Heidi Shepherd’s Fearless Rebirth: Why Butcher Babies’ ‘NIGHTBLOOM’ Is A Record of Raw Survival
For over a decade, she served as one half of the ferocious metal vocal duo fronting the LA heavy metal-based band Butcher Babies. Now, stepping into the solo spotlight for Butcher Babies’ most daring album to date, Shepherd opens up about surviving a stifling religious upbringing, battling inner demons, and fearlessly baring her soul to the world.
Ryan & Rory: From A Cold Call To The Long Road — ‘All Gas, No Brakes’
By Sunday, The Long Road Festival has already thrown almost everything at us. Rain, thunder, lightning and, finally, mercifully, a bit of sunshine. But there is another name that keeps cropping up as I walk around the festival. Ryan & Rory.
Kezia Gill: The World Has Changed, But The Midlands Country Star Hasn’t
After two days of rain, thunder and more than a little mud, Sunday at The Long Road Festival finally brings something everyone has been waiting for: sunshine. And according to Kezia Gill, we might have her late father to thank for it. “I had a little word with my late father this morning. I was like, ‘Dad, it’s a big day. I really need you to come through on this.’ And would you look?”
Bec O’Malley: From Manchester Grit To Country’s Main Stages
It wouldn’t be The Long Road Festival without a little British weather. By the time I catch up with Bec O’Malley, the rain has well and truly arrived. Festivalgoers are soaking up everything falling from the sky while simultaneously soaking up the energy coming from the stages. And Bec O’Malley has plenty of it.
Tori Darke: From Australia To Country Calling, The UK Is Calling
Australian country artist Tori Darke has spent more than a decade building her career at home. Now, with Prettiest Wreck finding a new life, Nashville trips under her belt and her first UK festival appearance ahead of her, she is ready to find out just how far her music can travel.
Parmalee: “We Just Got Together To Play Music For A Living — And We’re Doing That”
After more than two billion streams, six No.1 country hits and more than two decades together, Parmalee are finally heading to the UK. Ahead of their debut at Country Calling, Finnegan caught up with the North Carolina band to talk family, finding their own lane, the...
The Acrobat: Tenille Townes’ Balancing Act
Ahead of her long-awaited return to the UK with The Living Room Tour, I sat down with Tenille Townes to talk about trusting instinct over expectation, learning to let go of perfection, and why the bravest leap she ever took wasn't onto a stage, it was back towards...
Angus Stone: Music Has Always Been The Spirit Animal That Runs Ahead Of Us
ARIA Award-winning sibling duo Angus & Julia Stone are back with their seventh studio album Karaoke Bar, which releases on 4 September 2026. At the time of writing, two tracks have dropped ahead of the release, offering a tantalising glimpse of a record that leans...
Rowena Wise: Bad Things Feel Beautiful
Naarm/Melbourne-based alternative indie folk artist Rowena Wise releases her second solo album on 7th August. Having just released a new music video featuring four minutes of improvised, interpretive dance, one might have expected her to have compiled a positive collection of songs. “There’s a song about realising that the most loving act is to let go of someone, and there’s also a song about sort of complex intimacy within like family dynamics, or within a romantic one, or with friends, or with someone you can’t really label your connection with. And there’s more themes about mental health, all throughout this new album”.
Alexandra Kay On Second Wind, Self-Belief And Country Music’s Biggest Stages
Fresh from making her BST Hyde Park debut alongside Garth Brooks, Zac Brown Band and Ashley McBryde, Alexandra Kay is firmly establishing herself as one of country music’s fastest-rising stars. With her sophomore album Second Wind now out and a growing international audience behind her, the Illinois singer-songwriter continues to prove that persistence can be every bit as powerful as overnight success.
Des Rocs: To Hell And Back For “Spiritual Nourishment”
“Profoundly emotional and intense, yet extremely entertaining rock and roll roller-coaster that will take you on a journey of emotions, all the way that a great film would”. New York’s Danny Rocco, with his Des Rocs project, is a man on a mission of rock n’ roll...
Janet Devlin: Embracing The Chaos And Owning The Narrative
Sitting in a London studio amid the constant churn of filming, editing, releasing, and preparing for another run of live shows, Janet Devlin is exactly where you’d expect her to be: in motion. Even before the conversation properly begins, she’s laughing about the whirlwind surrounding her latest release.
Anella Finds Himself In Motion On ‘Ask Me How I’ve Been’
Sitting inside the New York offices of Def Jam Recordings, Anella is rarely still. Conversations blur into handshakes, introductions fold into ideas, and somewhere between it all, his latest project Ask Me How I’ve Been takes shape—not just as a release, but as a reckoning.
Midge Ure: Two Worlds, One Vision – The Relentless Return Of A Synth Pioneer
It has been twelve years since the release of Midge Ure’s last album of original material. Since the 1970s, he has been a prominent, innovative force whose wild musical ambition has known no bounds. He was the frontman of new wave band Ultravox, the guitarist and...
Alana Springsteen: Turning Vulnerability Into Strength
When I caught Alana Springsteen live at the Long Road Festival last summer, the performance felt like something special. The sun was blazing, the crowd was buzzing, and Springsteen’s effortless connection with the audience turned the set into one of the highlights of...
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