Highways Festival 2026 is in full swing, taking over the Royal Albert Hall in London for three days of country music. We were lucky enough to be in the audience again for night two, and after an amazing show on the Friday, the next batch of performers had a tough act to follow. Before Carly Pearce’s headlining set, here’s what we made of the other artists…(writes Laura Cooney)
Clover County
Kicking off the night was Florida native Clover County, who describes her style as ‘bootgaze’, and that definitely feels accurate. Songs like ‘Limbo’ and ‘Under These Conditions’ paired wistful jangly melodies with bittersweet lyrics, whilst ‘Whiskey Cherry’ explored darker themes and showed a maturity to her songwriting. I also particularly liked ‘Yours Too’, where she drew the title of her debut album ‘Finer Things’ from, with its whistling touches, and thought she had really good stage presence as she told stories and cracked knowing jokes. She’s definitely one to watch and I’m looking forward to seeing where she goes next.
Tigirlily Gold
Sisters Kendra and Krista are frequent visitors to the UK and were making their Royal Albert Hall debut as they support headliner Carly Pearce on her current UK tour. They showed off their lush harmonies on tracks like ‘Leroy’ (which included an incredible note from Kendra) and led an audience singalong with their take on Leona Lewis’ ‘Bleeding Love’, which saw them crowding around a shared microphone. I also loved their performance of the touching ‘I Tried A Ring On’, which had the crowd lighting up the room. However, the biggest reactions came from new single ‘I Do Or Die’, a warning to a new husband about what happens if he strayed, and the playful ‘Shoot Tequila’ which got them a standing ovation! It’s very clear that the crowd here absolutely loves them and I’m sure they’ll be back before too long.
Corey Kent
Completely switching things up was Oklahoma native Corey Kent, who arrived on stage with his four-piece band before his rock-tinged set, including tracks like the heartfelt, powerful ‘Gold’, number one hit ‘This Heart’ which showed off the gravel in his voice, and his dramatic recent release with Koe Wetzel, ‘Rocky Mountain Low’. He also kept the audience engaged throughout, encouraging them to clap and sing along on drinking song ‘Ain’t My Day’ as well as his breakthrough hit, the soaring ‘Wild As Her’ and a rowdy rendition of Oasis’ ‘Champagne Supernova’. For me the standout track was fan favourite ‘Empty Words’ with its bluesy vibe, as well as the driving set closer ‘Something’s Gonna Kill Me’ which got the crowd on their feet and roaring approval by the end. Despite losing his voice after some time on the road, he delivered an absolutely incredible performance and I think he’ll be one a lot of people are talking about after this festival. (We also sat down and had a chat with him before his set – look out for that soon!)
Review by Laura Cooney
To read a review of headliner Carly Pearce's set click right here
