Live Nation Entertainment and the Royal Albert Hall today announce a brand-new Country and Americana festival, Highways, arriving Saturday 20 May 2023. Showcasing Country and Americana’s biggest stars, the iconic London venue will shine even brighter with acclaimed acts such as Kip Moore, Morgan Wade, Jackson Dean and Stephen Wilson Jr. already confirmed for Saturday 20 May 2023.
Tickets go on general sale from 10am on Friday 9nd December 2022 at LiveNation.co.uk and RoyalAlbertHall.com
Intimate yet grand, Highways is set to be an unforgettable occasion for Country and Americana fans and artists alike. The festival will touch every corner of the Royal Albert Hall from main performances in the legendary auditorium, to carefully curated showcases speckled across adorning rooms. Fall in love with the deep south when music is paired with an authentic culinary offering, and the doors open to a first-of-its-kind festival at the Royal Albert Hall.
Live Nation’s Vice President Touring, Anna Sophie-Mertens, says “I am thrilled to bring to life this incredible festival alongside our partners at the Royal Albert Hall. It is every artist’s dream to play this legendary venue, and delivering such an unforgettable occasion for the Country and Americana community has been a longstanding dream of mine.”
Matthew Todd, Head of Programming and Engagement at the Royal Albert Hall, said: “We’re delighted to be building a completely new Country and Americana event with our long-standing partners at Live Nation. Our 152-year-old auditorium will provide a backdrop unlike anywhere else for some brilliant acts, and we’re particularly pleased to be able to build on the long-running history of country music at the Hall in this way – as these genres continue to grow from strength to strength in the UK.”
Saturday headliner of Highways and multiplatinum recording artist and songwriter, Kip Moore, says “It’s pretty overwhelming to think about playing such an iconic venue as Royal Albert Hall. It’s been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember. Audiences in the UK are some of my all-time favorites to play and I can’t wait to be back over there to launch Highways Festival. It’s going to be really special.”
The Royal Albert Hall opened in 1871 and has since had a long history of promoting country music and Americana in the UK, including classic shows by Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, John Denver, Kacey Musgraves, and the UK debut of Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1970.
Other notable moments of American history at the venue have included addresses by five Presidents from Taft to Clinton, UK v US basketball tournaments during the war, The Beatles attending a Bob Dylan concert, Pink Floyd opening for Jimi Hendrix, and appearances by the likes of Muhammad Ali, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Jay Z, and Diana Ross.
A highlight in the musical calendar, Highways is set to take place at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 20th May 2023. Further musical performances and offerings at Highways are to be announced soon.
Tickets go on general sale from 10am on Friday 9nd December 2022 at LiveNation.co.uk and RoyalAlbertHall.com
Follow Highways Festival on:
– Facebook
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– Instagram
About Kip Moore
Known as “one of country’s more thoughtful artists” (Billboard), Multi-PLATINUM singer/songwriter Kip Moore has toured the world earning acclaim and a rabid fanbase as an all-in performer in each setting, consistently selling out headlining shows internationally with huge followings in The U.S, The U.K, Europe, Australia and Canada.
Praised by Noisey as “an uncompromising, genre-defying artist firing on all cylinders” Moore has blazed his own trail, with “a bit more Southern rock than traditional country… to be a Kip Moore fan suddenly became a marker of your having a certain refinement in your country-music taste” (Chicago Tribune).
Moore first splashed into the mainstream with the double-PLATINUM “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck” in 2012, then followed up with three more best-selling No. Ones (“Hey Pretty Girl,” “Beer Money” and “More Girls Like You”), a trio of ambitious, critically-praised albums and two gritty EPs that landed Moore on multiple “Best Of” lists.
Moore recently garnered resounding acclaim for his fourth studio album, WILD WORLD. The set, co-written and co-produced by Moore, was spotlighted by critics as “especially vital; occasionally, even rare,” (Esquire).
For more information visit kipmoore.net, and follow Moore on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
About Morgan Wade
Morgan Wade didn’t write to be a sensation, for critical acclaim or for massive concert tours. She wrote to speak her truth, to save her own life – and perhaps throw a rope to others struggling with the weight of a world moving too fast, loves where you fall too hard and nights that, good or bad, seem to go on forever. A Blue Ridge Mountain girl willing to put her whole truth out there as an artist without flinching – and as a performer who gives it all away onstage – Wade has a voice The FADER lauds is “like a jagged blade, sharp enough to draw blood but lustrous under the light” while The New York Times declares “she sounds like she’s singing from the depths of history.”
The old soul writer understands chaos, compulsion and letting go in a way most people will never experience; with her songs, she brings listeners inside the rollercoaster ride of euphoria, emptiness and exile with a soft touch and deep truth. With her unabashed debut album Reckless, she landed on various Best Album and Songs of 2021 rankings from TIME, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Stereogum, The FADER, Tennessean, Boston Globe, and more.
Produced by Jason Isbell + the 400 Unit guitarist Sadler Vaden and Paul Ebersold, the trio worked to create a song cycle that pulled the lean rock of Tom Petty through a modern take on country — and achieved a No. 1 on SiriusXM The Highway’s Top 30 Countdown with debut single “Wilder Days.”
Having reached radio’s Top 30 with the acoustic guitar-driven track, Reckless (Deluxe Edition), available now, expands the conversation with six additional tracks, including a scalding, heart-beating read on Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” and desperate “The Night” – Wade’s first release. In 2023 Morgan became a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.
About Jackson Dean
Odenton, Maryland native Jackson Dean is a singer/songwriter known for his old school, gritty style of Country. Mature beyond his years, Jackson has a daring and carefree spirit, having moved out at 18 years old to live in a cinderblock, concrete floor, one-room shack on the back of his grandfather’s property with no heat and no plumbing. Bringing that same sense of adventure to his songwriting, Jackson writes both independently and alongside outliers like Luke Dick, classic writers like Casey Beathard and everyone in between.
Following the release of his debut collection JACKSON DEAN out now via Big Machine Records, Jackson continues to show people how real music can be with atmospheric, musically-forward album GREENBROKE, released March 11 2022.
Featured on the soundtrack for Netflix’s The Ice Road and in an episode of Paramount Network’s Yellowstone, the stomping “Don’t Come Lookin’” is making its mark as his first single at Country radio. Following an early career of local performances in his hometown, Jackson has joined bills with superstar acts like Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Brantley Gilbert, Kane Brown, Jake Owen and Brothers Osborne.
For the latest information, visit jacksondeanmusic.com.
About Stephen Wilson
Stephen Wilson Jr. is a singer/songwriter from rural Southern Indiana. Wilson was raised by a single father who was a boxer and had him boxing from age seven through adulthood as an Indiana State Golden Gloves finalist. Wilson, a self-taught guitarist moved to Nashville to pursue a degree in Microbiology at MTSU. There, he started the indie rock band, Auto Vaughn, after finishing his degree. They toured for over five years and Wilson co-wrote songs as lead guitarist until his creative focus turned more to songwriting and singing.
After the band, Wilson relied on his education where he worked for several years as an R&D scientist at Mars until he signed a publishing deal with BMG Nashville in August 2016. He is currently building his catalogue and has had songs cut by Caitlyn Smith and Old Dominion, Tim McGraw, Trace Adkins, Chase Bryant, Mackenzie Porter, Kameron Marlow, Sixpence None the Richer and Leigh Nash. Stephen released his first single “The Devil” and a cinematic video for the song in Sept. 2019 with follow-up, “Year To Be Young 1994” which is currently featured on Spotify’s Country Rocks editorial playlist, Apple Music’s5th Gear editorial playlist and was in full rotation at Nashville’s Triple A station, Lightning 100 last year. Wilson recently released his latest single and video for “Holler From The Holler”.
Wilson almost always plays a late 70’s gut-string acoustic and some of his main influences are Willie Nelson, Kurt Cobain, John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, The National, Glen Campbell and Randy Travis.
About Absolute Radio Country
Absolute Radio Country is the UK’s most exciting country music station playing the biggest songs in country from legends such as Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash, to superstars like Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban, alongside brand-new artists like Breland and Morgan Wade.
Featuring presenters such as Baylen Leonard, Lou Nash, Una Healy and Ben Earle the station is also home to the Nashville Show which comes direct from the Music City itself with Elaina D Smith. Absolute Radio Country celebrates the vibrant and fast-growing genre, recognizing the huge influence the music style has over pop music.
Listeners can find Absolute Radio Country on digital radio, ask their smart speaker to ‘Play Absolute Radio Country’, download the free Absolute Radio app, or go to absoluteradiocountry.co.uk
About The Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is the world’s most famous stage. Throughout its 151-year history, it has welcomed a who’s who of world-renowned figures: artists, athletes and activists. No other place on earth has played host to Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Muhammad Ali; Ella Fitzgerald, The Beatles and Adele. This was the Suffragettes’ “temple of liberty” – the site of Votes for Women rallies that helped change the course of British history – the home of the Stonewall concerts, and a place of celebration during Nelson Mandela’s state visit. But its eccentric history has also seen it used for a séance, an indoor marathon and the world’s first bodybuilding contest (judged by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).
From 2021 to 2022, the Hall celebrates its 150th birthday, with a special programme of events including major commissions from British artists, headline performances from musical legends, and a series of showcases promoting the next generation of talent. The season is designed to reflect Prince Albert’s founding vision of the venue: to promote the arts and sciences and to offer a place of celebration, inspiration and commemoration for the country as a whole.
In an ordinary year, the Hall’s extraordinary auditorium presents around 400 world-class events: encompassing rock, pop and classical music, theatre, dance, films, Cirque du Soleil and sport. It typically welcomes 1.8 million visitors a year, while its 1,000 events in secondary spaces help to attract a young, diverse audience. Its Engagement programme includes music therapy, concerts in the community, and workshops with A-list artists, often in collaboration with other charities.
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