The Shires have been household names in the UK Country music industry for more than four years now, and earlier this year they released their third studio album ‘Accidentally On Purpose’ to massive chart success and also completed a huge sold-out headlining tour across the country.
And this September and October they will be heading back on the road as the opening act for Canadian country legend Shania Twain during the UK and Ireland leg of her World Now Tour.
Here we talk exclusively to Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes – AKA The Shires to discuss that mega opening slot, new singles, and more;
So, how did the Shania Twain support slot come about?
We’ve been told that Shania actually asked for us to perform, which is pretty cool! It’s such an amazing opportunity and we’re so excited to get on the road again.
It’s an honour for you guys to be chosen like that, what can fans expect from your set?
It’s going to be an acoustic set, which is amazing as we haven’t done an acoustic gig on this scale in a while now. It’s going to be great going back to basics and it’ll be such a great atmosphere in the big arenas.
It’s also a big step for UK Country as a whole, are you looking to support international acts overseas soon?
Yes, we are planning on getting out to Canada to perform out there soon. We’d love to get over to Australia and the USA at some point in the near future too.
Along with the Shania Twain support slot you’re also performing at a number of festivals this year, is there one in particular you’re most excited for?
[Crissie] is definitely looking forward to Countryfile Live! She’s a proper country bumpkin and it’s going to be great spending the day soaking everything in and then performing in the evening. We’re also excited for Orkney, as we’ve never been that far north before so we’re excited to go out there on what will be a 3 day trip for us. We’ll be back on the road again with our band so it’s going to be great to be all together again. We’ve also got The Long Road coming up which has such an amazing line up and is going to be a lot of fun.
How do you feel festival and support slots compare to a headline show?
Festivals always have such a great atmosphere – everyone is there ready to have a good time and it’s not necessarily our usual audience. It’s so magical, especially if you’re playing in the sunshine or just as the sun starts to set. It’s really special and brings people together.
Who was at @BSTHydePark last week? We can't thank you guys enough for showing your support in that crazy rain. You really blew us away! What a pleasure to play amongst such amazing talents too ? B&Cx #TheShiresAOP pic.twitter.com/3eVg0SqvoH
— The Shires (@theshiresuk) July 19, 2018
You also recently wrapped your own UK tour, do you have a particular highlight from the run of dates?
Playing the Royal Albert Hall was out of this world, we’ve always dreamed of performing there and it was so amazing to have the chance to do so this early in our careers. It was really surreal at first, as we were performing in Windsor for BBC Radio 2 ahead of the Royal Wedding the next morning, so it was a whirlwind 24 hours and it didn’t really start to sink in until 3-4 days later.
Last night we played The Royal Albert Hall! Thank you so much for coming on this incredible journey with us. Apparently we also became the first UK Country act to headline the Royal Albert Hall. Was incredible to hear you all singing your hearts out with us. All our love, B&Cx pic.twitter.com/mOSnXDpRuW
— The Shires (@theshiresuk) May 19, 2018
Can fans expect another headline tour in the near future?
Maybe…
Along with touring this year, your have just released your latest single ‘Echo‘ and you’ve also released the live action music video for ‘Sleepwalk’, do you have anything else planned over the course of 2018 in terms of music videos, new singles etc?
Definitely more singles in the pipeline, and [we] would love to do more music videos. We absolutely loved being able to show our personalities in the video for ‘Guilty’, so it would be really fun to do something like that again.
Make sure you follow The Shires on Twitter @theshiresuk to keep up to date with all their latest music and tour news!
Tickets for Shania Twain’s UK and Ireland are on sale now!
Did you enjoy our exclusive interview with The Shires? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter @CelebMix.