By Laura Harman
Copyright metro
Country music is bigger than ever in the UK (Picture: PA)
After attending the Grand Ole Opry: Live in London, I think I finally understand the country music hype.
When it comes to country music, I’m pretty much on the same page as the rest of the nation: I love the top hits of Shania Twain and Dolly Parton, and I love singing Carrie Underwood’s Before He Cheats at karaoke.
But I’ve been a little bit left behind when it comes to the hype of country music in the UK.
The genre has been becoming increasingly popular in the UK, with US stars rising in popularity and singers like Garth Brooks set to headline a night at BST next summer.
While I enjoyed Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter country album and Chappell Roan’s The Giver, artists like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, and Megan Moroney have completely passed me by. My preconceptions were also that it was perhaps quite a surface-level genre about beers and ‘Murica that didn’t really appeal to me.
But nonetheless, I pulled out my red cowboy boots and rocked up to the Royal Albert Hall ready to celebrate the Grand Ole Opry as it came to the UK for the first ever time.
The Opry came to London for one night and one night only (Picture: PA)
Carly Pearce and Luke Combs debuted a song they co-wrote (Credits: PA)
The Opry is a Nashville-based stage where almost all country music stars cut their teeth and continue to perform long into their careers.
In celebration of 100 years of the Opry, the makers brought it to London to entertain their British fans on the night and bring some of the best voices of the genre to people at home, as the BBC is set to release the performance this Saturday.
Opry members Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, Darius Rucker, and Marty Stuart were joined on the stage by UK artists Breabach and Mumford and Sons for the night – and it was incredible.
Darius Rucker kicked the night off with his hit Wagon Wheel which is a legendary song that set the perfect tone for the night. He played alongside Breabach and the crowd – cladded in denim and cowboy hats – went nuts.
Darius Rucker performed Wagon Wheel with the Scottish band Breabach (Picture: PA)
Luke Combs brought the roof down (Picture: PA)
The energy stayed high throughout the evening as hosts Vernon Kay and Kelly Sutton introduced Carly Pearce for the first full set of the evening. The star was joined by headliner Luke Combs to duet I Hope You’re Happy Now.
Carly originally released the 2019 song with Lee Brice, but actually wrote the song with Luke and made history on the night as the pair performed it together for the first ever time.
Keeping in theme with Opry traditions, collaboration was the theme of the night as, later, Ashley McBryde and Marty Stuart sang The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’ Anymore and Luke Combs and Marcus Mumford joined for a cover of Always on My Mind.
Elvis’s beloved track wasn’t the only cover of the evening as Carly whipped out a version of Dolly’s 9 to 5 and Marty serenaded the crowd with a cover of the Rolling Stones’ Wild Horses (one of my favourite songs in the world).
All of the artists were so sincere about their love of one another, and the music and clips showed them all rehearsing together at Abbey Road studios and their journey with the Opry over the years.
At times my cynical British brain thought, ‘gosh, this is all a bit sicky’. But I told myself off for my initial aversion to performers being overly emotional and open about how much the stage means to them. Once I parked my cynicism, it was easy to get swept up in their excitement with them.
Marty Stuart and Ashley McBryde performed on stage together (Picture: PA)
Speaking with some of them on the red carpet ahead of the event, they were all so enthusiastic about their work and he genre. Both Ashley and Carly emphasised that while they were both incredibly proud to be representing women country singers at the event, there was still a lot more to do.
Darius echoed their concerns, adding that space needs to be made for country artists of colour.
The imperfect genre needs work, and hopefully the increase in support in the UK can only give the genre a more diverse fanbase and future performers.
The stereotypes surrounding country music were much easier to believe when I wasn’t participating in the genre and meeting its devoted fans.
Friday night was so full of joy, with joyful fans who were in all the gear and dancing and singing the songs as if they too were born and raised in Tennessee instead of the home counties.
The evening ended with all of the performers joining to sing Will The Circle Be Unbroken and Take Me Home, Country Roads. The ensemble performance was a total highlight, with the crowd hanging on to every warbling line from the ragtag crew.
I may not have entered the venue as a country fan, but I have left as one with a newfound respect for the genre and many new songs on my Spotify playlists.
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