The Long Road festival at Stanford Hall in Leicestershire is always a smorgasbord of Americana, Country, Roots and Folk where someone can find their next musical obsession at any moment. We liken it to one of those ‘build your own' adventure books where every reader starts at the same place but goes on a very different journey depending upon the decisions they make. This year's festival was no exception. Here are our top 10 moments on the journey that we took.
The Red Clay Strays
Making their UK debut in the Interstate tent the Red Clay Strays won hearts and minds with a thunderous performance led ably by their frontman Brandon Coleman. Like a young Johnny Cash, Coleman held the audience in the palm of his hands in true rock n roll style. From the AC/DC riffage of ‘Wasting Time' to the Stapleton-esque vocal histrionics of ‘Drowning', Coleman and his band of merry musicians made an absolute statement of intent.
Morganway
One of the brightest, most energetic bands in the UK, Morganway made their Rhinestone stage debut with a powerful set of cross-genre songs echoing the greats like Fleetwood Mac. New single ‘Boy on a Train' fits in quite nicely alongside classics like ‘Hurricane' hinting at the great promise to come on their forthcoming new album and the band played with a verve and a hunger that was a delight to watch.
Dasha
Possibly the most anticipated set of the whole weekend. People were camped in and around the Interstate tent for most of the day in order to get a prime spot to see Dasha and her viral hit, ‘Austin.' Any long time followers of ours will know we've been championing her cause for over a year now so we were delighted to get ‘What Happens Now?' album classics like ‘Talk of the Town' and ‘King of California' alongside new songs like ‘Way Too Drunk' and ‘Bye, Bye, Bye.' Dasha, to the delight of the people jammed into the front of the stage, jumped into the crowd during ‘Austin's denouement and line danced with her fans too!
American Aquarium
The buzz around the site on Friday night / Saturday morning was all about BJ Barham and his band after their Friday night triumph. With a skilful and impactful set featuring songs like ‘Messy as a Magnolia' the band won a lot of new fans and delighted existing ones with their brand of soulful Americana and rock-adjacent songs. One of the standout sets of the festival for sure.
Randall King
Playing what we think is the ‘golden time' at the Long Road festival, Randall King made a huge field in Leicestershire feel like an intimate Texan honky tonk. In previous festivals his 6.30pm Sunday slot has been occupied by LoCash and Eil Young Band, both of who have slayed and this year was no exception. With the festival winding down, the sun lower in the sky (not this year, sadly) and the crowd ready for a party, it's the best slot of the weekend and King did not disappoint. From rowdy song like ‘What Doesn't Kill You' through to tender ballads like ‘You in a Honky Tonk,' King took us two-steeping in style.
First Time Flyers
Playing the VIP area on both the Saturday and the Sunday, this talented and humorous four piece showed exactly why we think they are one of the finest acts the UK has to offer. A 30 minute acoustic set full of old and new songs like ‘Happier' and ‘Jump' was delivered with skill and the in-between (and sometimes during) song banter was stand-up adjacent which means that when you are not singing along to their impressive harmonies you are chuckling at their loving teasing of each other and banter with the crowd.
Angie K
One of the most impressive and powerful sets we've ever seen on the Front Porch stage. Angie K blends her El Salvadorian heritage into her country music and it's an intriguing and exciting mix. Songs like ‘Real Talk are delivered with a sexy, Spanish flavour whilst elsewhere ‘Red Dirt on Mars' is a straight down the line modern sounding Country banger. The very personal and tender ‘Mountains' was dedicated to a couple in the crowd whilst the rest of us swayed and ‘Stay,' a little look at what's coming up on her debut album in October took us back to that part Spanish / part English space which is totally unique in Country music. There was a huge crowd and Angie won a lot of friends this weekend.
Kaitlin Butts
Hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Kaitlin took the stage at the Interstate tent to the very rousing and very dramatic ‘White River' and that passion and intensity never dipped through the whole of her show. Tracks like ‘Blood' and ‘It Won't Always be This Way' were delivered with heartfelt and impassioned stories that really connected her own life experiences to those of the crowd whilst ‘Roadrunner' put a great big smile on all the two-steppers faces too. A real breakout star of the festival, we need her back in the UK as soon as possible please!
Dan Davidson
Taking an awkward slot, 11.30am on a cold and wet Front Porch stage was never going to be easy but Canadian artist Davidson rose to the challenge and brightened everyone's morning in some style. A talented writer, artist, producer, radio host and forthcoming children's TV show creator, Davidson knows exactly how to lift a crowd and he played a set of lively songs, from his massive hit ‘Found' to the cheeky ‘Role Models', in which he apologised to the parents in the crowd for the ‘F word' in the chorus, in some style.
Wyatt Flores
Another eagerly anticipated set from an artist making his UK debut. Flores was due to appear at this year's C2C festival but had to drop out over concerns about his mental health, which he spoke about honestly from the Long Road stage. His brand of Texan Americana is sprinkled with large parts of Springsteen-adjacent piano and hammond organ, which sets him apart from the majority of acts that hail from that part of the USA. ‘I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't nervous,' Flores said to the crowd in the early part of the set but he had no reason to be and he left the stage knowing that he'd made a lot of new fans here in the UK. Another artist we'd love to see back here sooner rather than later.
Post Credits Extra Shout Out – Kyle Daniel
Daniel has a loyal and devoted following here in the UK which meant his Rhinestone stage appearance was a) well deserved and b) well attended on Saturday afternoon. Promoting his new album ‘Kentucky Gold' Daniel rocked the crowd with his brand of fiery southern Country Rock in fine style. In a year when a lot of Rhinestone stage acts were quite chilled and ‘vibe' based it was a pleasure to see Daniel just rocking out and getting the people in the sea of chairs in front of him on their feet, fists pumping in the air, in true festival fashion.
No announcement has been made about Long Road 2025 but we will bring you it as soon as there is one. Who was your favourite artists from this year's festival? Let us know across our social media platforms.
