Hot off the extreme growth of the country music in the UK in the past year, with the genre achieving its biggest annual share of the UK recorded music market this century, it is unsurprising that two nights of country-folk took over London’s Hyde Park this past weekend.
Homegrown names like Gabrielle Aplin and Nadia Kadek lit up the festival on the first day of Zach Bryan’s two day headlining run in the capital, whilst Sunday saw popular Irish singer-songwriter Demot Kennedy, and Kent-born Jasper Hodges take to the stage alongside a bevy of country, folk and country-pop stars from Canada and the USA.
Both days being sold out truly emphasised how much country has grown worldwide over the past few years. Although folk has always found deep love and popularity in the UK and Europe for many decades thanks to legends in the game such as The Chieftains and The Dubliners, country music has always seemed to be much more of a niche genre on these shores, with several country-pop stars managing to soar above the Atlantic divide such as Shania Twain (who played a huge set at BST Hyde Park the year before), Johnny Cash and of course, the incomparable Dolly Parton.
The latest of these breakout artists – with his rapid rise and a Grammy to his name – is country star Zach Bryant.
Audiences turned out clad in their cowboy hats, white t-shirts, sundresses and denim, as they sang along to his popular hits such as “Burn, Burn, Burn” and “Dawns”. Fans came to see him did not just from the UK, but from Europe and father afield, growing with a push worldwide for music that feels lived-in, that seems to tap into a primal wish to simply pick up an instrument and confess ones feelings amidst trying times.
He and his band brought chill, feel-good, heartfelt country vibes to this side of the pond, and it was a pleasure to see both his fiddle players and his band spotlighted multiple times during his set, lending a sense that although it was his name on the billboard, that there was was no greater joy than appreciating the skill and magic around music.
The crowd sang along as Bryant continued with tracks such as “Starved” and a special rendition of “Hey Drive” with Dermot Kennedy (much to the crowd’s delight), before finishing up with an extended version of “Revival” that brought people together as they danced and chanted to every word. As the sun went down on two days of folk singer-songwriters and country music stars, it seems that the genre is undeniably set to become a bigger force worldwide.
Tickets and more info about the rest of BST Hyde Park, running on select dates until the 12th of July, can be found here.
