ‘She’s In Love With The Boy’ with altered lyrics to ‘Girl’. Her own single ‘Outlaw Love’ for “…anyone who has had to fight for their love” is the true star of the show though, it’s a cracking set. I will also celebrate anyone who has the courage to be vocal about diversity in a traditionally conservative genre.

Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors sing about family and home in Tennessee, and chats to the crowd like an old friend. Some helpful fan decides to help Drew with the pronunciation  of our location and yells “It’s LESS-TAH”, to which he chuckles and says “Thank you for that, a couple of weeks ago we were in Sweden and I got their town really wrong, felt like an idiot”.

Drew also tells a story about his Grandad, who was a ‘big fish’ telling tall tales. Apparently he once told a story about being invited to a dog show at Sandringham, and accidentally getting in a car with The Queen. Years later, when his Grandfather died – they got a letter of condolences from The Queen’s office. The song ‘Dragons’ is a gorgeous tribute to him. Drew also plays the harmonica, signs the jackets of fans, and is just all-round nice. ‘Find Your People’ is maybe my favourite add-to-playlist song of the weekend, and had the whole crowd dancing along.

Bringing earlier Interstate performers The National Parks on stage for a boogie during their collab ‘Dance With Everybody’, it’s a great ending to a wonderful set. Call me a new fan.

Randall King, self-proclaimed purveyor of honky-tonk and some classic rock n’roll, is bringing deep south to the rain-spattered main stage; “Do you know what time it is? It ain’t time to go home y’all… it’s tonk time!”. ‘You In A Honky Tonk’ conjures the image of The Blues Brothers having bottles thrown at them unless they play Rawhide on repeat. Randall might be trying to re-write the honky-tonk lore, but if you’re from the UK – you were brought up on cowboy depictions from the movies. “You stood out in the wind the rain, all to listen to some of our songs… I really do appreciate it so much. I get to live the dream on this stage” he says. You can’t go far wrong if you’re nice, nice to look at, and have a great voice. Randall gets my vote.

Russell Dickerson closes out TLR’s main stage offerings with a party atmosphere, gyrating his way across the stage and dancing with his guitarists.

Referencing our bank holiday Monday; “I heard you guys have a holiday tomorrow? So we’re gonna go big tonight right?” is slightly overshadowed by the immediate and hefty downpour – which he is nicely shielded from under the capped stage. ‘Love You Like I Used To’ has everyone up and dancing along despite the soggy conditions, and new song ‘Bones’ garners a roar of approval from the arena.

Russell is a fantastic performer, it’s such a shame that the heavens have opened though, as many people are packing up and defecting to other stages or even home to campervans. There’s plenty to keep everyone occupied around the arena still, with bands continuing on other stages and entertainments all over. Despite the rain, the beautiful soft festoon lights and the roaring fires are highlighting golden joyful faces, a sign of a festival well-done. There’s no other way to describe this festival than overwhelmingly friendly and consciously chilled out.

The tagline for The Long Road is ‘Welcome Home Old Friend’ and after a few years of attending this truly amazing little festival, I fully feel in the fold. Let’s hope for sunnier climes in 2025. See you next year, old friend.