We can’t wait to take the UK-CMA to Country Calling this weekend!
As part of our ongoing commitment to unite, promote and develop UK country talent, the UK-CMA team collaborated with Country Calling Festival to take over the Dive Bar Stage on Friday afternoon. The Dive Bar is known for bringing serious Nashville honky-tonk energy to the festival fields, and we are thrilled to present a stacked lineup of incredible homegrown talent to kick off the weekend.
Meet the Winners
Earlier this year, we launched the ‘Road to Country Calling’ competition to give standout country acts the opportunity to perform on our stage takeover. The level of talent submitted was outstanding, making the selection process incredibly tough.
After two rigorous rounds of judging, we are excited to be hosting performances by our four winners at the festival this coming Friday:
Ben Hutchison
Buckle n Boots
Glimtvis
Kerryl
How They Were Chosen: The Judging Process
To ensure a fair and expert evaluation, the competition took place in two distinct phases:
Phase One
The UK-CMA Board reviewed every single entry submitted by artists across the UK, collectively shortlisting the top ten acts using a multi-aspect, points-based scoring system to develop a shortlist.
Phase Two: The Industry Panel
The shortlisted top ten were then passed to an independent panel of top-tier industry professionals who judged the final round, again using a points-based judging system:
Ray Jones: Co-founder of TalentBanq (Booking Agents, Event & Venue Managers, and Concert Promoters) with a stellar track record in curating live events and promoting independent music.
Blue Foley: Grammy-nominated Nashville songwriter with over 100 independent and major-label cuts, best known for co-writing the title track of Ashley McBryde’s Never Will and contributing to her award-winning Country Album of the Year.
Tyler Spicer: UK-born, Nashville-based producer, bass player, and session musician who has worked with major names including Cody Pennington, Wood Burnt Red, and Daniel Beddoes.
Join Us at Country Calling!
Country Calling is shaping up to be one of the highlights of the summer music calendar, packed with live music, line dancing, authentic street food, and incredible energy across the fields of Essex.
Giving homegrown independent artists a platform alongside international talent is at the heart of what the UK-CMA stands for. We encourage everyone attending this weekend to head over to the Dive Bar Stage on Friday, grab an ice-cold drink, bring your loudest cheers, and show your support for these exceptional UK country artists.
Members of the UK-CMA team will be on-site all weekend. Come down to the Dive Bar, say “hi”, catch some amazing live music, and chat with us about how we’re working together to grow the UK country music scene!
