The Shires and Ward Thomas have announced on a joint tour that will see the fast-rising bands take it in turns to headline on a series of dates around the UK. Country music in the UK has been growing steadily with and Britain is producing a new wave of talent who are putting a British spin on the down south sounds of Nashville. Leaders among this new wave are these two bands from the Home Counties who have taken inspiration from the sounds of Nashville legends such as Johnny Cash and Dixie Chicks. Not content to merely copy the US acts though, these bands are flying the flag for a British Country music that reflects the lives of young people living in the UK. This shared vision has led the bands to team up and take their music on the road for the nationwide ‘Home-grown tour’. Both bands have come a long way since they played the pop-up stages of C2C in March 2014, with both acts having an A-Listed track on BBC Radio 2 and The Shires an iTunes UK Country No.1 with their debut single Nashville Grey Skies, while Ward Thomas’s debut album “From Where We Stand” went to No.1 on both the OCC Country Chart and iTunes’ Country Chart. The seeds for this tour were sown when the two bands ran into each other in a road house in Nashville while they were both paying pilgrimage to their spiritual home. The chance to take their shared message out on the road together seemed too good to miss and the ‘Home-grown tour’ was born. Tickets on sale on 9am Friday August 8 Nov 4: Birmingham Glee Club Nov 6: Liverpool Academy 2 Nov 7: Bristol Thekla Nov 9: Oxford Academy 2 Nov 10: London Bush Hall Nov 13: Manchester Band on the Wall Nov 14: Gateshead The Sage Nov 16: Leeds Brudenell Social Club Nov 17: Norwich Waterfront Nov 20: Yorkshire, Pocklington Arts Centre Nov 23: Glasgow King Tuts Nov 24: Middlesbrough the Empire Nov 26: Nottingham The Bodega Social Club Nov 27: Milton Keynes The Stables
