The Long Road Festival 2023

The sun’s blazing, cowboy hats and double denim stretch as far as the eye can see and everyone’s sitting on straw bales around the front porch of a log cabin. On it, there’s a man playing guitar, wearing a Stetson, singing the blues.

So where am I? Georgia? Mississippi? Nope. Leicestershire.

The Long Road Festival is my third country music festival of the year - I clearly can’t get enough - and on “stage” is Texan singer-songwriter Joshua Ray Walker. He’s not the first act of the day, but he’s the first to stop me in my tracks.

Walker’s songs recall a classic era of country - think Townes Van Zandt - that he’s deftly updated to bring it into the 21st Century. Put it this way, while not overly risque, the lyrical content and themes of his songs will likely resonate more with the crowds in Austin than they will in his native Dallas. And yet, it all feels very in touch with the legends he channels.

With the sun beaming down and everyone in good spirits, Walker’s set was perfect. It was stripped back and bare bones in places - beautiful - and upbeat and playful in others. It left me feeling incredibly excited about the future of country music, and what the rest of the weekend was going to deliver.

After a quick bite (banging hot dogs, by the way), I was drawn back to the Front Porch stage, as it was aptly named, for Gabe Lee. I could hear Bruce Springsteen vibes and that was enough for me. He had a swagger and confidence about him. And, having listened to him play a few songs, it was justified. His tracks ‘Merigold’ and ‘Eveline’ stood out. He’s classically troubadour-esque, telling stories of his own experience of small town life.

At the time, though, I didn’t realise Lee’s performance was part of a stage takeover, orchestrated by US radio station and not-for-profit Color Me Country. Its founder, Rissi Palmer, set the station up to bring “to the forefront the black, indigenous, and Latinx histories of country music that for too long have lived outside the spotlight and off mainstream airwaves.”

That mission was brought to The Long Road in the form of Lee; Canadian pop-country artist Sacha; Michael B. Whitt, whom Palmer described as somewhere between Georgia Strait and Usher (totally agree); America’s Got Talent stars Chapel Hart; and Miss Palmer herself. While Sacha and Whitt brought stadium vibes to the front porch, and they did so explosively, Chapel Hart brought the (figurative) roof down.

Rissi Palmer wrapped-up the takeover. She’s pure class. Oozes soul and passion, while her knowledge and true love for country are there in abundance. If anyone was going to be a champion for the work she’s doing, it had to be her. And, it’d be impossible to ignore the band that backed all these performers. Named The Smoke, their touch, as a unit, was deft and empathetic to every person that took to the stage. Groove in abundance. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the rhythm section…

Next up was Canadian band, The Sheepdogs. Now, for me, seeing these guys perform, against a red velvet backdrop, was like a jaunt back to west coast California in the Summer of Love, 1969. All vibe, all the time. Sounds like a radio station jingle, that… The group’s sound is somewhere between The Beatles, The Allman Brothers Band, The Doobie Brothers and Creedence Clearwater Revival. All the good stuff.

Three incredibly feel-led guitarists, paired with hammond organ, a slick rhythm section and rich harmonies. Throw in the fact they were the first ever unsigned band to land on the front cover of Rolling Stone, and that they dress cool af, and you’ve got the real deal. Forget Stillwater (see Almost Famous), here are The Sheepdogs. Check out ‘I Don’t Know’ and ‘I’ve Got a Hole Where My Heart Should Be’.

Rounding off my first day was Blackberry Smoke. Now, I’d been avoiding the main stage. Having been to a fair few of these things, I know the truly exciting stuff happens in the backwaters of the festival. Country music has a knack for that. Nevertheless, venturing to the bright lights was worth it. The Georgian quintuplet, backed by two other touring artists, have earned their stripes and, while seeing them in a sleazy dive bar will always be a dream of mine, they are a band that deserve all the stage they can get. Solid and slick.

Sunday started with coffee and a sit down. But Geordie band Holy Moly & The Crackers saw to it I was back on my feet in no time. Vibes of Of Monsters, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, and Beirut all sprung to mind. A few varying things going on in there. Their sound was folksy, for sure. And it was rock / indie in places, too. All I know is they were a welcome addition to Sunday’s billing.

From there, I decided to check out Buddy’s, which was a stage in its own quiet corner of the festival. Like a festival within a festival. It was a nice way to further ease my way into the day. Once again, I was stopped in my tracks by what I heard. This time it was Welsh singer-songwriter, Tom Jenkins. Farmer by day, Tom is actually pretty damn country. Yet, somehow, he isn’t just country. His stuff is clearly born-of a different school of songwriting. Yes, it shares some of the usual tropes, but they’re hidden behind his own sonic identity.

The tracks ‘Be There for You’ and ‘Products of the Western World’ bring elements of Band of Horses and Pulp to the fore, while ‘Back Roads’, arguably the standout, is pop. Pure, unadulterated, intelligent pop. And he’s got a really endearing personality, too. Coupled with a dark sense of humour, which made for perfect Sunday morning chat.

With the moreish melodies of Jenkins’s tunes still in my head, I headed to the Interstate Stage to catch Will Hoge. He was one of the artists I’d earmarked before the event, as his career as a working musician is an admirable one. Grafter springs to mind. Also, he wrote the earworm ‘Even If It Breaks Your Heart’, made popular by Hoge’s contemporaries the Eli Young Band (also on the bill here).

At one point during his set, Hoge joked about us (the audience) having no idea what kind of music he and his band do. And, to be honest, that’s the charm. It all sounds like one band, but it’s a broad church of styles that come together. ‘Still a Southern Man’, while anthemic, is a slamming indictment of the Confederate Flag, and live it sounds epic. ‘Middle of America’, on the other hand, is a classic country sound (You know: three chords and the truth) and ‘Strong’ is a love letter to simplicity, honesty and real life. Go see Hoge.

Now, there were a lot of people irked by the fact the festival’s original headliner, Jon Pardi, pulled out. I wasn’t one of them. Pardi would have been amazing, but sometimes shit happens. And for me, the replacement act, Cam, who answered the call just days before the event, was incredibly welcome.

Cam is a high-calibre songwriter. I mean, that’s not even up for debate. She’s written with, and for, household, globally known names (Miley Cyrus and Sam Smith, to name two). But it’s in her own stuff where the real magic happens. She’s got a modern-day Dolly thing going on. It’s not the sass, or a Grand Ole Opry big show thing. It’s her songs. Once you hear them, they move into your head and they make themselves at home. Very quickly.

‘Diane’ is one of those songs. And, on Sunday night in Leicestershire, it was clearly the crowd favourite. But I really love ‘Burning House’, ‘Redwood Tree’ and ‘Till There’s Nothing Left’. They’ve well-and-truly moved in with me.

Perhaps the best bit about Cam, though, is how she handles the crowd. At The Long Road, she made us like old friends. She knew some of the audience were disgruntled about Pardi’s no show, with some even booing his name. She soon put an end to that. In no time, everyone was onside. Everything she did exuded grace and beauty, and seeing her own the main stage headline slot felt like a fitting end to what was a truly top-drawer weekend of incredible songs, people and melody.

It seems that country music is well on its way to becoming an everyday part of the UK music scene. Ten years ago, when I first attended Country 2 Country at The O2, I was adamant it would always be a cult thing in the UK. But I’m not so sure now. Festivals like The Long Road are evidence that there is a hunger for it, from grassroots to stadiums. So, yeah, maybe a front porch in Leicestershire isn’t as out there as I first thought. Country’s got a new home.