The Shires, UK’s biggest selling country band finally performed at the Victoria Hall in Stoke-on-Trent last Saturday, after a two-year delay due to Covid and lockdown.
For those who are not aware, The Shires are a British country duo composed of singer-songwriters Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes. Ben sings vocals, plays piano and guitar while Crissie is lead singer. The duo formed nearly 10 years ago and released their first album Brave in 2015, this was soon followed by My Universe, Accidentally on Purpose, Good Years and 10 Year Plan which was released in March this year.
I am a huge fan of The Shires and have been following them for a while hence I was totally excited to finally see them perform live on stage.
We arrived early at The Victoria Hall and got our drinks, program and settled in our seat to see the first supporting act, Kezia Gill. Kezia is a Midlands based country singer/songwriter and has been in the industry for over 15 years. She was born in Nottingham and credits her dad for her love for music and performing. Kezia was only on stage for around 30 minutes, but we totally enjoyed her songs. I loved how she shared little stories of what inspired each song. I did not know of her before but totally love her vocals and am a fan now. Some of the songs she performed included Thirties which was so relatable, while Local Man’s Star was moving as it was about her dad while I could listen to Country Song over and over again. Head to Kezia’s website to learn more about her and download her music.
The second opening act was Eric Paslay, you could sense the excitement soon as he came on stage and he started talking in his Southern accent. Eric is an American country singer and songwriter and has collaborated with some big named artist such as Keith Urban, Lady A and Amy Grant amongst others. It was so wonderful to hear him sing his songs and share stories with the audience about his life and the songs he wrote. He entertained us for around 45 minutes and even gave out some merchandise to the audience in the front row. His voice was so calming and I enjoyed listening to his songs especially Barefoot Blue Jean Night, Even If It Breaks Your Heart and Angel Eyes. It was a privilege to hear Eric sing live and he definitely got the crowd excited and ready for The Shires.
We were all getting restless and ready for The Shires to perform. Soon as we caught a glimpse of Ben and Crissie (in the dark), we got up on our feet dancing to the opening song, Lighting Strikes Twice. It was wonderful to see people of all ages and walks of life celebrating country music.
The Shires played songs from all their five albums, as they chatted along with the audience. I love all their songs but was overjoyed when they performed Nashville Grey Skies and All Over Again from their very first album as well as Daddy’s Little Girl, a moving song Crissie wrote for her dad who passed away when she was was just 8-years-old. The whole venue went really quiet when Crissie sang this song and the audience seemed bewitched in the moment.
The Shires gave a non-stop performance which lasted nearly an hour and a half. They crowd especially went wild when they sang Side by Side and I See Stars from their latest album, 10 Year Plan which is currently playing on the radio. It was not only wonderful to see them perform live but see how they interacted with the crowd by getting them to sing and dance.
I was never a fan of country music until I visited Arizona many years ago on an exchange program with Rotary where I was introduced to this wonderful genre of music. The numerous visits to the country and western bars saw me line-dancing and humming to a new style of music. I remember being invited to a concert where Kenny Chesney performed and listening to country music CDs as we drove along Route 66. Since then, I have been a huge fan of country music and it is wonderful to see the popularity for country music grow in the UK and hearing more of it being played on the radio.
Now, a special shout out goes to The Shires’ band members who were just simply amazing! The band consisted of Charles on Guitar, Ollie on Drums, Thommy on Guitar/Keyboard and Rich on Bass. It was wonderful to see them perform so cohesively and entertaining us throughout the night.
The concert ended with a bang as it started with all of us on our feet dancing to A Thousand Hallelujahs. What a night it was and one I am not going to forget!
I would recommend seeing The Shires perform live as they are an amazing and talented band with a story to tell. As their song goes… they have build their own Nashville under the grey skies of Stoke-on-Trent.
How do I book tickets to watch The Shires?
The show at Victoria Hall is for one night only, but you can check their websites, under Tours to see the other locations where there would be performing. They will be back to The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on 16 May and ending their tour in Southwold on 21 July.
About The Shires
The Shires formed after Ben (from Hertfordshire) appealed on Facebook for a female country singer to work with him. Crissie (from Bedfordshire), a friend of a friend, replied, came round the very next day and they discovered instant chemistry. “We can build our own Nashville underneath these grey skies,” they sing on ‘Nashville Grey Skies’, the infectious radio hit that introduced them last summer and hoisted a flag for home-grown country music. Both are inspired by the old-school workmanship of country music’s professional songwriters – people they would later work with on their first trip to Nashville last summer. Learning at first hand the storytelling style of classic country songs, and how to craft a catchy chorus, the duo then injected elements that could only have come from our side of the pond. Powered by Crissie’s powerful but subtle and supple vocals and Ben’s perfectly complementary tones and acoustic guitar, The Shires have literally found a piece of country to call their own. They love American music, but they’re proudly British and intensely keen to add some real indigenous flavour to the pot.
About Victoria Hall
The Victoria Hall was built in 1888 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Built-in local red brick and terracotta, the classical Grade II Listed venue originally held 2800 people, and has, over the years, been the scene of numerous concerts, wrestling contests, boxing matches and many rock gigs. The Victoria Hall was revamped in the mid-nineties, opening its doors once more in 1998 and has since then been at the heart of the Cultural Quarter, alongside its sister venue The Regent Theatre. The Victoria Hall has now established itself as one of the most popular venues on the touring circuit and has played host to an impressive array of famous faces, including Paul Weller, Morrissey, Jimmy Carr, Russell Brand, John Bishop and Bloc Party. It consistently attracts the biggest names in music and comedy to Stoke-on-Trent, as well as an array of children’s shows, music tributes and dance.
You may also want to read this:
Review: We Will Rock You The Musical at The Regent Theatre
Review: Jersey Boys at The Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent
Review: Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story 30th Anniversary Tour at The Regent Theatre
Photo copyright: Victoria Hall/The Shires/Eric Pasley/@fstopblues81
15 comments
I’ve not see a lot of country music or know much about it, but this sounds like a fun show. Maybe I need to give country a go x
I would love to watch shows like that, country music is the best and the crowd is even better.
I agree, they all came dressed up in cowboy outfits
This sounds like a great band. I don’t know much about country music but it sounds like a fun concert.
A fabulous concert indeed
I haven’t heard of them, but it sounds and looks like it was a good show! I would love to go to a concert.
A fantastic show and night out if you ask me
Wow, they look awesome! I wish to see their live performance, too!
Hope you get the chance Risa, they are a great band
I don’t know the band, first time I hear of them but discovering new music is something I like to do. It looks like you had a good time. – Paolo
They are such a great band, check out our insta as we share some of their songs on our reel
Oh wow! I have never seen a live band, but I wouldn’t expect it to be an hour and a half without a break! What an amazing thing to see.
I agree, they are such a fabulous country band
I am just loving this for sure and will have to check out The Shires music 😉 I enjoy all genres of music and this looks fabulous!
They are amazing and their new album is being played on the radio this week