Gig Review: The Long Road Festival, Stanford Hall, Leicestershire. Friday 28th August to Sunday 30th August 2026
Seven stagings in and the The Long Road has long created its own identity. Festival goers flock to Stanford Hall in all shapes and attires getting out of it what they want. It’s a loose family tied by a thread embedded in an alternative culture where roots are deep and stems branch out in many directions. People find their niche and extract a sense of fulfilment across a long August Bank Holiday weekend. Whatever the life span of the event, 2026 made its mark in more ways than one. Amidst the storms, mud, rain, evacuations and stage closures, the show went on. The recent passing of an icon was always going to cast a shadow over the event in a positive way. Country, Americana and roots music in all its guises won the day, whether portrayed by the legends or played by the new generation. It was part-DollyFest; part-MudFest and when the ground dries out, all parties can fondly reflect upon a successful outing.
Festivals are both a haven of shared experience and an individual pursuit. You choose your lane. Sampling sets that clash is just about possible at The Long Road with its mid-size setting, though a few miles will clock up over the weekend. Yet there is something special about immersing yourself in a full set watching it evolve and take shape adopting its own narrative. Some acts perfect the art, pacing it precisely showcasing who they are, often to new observers. Zandi Holup and Emily Scott Robinson immaculately achieved this with sets that grew their appreciation tenfold.
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| Zandi Holup |
Zandi Holup, alongside her fiddle player, commanded the covered Interstate stage for an hour on Saturday afternoon while the heavens opened up. Her voice comes from a dark place exuding sad songs leaving a flicker of of hope. The set was exquisitely crafted emerging from a sense of darkness into the realm of tempered upbeat optimism. This was ‘show-don’t tell’ in its rawest form. Folk, country and Americana wrapped into a complete entity. We had a preview of her voice the evening before when invited to join Steve Earle on stage to sing a duet the pair have written. The spark was lit to glow 24 hours later.
Several artists at The Long Road are afforded multiple sets, which is normally a good opportunity to expand who you want to see. This year, circumstances led to watching both of Emily Scott Robinson’s sets on Sunday. This highly acclaimed artist appears more established in Europe than the UK, a situation that could change on the evidence here. Her solo set on the Front Porch was a wonderful insightful introduction. Later in the Interstate she was joined by a fellow American fiddle player and a Dutch bass guitarist to startling effect. Even the stories for duplicated songs were told from a different perspective. The voice, musicianship and songs were all top notch. She also upgraded her Dolly cover the second time. ‘Jolene’ was replaced by a stunning jaw dropping version of ‘Little Sparrow’. Covers were always going to be prominent so it was good a hear a variety.
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| Bobby Dove |
‘Dolly for President’ and ‘What would Dolly do?’ were among the slogans displayed on walls, t-shirts and badges. A symbol of love and appreciation. The pick of the many versions of ‘Jolene’ was Muireann Bradley’s stunning picked rendition late Friday night on the Front Porch. Elsewhere, Chanel Haines powered her way through a rapturous version of ‘I Will Always Love You’ while providing guest vocals for the Ronnie Wood Band and there was barely a dry eye on the Rhinestone when Kezia Gill strummed the nostalgic heart out of ‘Coat of Many Colours’.
The Long Road has a positive precedence for booking music legends even when some have a flimsy connection to the genre. It also has an unfortunate precedence for having its headliners cancel at the last moment. Joining Jon Pardi, Chris Young and Carrie Underwood in previous years Bailey Zimmerman withdrew as the Saturday headliner barely weeks before the event. Every cloud they say, and a rare affordable chance was offered to see the ‘legendary’ Ronnie Wood bring his band with guest vocals from the aforementioned Chanel Haines and Irish powerhouse vocalist Imelda May. The Rhinestone stage air was awash with classic cuts just before the torrential rain returned. Ronnie Wood and his fine band gave a nod to the surroundings by covering Willie (‘On the Road Again’) and Hank (‘Your Cheatin’ Heart) alongside songs more associated with him by the Stones (‘Dead Flowers’) and Faces (‘Ooh La La’). Where you stood on this late addition had to take a backseat in appreciation for a rock and roll icon whose roots are aligned with those of country and Americana.
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| Emmylou Harris |
No debate with the other two legends. It was a coup to book Emmylou Harris for a precious date on her farewell European Tour. The hour and a quarter long set was a career defining presentation. A red hot band was a given, the voice is still smouldering and there’s a tasty back catalogue to choose from. Emmylou singing ‘Pancho and Lefty’ had to be a bucket list item for many and you were left in awe to how she interprets songs as well as writes. There was a simple Dolly Parton tribute at the end. No fanfare or tears, just a nod to how her good friend lived her life. ’When We’re Gone Long Gone’ from TRIO II surely had Dolly’s approval from above and Linda Ronstadt’s from afar.
It was no farewell from Steve Earle on Friday, just an hour of the old maestro at his feisty best. The hits rolled out on a golden conveyor belt - ‘Copperhead Road’. ‘Guitar Town’, ‘I Ain’t Ever Satisfied’ ‘My Old Friend the Blues’ etc. He impishly introduced ‘Galway Girl’ as the song every Irish musician wished they had written. An intention to return to the UK next year was announced and he introduced many to the wonderful husky voice of Zandi Holup through their staged duet of a newly co-written song. No complaints with the Long Road legends this year.
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| Steve Earle |
At the other end of the scale, several up and coming young artists made my Long Road viewing cut. Irish vocalist guitarist Muireann Bradley belies her teenage years with a love of old time country blues. Her playing and voice blew a lot of ears away late on Friday night. Covering Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Blake shines a light on the festival’s roots tagline and this inspired booking brought a breath of diverse fresh air.
In a similar age range to Bradley is Oklahoma based singer-writer Ken Pomeroy who has been releasing well-received albums since her mid-teens and has barely reached her mid-twenties. She played the Front Porch on Saturday evening with accompanying guitarist Dakota McDaniel. The sensitive intimate sound had a tough battle with Josh Ross blasting it out on the main stage but justice prevailed from the reception a healthy gathering gave.
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| Brennen Leigh |
The set of another young artist, Lily Fitts, was caught on Saturday afternoon in the Interstate. She attracted a younger fanbase with music that had a certain demographic lure, yet was effectively presented to induce wider appeal. Hailing from Boston Massachusetts, she appeared in a trio with a drummer and bass player, generating an indie-pop sound with an Americana twist. She is worth checking out online and keeping tabs on.
Traditional country gets a fair hearing at The Long Road where pedal/lap steel guitar is not a endangered species. Bobby Dove from Canada was first up on my schedule bringing some adorable tones to the Front Porch on Friday afternoon. The pedal steel playing was sublime and the voice at times reminiscent of Lucinda Williams. This was a fabulous introduction to an artist who passionately imparts a timeless style.
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| Muireann Bradley |
Brennen Leigh was raised just south of the US-Canada border but has made her name as a musician steeped in the ideals of Texas and the Far West. Her set earlier in the summer at the Maverick Festival with guitarist Kevin Skrla was a joy to watch but The Long Road performance was an immense upgrade enhanced by a couple of Norwegian musicians on snare drum and upright bass. No covers required in this hour long Interstate set, just visual elegance, poetic splendour and glorious twang. An experience up there with the weekend’s best and a stark reminder how country music gloriously blends into the landscape the further west you travel
Pedal steel was also due to feature in Sarah Jane Scouten’s set on Buddy’s stage on Saturday teatime before the curse of the weekend struck. Sarah Jane had impressively hit her stride playing straight up country with a full band in tow including CJ Hillman on guitar about to jump onto his trademark pedal steel then her 5th song was abruptly halted. 24 hours earlier the whole site was evacuated for an hour due to thunder and lightning, this time the area in the woods where Buddy’s is located had to be cleared due to safety concerns. Rumours were awash with the reason and music was able to return to this space later on. However it put a spanner in the whole Loose Music takeover of Buddy’s stage, a familiar and much loved Saturday feature of the festival. Apparently, some of the artists did pop up elsewhere but momentum was lost. Hopefully, Loose get the 2027 nod to return and make amends to the fans who love their curated residency.
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| Sarah Jane Scouten |
While The Long Road has a great track record for introducing new artists alongside bringing Stateside acts you didn’t think you would ever see live, familiar names from the overseas touring circuit are still an attraction. Canadian folk singer-songwriter Mia Kelly has forged connections in the English Midlands and made her Long Road debut with a couple of sets. Lizzie No, singer-songwriter, guitarist, harpist, announced she has just moved from America, so we should be seeing a lot more of her. She impressed at Maverick Festival last summer and upgraded onto a new level with an engaging and fiery performance here. Long Road applies its politics with a small ‘p’ in its values. Occasionally artists of a similar persuasion are less restrained when it comes to US affairs.
There are plenty of UK artists in the line up across the country, Americana and roots spectrum. Jonny Morgan and The Moral Support thrilled many in the vicinity of the Front Porch with an high octane energetic set of good time rock and roll late on Sunday. For many he was the post-Emmylou choice and a fitting way to party into the night. Jonny teamed up with ace guitarist, and Long Road regular, Joe Coombs in his band for some seriously fun jamming. Sometimes festivals are at their connective best away from the main stages.
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| Jonny Morgan & the Moral Support |
Joining Mia Kelly, Bobby Dove, Muireann Bradley and Steve Earle as my Friday highlights was Harper O’Neill. Her Rhinestone stage set was curtailed by the storm but later she returned to play the Front Porch. She had been seen once before opening for Ashley McBryde in Birmingham. The song writing acumen is impressive and an immense amount of heart and soul was poured into songs making her an artist to believe in.
The highlight from sampling a few sets from Saturday was Jason Scott and the High Heat who played the Interstate and was seen for twenty minutes between Ken Pomeroy finishing and Ronnie Wood. His tasty take on Americana country rock could have tempted a full set watch without the clashes. The Interstate was also the home to two American bands on Sunday with folk rock leanings, though with a varied UK presence. The Felice Brothers have been touring here from upstate New York for many years and accrued many fans. A short enjoyable time was spent listening to them before heading to the Rhinestone to see Emmylou. Earlier, Oliver Hazard (just the band name no specific person) made their UK debut on the same stage impressing with excellent three part harmonies and a classic folk-Americana rock sound resembling the Fruit Bats who played the same stage a couple of years ago.
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| Harper O'Neill |
It wouldn’t be a Long Road Festival for me if I didn’t take a peak into what is happening in mainstream country. These days my preference lies with the traditional side, Americana and folk but there is a still a soft spot for aspects that the mainstream stands for. Kezia Gill was first seen playing at Americana International in 2013, long before the UK country scene exploded. This year she joyously played the Rhinestone stage with an overwhelming pride. Her journey embodies a country song itself and she breathed in every last air of her moment on the big stage. This emotion was shared and she broke many hearts with her brilliant version of ‘Coat of Many Colours’.
Maren Morris concluded my Long Road for this year with her stylish set impressing on several levels including a band that adopted the right tone. She is an artist growing with interest as she diversifies. I suspect her music will further connect somewhere down the track as the trajectory is heading in the right direction. A satisfying end to a great day where amazingly it stayed dry.
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| Kezia Gill |
The extensive offering at The Long Road means something will be to your taste, if not everything. The most important thing is to love what you love and respect the diversity. Stanford Hall is a happy place at the end of August for all those reasons. Bring on 2027.
Nb. The Thursday evening bill is a small offering for campers only. The full programme begins Friday.
