Country music has become the UK's fastest-growing genre for three consecutive years, according to the Country Music Association (CMA), with festival attendances soaring and US artists selling out tours. This weekend, State Fayre, the UK's newest country festival, opens its gates to 50,000 devotees in Chelmsford, styled like the American South with clapboard, rusted metal, and water points disguised as retro gas stations.
Record Spending on Live Music
Consumer spending on live music continues to rise, with the latest annual report from Live, the federation representing Britain's live music industry, announcing a record £6.68 billion. Live country has become big business: Luke Combs will play to more than 560,000 fans across England, Scotland, and Ireland this summer. Specialist festival Buckle & Boots just celebrated its 10th anniversary, and touring fest Summer in Nashville brings "the full Southern experience" to 15 towns and cities, from the Isle of Wight to Aberdeen.
Industry Insight and Stylistic Changes
Anna-Sophie Mertens, senior vice-president of touring at Live Nation and board director at the CMA, notes, "There's a certain magic with country music in the UK right now." She credits the upswing to "accumulation of a lot of effort" from the industry and stylistic changes by modern megastars such as Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, and Cowboy Carter-era Beyoncé, which have grabbed younger audiences. Until 2023, UK tastes leaned towards legacy acts, but now modern stars have taken the wheel.
State Fayre's Southern World-Building
State Fayre places US stars such as Stephen Wilson Jr and Sierra Ferrell alongside long-term UK favourites like Kings of Leon and Alanis Morissette, blurring like-minded genres. American barbecue is described as the fest's "fourth headliner." Mertens says, "The experience economy is thriving, and festivals aren't just about music any more. It has to be about lifestyle and that sense of community."
Smaller Festivals and Tribute Acts
Across the UK's smaller country festivals, the Southern "experience" is more important than booking big-name Americans. Summer in Nashville programmes rising UK country artists alongside tribute acts impersonating Nashville's superstars. Wolverhampton musician Liam Price performs original music but is best known as Luke Combs UK, the only officially endorsed tribute to one of the biggest-selling country artists in history. In early 2023, Price was a wedding singer; his first Combs tribute night sold out three nights over. He will play more than 50 shows as Combs this year, including dates in the US and Germany.
Supporting Homegrown Talent
Baylen Leonard, creative director of The Long Road festival and a presenter on Absolute Radio Country, believes a supportive ecosystem for homegrown talent is key to making the UK's love of live country more than a quick fling. The Long Road's attendance has grown from 9,000 in 2018 to an expected 40,000 this year. Leonard says, "We have no shortage of talent in the UK, and I want to see them absolutely killing it on the international stage." He adds that the genre's strength in storytelling and breaking free from misconceptions are driving expansion. "Country doesn't always fit the box you think it's going to," he says. "I mean that politically, but also lyrically. Things that are hard to put into words, country music has talked about it and probably had a No 1 hit with it." Leonard concludes, "There will always be ebb and flow, but there's something in country that's timeless. Quality always wins, and in the UK the genie is out of the bottle – or the cowboy is out of the boot."
