Country Music's Rising Popularity in the UK
With country music festival attendances soaring and US artists selling out tours, British and Irish audiences are increasingly embracing “the full Southern experience.”
“There’s a certain magic with country music in the UK right now,”says Anna-Sophie Mertens, smiling in hi-vis from the build at State Fayre, the UK’s newest festival for country fans. Located in Chelmsford, State Fayre is styled like the American South – featuring clapboard, rusted metal, and water points disguised as retro gas stations – and this weekend, the gates will open to 50,000 country devotees.
Country is the UK’s fastest-growing genre, according to data from the Music Association (CMA), maintaining this status for three consecutive years. Until 2023, UK tastes favored legacy acts, but now modern megastars such as Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, and Cowboy Carter-era Beyoncé have taken the lead, signaling a generational shift.
As consumer spending on live music continues to rise—the latest annual report from Live, the federation representing Britain’s live music industry, announced a record £6.68bn—live country music has become a significant business. Luke Combs is set to perform for more than 560,000 fans across England, Scotland, and Ireland this summer. Specialist festival Buckle & Boots recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, and the touring festival Summer in Nashville brings “the full Southern experience” to 15 towns and cities, ranging from the Isle of Wight to Aberdeen.
“It felt like the right time to seize the moment and build something really dedicated, as a large-scale, outdoor event,”Mertens says, pointing towards State Fayre’s main stage in the distance. Uniquely positioned to comment on this “magic” moment, Mertens is senior vice-president of touring at entertainment giant Live Nation and a board director at the CMA, an organisation dedicated to supporting country’s growth in the US and internationally. She attributes the UK country upswing to the “accumulation of a lot of effort” from the industry, alongside stylistic changes—such as Wallen’s modern production and Ella Langley’s vivid storytelling—that have attracted younger audiences.
Reflecting country’s transition from a niche genre to pop’s mainstream, State Fayre features US stars like Stephen Wilson Jr and Sierra Ferrell alongside long-term UK favourites such as Kings of Leon and Alanis Morissette—a blending of like-minded genres fitting the listening habits of the streaming era.
While the sound is diverse, State Fayre takes its Southern world-building seriously. American barbecue is described as the festival’s “fourth headliner,” and Mertens looks forward to seeing fans dressed in boots, Stetsons, and denim:
“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 Emphasize the Southern Experience
Across the UK’s smaller country festivals, the Southern “experience” is prioritized over booking major American names. In addition to rodeo bulls and line-dancing sessions, Summer in Nashville programs rising UK country artists alongside tribute acts impersonating Nashville’s superstars. Wolverhampton musician Liam Price embodies both roles: he 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 working as a wedding singer when requests for Combs’ songs began increasing. He proposed a tribute night to Wolverhampton’s Rodeos BBQ, which opened in 2021 as the UK’s “first honky tonk.”
“I said, I think there’s a market in it,”he says with a grin. His first Combs tribute act sold out three nights in a row,
“and I’m not joking, my backside hasn’t touched the floor since.”
The UK’s country boom has transformed Price’s life. He worked diligently to perfect Combs’ sound and style—now singing with a gravelled twang—and jokes,
“I was definitely thinner before, and definitely didn’t have this beard.”His dedication has paid off: he will perform more than 50 shows as Combs this year, including dates in the US and Germany, receiving enthusiastic feedback.
“I feel a great deal of responsibility playing these songs, because of how they matter to people,”he says. When he performed in Combs’ own Nashville bar, fans ran in off the street, telling him,
“Dude, you’re him!”
Next year, Price plans to reimagine Combs’ hits in a new show with a 10-piece orchestra. Despite his success, he aspires to achieve similar recognition under his own name. He sells original music on vinyl at his Combs shows and won the Home Grown Talent competition at Leicestershire country festival The Long Road in 2025, earning studio time, mentorship, and the opportunity to perform at Nashville’s prestigious CMA Fest.
Supporting Homegrown Talent at The Long Road Festival
Baylen Leonard watched proudly from the crowd that night. As creative director of The Long Road (scheduled from 27 to 30 August this year, with headliners including Maren Morris and Emmylou Harris) and a presenter on Absolute Radio Country, Leonard believes that a supportive ecosystem for homegrown talent is essential to making the UK’s enthusiasm for live country music sustainable.
“We wanted to lift somebody up in a massive way,”he says.
“We have no shortage of talent in the UK, and I want to see them absolutely killing it on the international stage.”
The Long Road was established to
“expand someone’s idea of what country music can be,”featuring a lineup that spans shiny pop sounds, earthy Americana, and everything in between, performed by artists from the US, UK, and beyond. Attendance has grown from 9,000 in 2018 to an expected 40,000 this year. Leonard attributes the UK market’s expansion to the genre’s strength in storytelling and its ability to break free from wider misconceptions.
“Country doesn’t always fit the box you think it’s going to,”he explains.
“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.”
Regarding trends, Leonard notes,
“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.”
