The Long Road Festival 2023 – REVIEWED!

FRIDAY

In true bank holiday fashion, we have arrived to rain at the one festival that really requires sunshine to portray the appropriate Western ranch vibe. Sigh. Regardless, this location and this festival are just as beautiful as I remember from last year.

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The grounds of Stanford Hall in Leicestershire are now the 4 time home to The Long Road festival and while it is funny to see Americana showcased on the lawn of a very English manor house, the team have done a spectacular job of injecting county fair vibes all over the site. The signage is a particular favourite of mine, all handmade wooden and gorgeously retro, there are plenty of backdrops to take your festival photo at here – but especially the TLR sign itself which is emblazoned with the words “Welcome home, old friend”.

Friday kicks off in the arena around 3pm making this a kinda, two-and-a-half day festival which leaves a nice space for a lazy morning in your camper with friends. Heading into the arena we are greeted so warmly by the gate staff (I have nothing but nice things to say about all of the staff this weekend, they were all friendly and helpful) and we head into the High Falloutin’ VIP area to take a look around. Sadly this year they’ve done away with those awesome wooden recliner/porch chairs along the front of the railings but the fancy covered sofa areas remain, along with a new bar serving fine wines and cheese platters – very bougie.

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After a quick tour we head over to the Front Porch stage, which is just as pretty as ever – truly one of my favourite stage designs of all time. The chimney stack is smoking and despite the rain a decent crowd has assembled on the arced haybales and grassy area to catch some sweet early sets. Lil Possum County across the way doesn’t look to be up and running just yet, but kids have descended on the woodland walkway area in the trees instead. The O’Donnell moonshine bar looks like it’s already doing a roaring trade, and we grab some Cajun blackened shrimp from the Bayou outlet before taking a walk around the shopping area.

I nearly caved and bought some wellies disguised as cowboy boots. Then I nearly caved and bought some cowboy boots. In the end we settled for a cowboy boot ornament for our Christmas tree to represent TLR, but honestly I could spend a lot of money here if I went un-monitored.

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Heading over to the Interstate stage we catch Jim Lauderdale & The Game Changers’ soft bluesy country set, “This is a dream for me, I’ve always wanted to bring this overseas” Jim says to the applause of a packed tent. It’s a pretty tight stage for that many musicians but they make it work, and before long the whole house is dancing along with them. Following up, First Time Flyers with a more modern pop country sound but an equally full stage presence bring the party up a notch, but we head off in search of a fire to warm ourselves by and a sweet treat.

Jim Lauderdale © Anna Hyams for SFG – Do not use without permission.

Something I do really rate about this festival is the inclusion of sympathetic sponsors – the kind that actually are applicable to the theme and feel of the festival. This year we have the brilliant SoloStove brand who have put up their cylindrical stoves around the site (alongside the traditional firepits the TLR always have), but the real MVP goes to them for also providing toasting forks and all the ingredients to make s’mores. This is campfire Americana at it’s most stereotypical and I am so here for it. Now that the rain has gone, and we’re sitting on logs around a crackling fire eating strings of marshmallow and chatting to complete strangers in Stetsons and cowboy boots…

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Returning brand Yeti have once again brought with them an array of corral games like cornhole, lasso challenges and swing-hook challenges, along with a massive store front selling every imaginable cooler and drinks cup in the world. It’s fair to say I think, that TLR’s clientele crossover with the campervan/camping/outdoorsy community is large, and this was a great partnership last year BUT this year they have truly excelled themselves and brought a laser-cutter inside a horsebox. You heard me.

Two extremely friendly Americans in Stetsons are on hand to engrave whatever you want on your Yeti cups… for free! They even put stuff on our existing Yeti cups from last year, and very kindly engraved a mini SoloStove for us for a Christmas gift, true gentlemen – and the definition of coherent brand integration at a festival which honestly is kinda rare.

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Birmingham duo Gasoline and Matches over at the Front Porch have drawn a massive crowd now that the rain has stopped, and their set is absolutely brilliant and funny. “Let’s play never have I ever, you can buy us a drink” they joke, and end with a countrified Fresh Prince of Bel Air intro and the line “I’d like to take a minute just sit right there, I’ll tell you how I became the Princess of a town called… Lutterworth”,which really makes me giggle.

Canadian country queen Tenille Townes is lighting up the Interstate stage wearing the most extra snakeskin trousers and swishing her long dark hair. She’s such a bright powerful performer, and the tent is overflowing with people as she shouts “…this is a safe place to dance and sing, what I’m learning about the UK is… you guys know all the words! I appreciate you!”. We love the set, and the Alanis Morisette ‘Ironic’ singalong, but her song ‘The Last Time’ really got us in the feels tonight.

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SATURDAY

Taking it easy today due to the extremely heavy morning rainfall, we opt for strolling around and taking in the atmosphere a bit in between downpours and hiding under shelter. Luckily the weather breaks and we get to see Tenille Arts hit the main stage, singing the very catchy ‘Wildfire & Whiskey’ in her folded denim boots. The juxtaposition of cuteness vs. power in her vocals makes for a great show, and once again I have to hail to the covers but who doesn’t want to hear country versions of ‘Oops I did It Again’ and ‘Party in the USA’?

 Tenille Arts © Anna Hyams for SFG – Do not use without permission.

We take a beat to indulge in the extremely silly but very good £25 cheese platter I mentioned earlier. It easily fed two adults and a toddler (who actually scoffed about half the cheese before we even got to it) so it’s not a bad price considering, but it did feel like quite a ridiculous choice. So to even things up and get back to our normal lane, we head over to The Showground to watch the Hot Dog Eating competition.

‘Brendan with the ginger beard’ is stuffing his buns into the water Joey Chestnut style while he scarfs the dawgs, one guy is wearing recklessly tight shorts for this kind of affair, and a small child has been enlisted into carrying a sick-bucket around “just in case”. The sun has come out, there’s a huge crowd, and even the disappointment of 2/10 being the winning number of consumed dogs can’t make this event any less fun to me. Wish they’d done a second round of tshirts this year, I’d have bought another one.

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Josh Abbot Band are heating things up on the Rhinestone stage, the hazy crowd reflected in his mirrored aviators as he sings ‘The Luckiest’. It’s classic country, the lead guitarist has the coolest gold mosaic covered guitar and there are plenty of people up and dancing – this is what The Long Road is about. Having said that, The Colour Me Country takeover on the Front Porch is totally where the party is at today; Michael B Whit is absolutely smashing his set to a crowd who are quite literally hootin’ and hollerin’ along with him. It’s the most fun performance I’ve seen yet, and I love that The Front Porch stage allows everyone to actually just boogie with him like a party.

Josh Abbot Band  © Anna Hyams for SFG – Do not use without permission.

At the Showground there’s a Line-Dancing workshop in operation, through the woodland walkway Buddy’s Bar is the place for grabbing a drink and a sit down at the picnic tables (something else TLR do really well – offering heaps of seating), but we are heading back to the main stage for Margo Price.

Slightly late to the stage, Margo wows in a long fringed red leotard with white fringed cowboy boots and flowing blonde hair. Every bit the performer she whirls about the stage singing and laughing with her band-mates, and we love opener ‘Been To The Mountain’ and ‘Change of Heart’. I will also always appreciate a random cowbell solo, just sayin.

 Margo Price © Anna Hyams for SFG – Do not use without permission.

Blackberry Smoke are tonight’s main stage headliner, and are a band I first came across at Download Festival, so I’m excited to see them again in a very different arena. Starting out strong with ‘Fire In The Hole’ and ‘Good One Comin’ On’ this is pure sunset country, route 66 drive-time sort of music, and I absolutely love it. Their 70’s style purple and yellow backdrop billows in the soft breeze of the evening and the arena is full of people, those at the back just sitting and enjoying the music.

Other festivals I rate the standing crowd size comparable to the enjoyment of the set, but The Long Road is a different, more chilled out situation, and people are genuinely just relaxing and having a damn good time. “Thank you Leicestershire- did I pronounce that correctly?” laughs frontman Charlie Starr, before launching into the very catchy ‘Living In The Song’.  In case you’re wondering, yeah he did actually do a pretty good job of saying Leicestershire, he’d obviously had a practice.

Through the solos, the “Hey baby, hey mama” crowd participation and jamming, there runs a humble thread which is at the heart of this type of music I think, “The first time we played here was to about fifty people in Camden. If you were there, this one is for you” they reminisce. Playing through some of their hits like ‘Waiting for the Thunder’ and ‘Ain’t Got The Blues’ it’s clear they’ve been a great pick for the TLR headline slot, and the applause for encore tracks ‘Old Enough to Know’ and ‘Ain’t Much Left of Me’ absolutely seal the deal – what a fantastic night of music from Blackberry Smoke.

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SUNDAY

Today feels very Sunday-ish, and the temptation to lounge around has hit us hard. The weather is looking a lot less suspect this morning so we drag ourselves up and out, and catch early opener Alana Springsteen on the main stage. She’s wearing black leather trousers, looks like a supermodel and is singing hilarious stuff about her exes. I may love her. ‘You Don’t Deserve a Country Song’ is a personal fave, but her cover of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ is also great.

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Over at The Showground we join in with the hula-hooping workshop which is fairly chaotic but really good fun, another little thing that just pushes TLR into that category of thoughtful and experience-led rather than bog-standard music festival. We take a walk around The Lucky Dice Car and Bike Show, which is once again an absolutely brilliant part of this festival, it’s really fun to get to look at all these cars in person instead of in movies and TV shows.

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Megan Moroney hits the main stage in a bright white bubble-dress, shivering “I underestimated the weather here, I can’t feel my fingers”. Megan’s songs are classic country in sound, but she’s a more modern lyricist, and her songs really make me laugh in a good way – her spiel on how she was up at 2am and saw her ex’s new girlfriend accidentally like one of her Instagram posts, had me rolling. The fact that she wrote a whole song about it is the ultimate petty crime and I sincerely love that energy, “I see you girl” she side-eyes, and the whole crowd roar with laughter.

“I’m from a small town in Georgia… at the salon everyone talks… you know, which preachers son is smoking weed or selling it, we hear it all” she says before dropping into another brilliantly funny track ‘Hair Salon’. Megan’s set is plagued with bad feedback throughout but she takes it in her stride, and jokes “The last festival I was at, I didn’t play this song. A girl DM me afterwards and said I ruined her whole weekend. We can’t have that again” so we also get the apparently hotly touted ‘Why Johnny’, putting Megan firmly in my festival highlights category.

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Stomachs rumbling we join the food queues for smokehouse delights, and witness one of the most devastating events of the summer – a while side of pork-butt dropped on the floor out of the smoker. After a cheeky ask, one very lucky Sheltie named Oscar (because dogs are welcomed at TLR) is getting the most decadent lunch of his life.

In Lil Possum County, the kids activity area, a huge space hopper race is in action. Bigger kids have to hop backwards (which turns out to be nearly impossible and results in dire consequences) so the whole thing is a squealing melee of silly fun. Back at the main stage it’s the Colour Me Country takeover, with artists coming up to perform a song one after another or jamming together, and it is truly one of the best sets I’ve seen all weekend.

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“Colour Me Country started as a show, it is now a non-profit, all the artists have been given a grant from us. We’re here to start a movement, because country is for everyone!” shouts host and founder Rissi Palmer, before we are treated to excellent music from the likes of Gabe Lee, Michael B Whit, Lady Nade, Sacha and the phenomenal Chapel Hart. Finishing up with country historical classic ‘Let The Circle Be Unbroken’ with a side of backstory about it’s African-American origins with Lesley Riddle, it strikes me that the work Colour Me Country is doing has a much bigger impact than just giving black artists a platform – it is reaching into the depths of history to educate a much wider, and let’s face it, a much whiter audience. I really appreciate them being front and centre on the TLR bill.

Up next it’s Caylee Hammack, stunning in a bohemian flowing red dress and her long red hair. Leaning right into it she shouts “Y’all got a few more redheads here than in the states, so here’s a song about redheads!” and careens about the stage. Taking a sideways glance at Stanford Hall she giggles “Wow you sure know how to party in nice places… we don’t have buildings like that at the county fair back home” before singing ‘Only Good Things’ which she wrote during Covid when “…not a lot of good things were happening in the world” as she puts it.

Caylee Hammack © Anna Hyams for SFG – Do not use without permission.

At The Showground things are hotting up with the Hot Wings challenge. Random names are pulled from a Stetson to see who gets to compete, and it’s an interesting line up – mainly because one very shocked looking man tells us that he actually didn’t enter, and that his cheeky mates seem to have thrown his name in as a prank.

With 5 spice levels to get through, and a rule that the wing must first be rubbed onto the lips of the contestant, this could get spicy. Kid with sick bucket in place, the victims dive in, and two wings down one has already reached for the milk and… ahem… chickened out. Sorry. To everyone’s surprise the other contestants actually make it through all 5 levels and have to have their fate decided by a milk chugging challenge instead, so I put it to you TLR – these wings are sincerely NOT hot enough and need to be upgraded for next year.

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On the main stage, hailing from New Jersey we have Breland – bouncing onto the stage wearing a ranch-print double denim outfit that I would sincerely like to own. He is so full of energy and joy that it radiates to everyone in the absolutely huge crowd that has gathered to see him – “This is my favourite country to play you know, y’all are so much fun” he grins. ‘High Horse’ and ‘Thick’ have everyone absolutely captivated, so it’s just the icing on the cake when he brings out first Alana Springsteen and later Kezia Gill for some epic duets.

Breland and Alana Springsteen © Anna Hyams for SFG – Do not use without permission.

After a quick trip to the cake truck for a truly decadent cookie cup thing, Eli Young Band take to the stage with the confirmed earworm ‘Saltwater Gospel’, shouting out that TLR has “…been on [their] bucket list for a long time now”. Once again there is a huge crowd (thankfully) bathed in sunshine just enjoying the music, and it’s a gorgeous sight, it feels like the last hurrah of summer, especially when they give us a huge Walk The Moon ‘Shut Up and Dance’.

 Eli Young Band © Anna Hyams for SFG – Do not use without permission.

Now, in place of hastily cancelled headliner (a week out) Jon Pardi which left a lot of diehard fans very upset, we are instead in for a night of country powerhouse singer-songwriter Cam. After the forum fallout of Jon Pardi’s cancellation, on the back of last year’s similar circumstances with a Long Road headliner, the announcement that Cam would be replacing was met with absolute delight, so however Baylen and team managed this, absolute kudos to them.

With a huge white draped curtain across the back of the stage, and a mini podium set up, you could be forgiven for feeling like we were heading to church this evening, and Cam comes onto the stage dressed all in angelic white herself. It’s 20’s flapper meets zoot suit, with a rhinestone bralette and she looks sensational, but when she opens her mouth to sing the first lines of ‘Redwood Tree’ she could have turned up in a bin bag for all I care. What a damn incredible voice.

It’s a cloudless and cool night, definitely the cusp of Autumn and Cam is practically radiating sparks. Shouting out “I said yes to this before I even knew if my band were free, because I just love how you guy are. I hear y’all were in a pickle, that’s what friends do right? If you call me, I’ll be there” she elicits a massive cheer from the appreciative crowd in front of her, spanning the depths of the main stage area. This is truly every single person on site at this point.

‘Half Broke Heart’ and ‘Slow Down’ are oozing with all the charm and summer warmth that I think romanticises country music for us Brits, it speaks of scenes we can imagine rather than those we’ve experienced, and there’s something quite escapist in that. “Here’s one for the lovers, who’s in love right now?” she says to a chorus of excited whoops, “Aww cute, just when you think the world sucks” she giggles. “This one goes out to my California brother who couldn’t be here tonight… I want him to experience what I’m experiencing tonight” she calls out before going into a cover of Jon Pardi’s ‘Head Over Boots’, which I think is a really nice thoughtful touch to the set-list.

We also get a cover of ‘Palace’ the song she wrote with/for Sam Smith in all it’s synthy-glory, which is a bit of an unexpected sound for The Long Road, but it works. However, it seems the one everyone has been waiting for is ‘Diane’ as Cam picks up a guitar, and the echo of thousands of people singing along hums across the site.

Patti Smith Group cover ‘Because The Night’ is kitschy fun, and encore acts ‘Mayday’ and ‘My Mistake’ are unmistakably beloved by this crowd. I truly believe this is one of the best accidental switches that could have been made because Cam was the perfect ending to this year’s Long Road festival, embodying the truest spirit of family and the sentiment ‘Welcome home, old friend’.

All around site there are still fires burning, country-oke playing and friends still laughing, the night is still young but we are heading home. It feels like the true end of the high summer, that we got one last bout of sunshine and carefree days. Until next year, Long Road, you’ll be missed.

The Long Road Festival 2022 – REVIEWED!

Friday

The stars at night, are big and bright, deep in the heart of… Leicestershire. Yes folks, it’s finally time to return to the grounds of Stanford Hall in the UK, for three days of Country and Americana at The Long Road festival. Driving down the country lanes through picturesque thatched villages and ye old pubs, we’re talking about a very different kind of ‘country’ here in the UK. This feels more ‘there are a lot of murders for such a small place’ than ‘we brew moonshine in our tub’ but the essence is kind of the same – our sunbleached fields after a summer of heatwave might not be giving full Texas but eh, it’s not far off.

We head around to the marked carparking looking for day parking, only to be waved down by an angry steward telling us there’s no such thing (despite the GIANT sign 5 metres away from him saying it does) and get directed into the weekend camping car-park instead. So we do as we’re told only to discover that this isn’t the way to the main box office… there should be day-parking, and we now have to walk through camping fields to find it/our way in. I don’t know what was going on with Friday’s site staff but absolutely no-one seemed to have a clue what was happening or where anything was. However, after some grumpy shuffling we finally make our way past the beautiful Stanford Hall itself, and into the festival.

Since there isn’t any main stage action today, we decide to take a full tour of the site and see what’s what. We are greeted by an absolute plethora of stuff-to-do which I take as the mark of a good festival actually, and the site itself is really pretty. Over at The Showground, there’s a flamboyant pink and yellow garbed Cowboy sitting for a Life Drawing Class, whilst next door the Yeti stand is giving lasso lessons (it’s very cute, the ‘bulls’ are little horned heads stuck on the side of Yeti coolers) and axe-throwing.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

We take a minute to check out the merch tent, and are pleased to find the range has grown considerably since last time we were here and most of it is available up to a 4XL which is really nice to see. The best t-shirt by far though is the Hot-Dog Showdown one, I’m coming back for it for sure. Around the corner and through a little woodland path is the new home of Buddy’s Good Time Bar, which this year is two tents in a little arena. One the bar itself, one the stage – as well as some seating and a bank of toilets nearby. Last time Buddy’s was a really fun indoor saloon set up in a faux village, and this definitely feels more generic festival, but the stage is bigger and it’s a nice little area to hang out in.

Over on The Front Porch – a stage dressed as a country cabin, complete with smoking stack chimney – where performers quite literally do their set on the front porch, we take some time to sit down and listen to the soothing sounds of Kevin Daniel’s acoustic set. There are people splayed out everywhere in the sunshine just taking it all in, and Kevin’s voice is stunning – this is my favourite stage at TLR.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Jess Moskaluke’s soulful voice seeps out of The Interstate stage tent, and I actually quite enjoy her Kelly Clarkson ‘Since U Been Gone’ cover, despite not actually liking the song itself. London based Misty River is excellent on The Front Porch stage amongst the twinkling fairy lights and the hay bales, with her shimmering sequined dress and beautifully unusual voice. “What a joy to be here” she says but sadly the next few songs are all but drowned out by the noise pollution from The Interstate. The two stages really are too close together when one is playing big beats and the other is acoustic.

Behind us the Moonshine bar seem to be doing a roaring trade, and they have Cornhole and Horseshoe throwing competitions set up for people to play. Around the back of the arena there are a few choice shops to peruse, with some incredibly detailed and interesting cowboy boots and hats up for grabs, as well as floral jewellery and an absolutely incredible stall selling repurposed fabrics such as fancy tablecloths – made into tops and dresses. In the centre of this area is the adorably named ‘Lil Possum County’ kids area which is a hay-baled arena of things to do for your critters. Our lil possum gives the obstacle course a red-hot go, and then promptly falls over a space hopper – excellent fun for all.

Would it even be a festival review from me if I didn’t discuss the food options here? Today’s shout out goes to the amazing Texas Smokers, whose BBQ’s are built into an old American fire truck, with axes for handles. Epic. Their dirty-fries are loaded with so much brisket and cheese sauce that I actually couldn’t finish it – unheard of for festival food.

After the snake-like rest I required following my giant dinner, it’s into The Interstate for Priscilla Block. The tent is absolutely full and she puts on an awesome rowdy show with hits ‘My Bar’ and ‘Peaked In High School’ yelling “This is a song for anyone who made me feel like shit about myself…”.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

On The Front Porch, Ilana Zsigmond aka St. Catherine’s Child is having some sound issues but gives a stunning mellow performance anyway, before bluegrass troupe The Vanguards get everyone up and dancing in the twilight. The chimney of the shack smokes red to match their very dapper outfits, as they harmonize over the twanging banjo melodies. “We’re gonna play you one by the Stanley Brothers… any Stanley Brothers in the crowd? Oh. Wait. I should say Stanley Brothers fans… because they’re all dead” gets a snort from me – there’s nothing like a blooper to round out a show, but they’re funny and graceful, and it’s a really enjoyable set on the auspicious day of their album release.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

The last act of the night for us is Drake White in The Interstate, which is absolutely packed to the seams with adoring fans whooping as he takes to the stage. “It’s so nice to be here, to be free, to be wearing Ray Bans in a tent and singing for you” he quips, the freedom part presumably in reference to two cancelled years of TLR, but also noting that there is absolutely no reason to be wearing Ray Bans in dark tent full of people. Anyway the set is amazing, he has an undeniably fantastic voice, with that unmistakable Alabama drawl, and the band are rocking – a great first night closer.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

As the fire-pits around the site are lit and we head out, it truly smells like we’re on the cusp of Autumn. The crackling logs uplighting giggling golden faces, the crisp cold evenings coming in and the sounds all around us are uniquely Long Road. There’s a magic in the careful curation of experiences which transport you elsewhere in time or space – I feel like I could be laying under the stars on top of a Wagon in the old west right now.

Saturday

Starting off today with a bit of mellow soulfulness in the sunshine is Sam Williams on The Front Porch, followed by a walk around the Lucky Dice Classic Car Show over the lake – I particularly liked the yellow Harley Davidson, and there’s a bit of me that wanted to take the Bronco on a joyride, but I quash the desire in favour of watching some Cowboy Olympics in The Showground. A young lad is standing on a bale of hay trying to catch flung frisbees and stuff them down his top, whilst being unceremoniously jabbed by the horns of buffalos on sticks. 10/10 very entertaining, as was part two which involved throwing hay bales with little regard to rules or safety, excellent sights.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Hudson Taylor on The Interstate give me countrified-Weezer vibes, very boppy and fun, but we’re heading over to the New Orleans Kitchen for some of their incredible blackened cajun shrimp and fries bowls. This is the second festival we’ve had their food at and I just know I’m going to dream about it in the dead of winter and be mournful.

After eating we head back over to The Showground for possibly my most anticipated highlight of the festival – The Hot Dog Showdown. It’s a full house around the picnic tablecloth set-up, there are 6 willing participants and 60 hot-dogs on the deck. As many as you can eat in 3 minutes is the timeframe (which I personally think is a very short window for what look like extremely bready buns) but the countdown goes and the contenders start chomping. There are a few doing the renowned dip-the-bun-in-water technique, but only the ultimate winner is standing up and doing a little wiggle in the grand tradition of Matt Stonie – and it pays off.  Let this hereby be my petition to bring Matt Stonie and Joey Chestnut to TLR next year, make this event bigger and better, get a trophy. I’m off to buy a tshirt.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Round two for Priscilla Block this weekend, this time on the main stage. She arrives in her signature jorts and a sparkly scrunchie, brandishing a Yeti cooler cup and yelling “We have a saying where I come from – holler and swoller! You shout, then you drink” as the crowd join her in a toast. The set-list isn’t the same as yesterday’s, so Block fans are getting a good second innings here, but she does still play ‘My Bar’, and then “To anyone who ever told me I needed to lose weight to be up on this stage… This one’s called Thick Thighs”. It’s absolutely clear the crowd love her, and she has definitely been a highlight of TLR for me – both times.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Cassadee Pope is up next, hot off the back of a social media dispute involving other members of the country music scene – in which she and Maren Morris trash Brittany Aldean’s transphobic nonsense online. Since the festival, Morris has also translated this ridiculous saga into tshirts with ALL profits going to Trans charities, and Cassadee was first in the queue to purchase one – we love to see it. Bursting onto the stage in a patterned white suit, Cassadee calls out “I’m sure everyone out here has gone through something so so tough, and you thought you might not make it… but you’ve gotten through it and you’re here. Be proud of yourselves” to rapturous applause. She’s a ball of energy, entertaining and bright – one of the best performances of the weekend.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Up next, Brandy Clark in a very sparkly sequined green blazer – has been moved up from the Interstate to the main stage, and is talking about how Marty Stuart (playing later) is a hero of hers, and the honour of sharing a stage. “Here’s a song I wrote about a pawn shop, do you have those? It’s not the only song out there about a pawn shop, but I hope it’s your favourite” she smiles. Brandy has a fantastic voice, and is clearly a crowd favourite.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Charly Lowry is over on the Front Porch wearing red cowboy boots and bringing the energy back up, and later the gorgeously smooth voiced Rissi Palmer wraps up the ‘Colour Me Country’ takeover, bringing all the other artists up on stage to thank them.

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives are closing the Rhinestone stage tonight, stepping up to a much longer set than originally intended due to the cancellation of original headliner Chris Young – who pulled out of the festival (and his entire UK tour) on the 24th of August. The official line was that there were cases of Covid in the Chris Young touring party, but rumors abound of poor ticket sales on the tour have been circulating online, leaving a lot of disappointed fans who were attending specifically to see him.

However, this extended Marty Stuart jam session – with a heap of special guests – is a rare treat outside of Nashville, for country fans. Having toured with Johnny Cash in the 80’s, and having a career filled with amazing highlights in general – Marty is an institution in country music, and swaggers onto the stage in black, with all the confidence of someone completely at home under the show-lights. Marty’s touring band The Fabulous Superlatives are resplendent in matching powder blue rhinestoned floral suits (very apt for the Rhinestone Stage) as they launch into the set. It’s melodic, the harmonies are perfect, it’s a tour through classic country rock, and the crowd are having an absolute ball.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

We can’t get by without at least one quick pandemic reference here either; “It’s called Sitting Alone. I didn’t know what this song was about when I first wrote it, but I do now… for your consideration” Marty jokes, but I’ll let it slide because I really like the song. Going completely off script and just jamming along however they want, Marty yells “Wanna do a Johnny Cash song?” and of course it’s ‘Ring of Fire’ to the joy of everyone in the arena, before heading in a completely different musical direction. “I’ve been thinking about it… and I declare The Long Road Festival to be the surf music capital of the World… what do you think?” the crowd yells in agreement but I can’t help myself laugh at the fact that we’re in just about the most landlocked part of the UK and definitely aren’t ‘surf people’. Oh well, everyone is giving this Beach Boys cover a go anyway.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

After this strange interlude, we are treated to a few special guest songs starting with Andrew Combes who honestly looks absolutely miserable but works with the crooning I guess. Guest two is Kezia Gill “Finally something pretty on stage” quips Marty as she laughs, and they up the tempo with a rendition of Nancy Sinatra’s ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ with about 3 extra verses over massive crowd cheers. Guest number three is Sunny Sweeny for the kind of sweet country sounds you can sing along to – and the entire arena certainly is. All in all it’s been a pretty special night, and yeah it’s disappointing that Chris Young cancelled, but there’s a part of me that is really grateful for the opportunity of watching a session instead of a prescribed set for a change. It feels intimate and personal – not something you can usually say about a headliner at a festival.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Sunday

The final day at the festival and a little sun relief this morning, it’s not quite as hot today which is a blessing. After another skirt around the site to see what’s going on, and a little sit down in the very plush High Falootin’ VIP area (sofas, tables, wooden recliners, a bar, cute lanterns everywhere, nice loos and a cracking view of the main stage) we head out to see Kyle Daniel hit the main stage. Kyle is inexplicably dressed as Shaggy from Scooby Doo, and I am absolutely dying to know if it’s intentional, but either way – I’m into it. ‘God Bless America (Damn Rock ‘n’ Roll)’ might be the most antithetic statement I’ve ever uttered as a predominantly rock and metal fan, but it’s a very catchy song that I find myself singing along to regardless, and the whole affair is exactly what I hoped I’d find here – fun. Kyle’s touring guitarist David Henriksson is equally exciting to watch (and to photograph) kicking his long legs all over the stage, and Kyle himself is no stranger to a headbanging guitar moment so I feel quite at home with them, they’ve been a real highlight of the festival for me.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Over on the Front Porch, Reya Jane is lamenting her “…cursed song. Every time I’ve released it I’ve ended up having to move back into my mother’s house”, and a quick jaunt through the woods to Buddy’s has us getting down to Gangstagrass who I just straight up LOVE immediately. “If you think there’s no space for violence in Bluegrass… remember all those killing ballads” gets the crowd giggling, before they make me a number one fan with ‘Appalacia Love’… “Appalacia knows how to party” is just, chef’s kiss. Don’t get me wrong though, they’re not just funny – they’re actually a fantastic talented band, and I’m here for the fusion, especially love ‘I’m Gonna Put You Down’.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Over at the Showground, people are gathering for the Spicy Wings challenge – which is surprisingly being co-hosted by Kelby Ray of The Cadillac Three, who apparently makes his own hot sauce, and kinda looks like he wishes he was in on the challenge. Six wing contenders step up to the plate and I am positive I am in for photos of crying, maybe even vomiting here, but alas. Either the spice levels aren’t up to scratch or these guys are all made of steel because they ALL finish ALL rounds and it has to eventually come down to a fastest-chomp-first situation. In conclusion – next year I would like to see pain and tap outs, so a spicier spectacle is needed.

Sara Evans floats out onto the main stage in a flowy floral jacket, to a huge crowd. She’s a darling of country who has won many different awards, but I’ll be honest – it’s kinda static and not really my jam. She has a beautiful voice but I’ve been hyped by Gangstagrass and I’m looking for some energy. At Buddy’s, Harleymoon kemp (Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet’s daughter, no less – and yes we did keep an eye out for him in attendance but don’t think he was there) is both talented and funny, joking about a guy on tinder “…the only thing that’s coming tonight is an Uber to take me home”.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Lindsay ell brings the momentum I’m looking for, she is stomping and dancing wildly across the stage, throwing herself into staggering back bends whilst wielding her guitar, and getting the whole crowd jumping. Throwing in her No Doubt/Queen medley of ‘I’m Just A Girl’ into ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is a little fun treat but I appreciate her whole set, and definitely applaud a gal who can run around on those wicked tall boots she’s wearing.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Following Lindsay is another burst of energy with duo LoCash, who I can best describe as Country-Pop. They’re upbeat and know how to pull a crowd, joking around about their attempts at English accents and then playing a cover of Backstreet Boys ‘I Want It That Way’ – this is the kind of cheesiness that will always win you a British crowd, to be honest. There are a few other snippets of covers chucked in there – ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’, ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘Summer of 69’ and ‘Stacy’s Mom’ all make their way into the set to get countrified into TLR history.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Tonight’s eats include a dose of possibly the most incredible Buttermilk chicken I’ve ever eaten in my life, and the ridiculous ‘bucket o’churros’ which was even hard for 5 of us and a toddler to finish. Is there anything better than eating delicious food in a field listening to great music? I’m gonna have such festival blues the whole of winter I just know it.

Well, the final sun has set on an incredible weekend, and closing out the main stage are Southern rockers The Cadillac Three, who I believe the last time they played a UK festival were at a very different sort of event – Download at Donington. The stage is set with huge stack amps and three podiums – one for drums (with a kick-drum image of the band portrayed as skeletal heads), one for keys, and one for frontman Jaren Johnston. The lights dim and the band enter the stage to a huge roar from the crowd, which I wasn’t really expecting to be honest. TC3 are right on the edge of being more rock than they are country, so I was surprised to see how many people had come out for this tonight.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Jaren does a quick shout out to previous guests around the site, and says that they’ll be hitting up the Everett after party over on the Interstate after they’ve performed – which honestly is really nice. It’s great that bands feel comfortable enough to walk around and enjoy the festival as well as performing at it, something I think The Long Road gets really right is the easy-going feel of the event. They play through a plethora of hits including the brilliant ‘Peace Love & Dixie’ and the very fitting hot wings related content ‘Tabasco & Sweet Tea’. ‘Down to the River’ is a favourite of mine but ‘The South’ is an epic closer tonight – a little commentary and wrap up on this weekend that really has celebrated all things Southern and country.

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG
Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

So what did I think of my first full weekend experience at The Long Road festival? Well, despite it’s small size, you do get a lot of bang for your buck here. There is always something fun to see or do, everyone is friendly, the food is epic, there’s heaps to have a go at, kids are catered for, hell you can even bring your dogs and nothing is very far to walk between either. If you’ve always wanted to go to a festival but the big ones make you nervous, this festival is definitely for you – even if you don’t identify as a country music fan. If you are a country music fan and weren’t there… what is wrong with you? This is your mecca. Book your 2023 tickets immediately you absolute spoon. I had a bloody great time, and feel I’ve had the privilege to see some really special acts this weekend, so – see ya next year y’all…

Ⓒ Anna Hyams for SFG

Postponed: The Long Road Festival

The lastest on TLR’s cancellation for 2021:

As the U.K. begins to move cautiously out of lockdown, our team have been working hard to navigate the ever changing landscape for festivals, to bring you that little slice of Nashville we’ve all come to love and enjoy.

At its core, the festival is the meeting point of a global Country community and following extensive conversations with US artists we have taken the tough decision not to move ahead with the festival in 2021. The limitations to curate this year’s line-up and wider considerations around the running of large scale events here in the U.K. will ultimately prevent us from delivering a festival that stays true to our founding ethos.

We are now focussed on ensuring that the festival’s third edition will be one hell of a party. As we look ahead to that moment, we are excited to share that The Long Road will now occupy an earlier date in the calendar each year, taking place 26th – 28th August 2022, adding a whole lot of Country to your bank holiday weekend!

For those of you who already have tickets, your booking will be automatically transferred to the 2022 event.  Your support means so much to us, and getting in early means you’ve secured your tickets at the best prices.  Should you not be able to attend these new dates we will of course refund you. All ticket holders will shortly receive an email from their ticket provider with further details on this process.

The moment we can all reunite once again, dancing arm in arm in the Honky Tonk, what a fine time that will be.

Here’s to then!

Team TLR x