Lady Antebellum bring country to the UK - from BBC News
« Back to News Listing
By Genevieve Hassan
BBC News entertainment reporter
READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE >>
READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE >>
"There is a stigma attached to country music," says Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley ahead of the group's first UK concert in London.
"People say they don't like it, but things have evolved a lot over the years. I think people would really dig it if they gave it a shot."
In the US, where country music has a much higher profile, the Nashville-based trio have taken the charts by storm.
They have picked up seven high-profile music awards, including a Grammy for their latest single, I Run to You, and were named vocal group of the year by the Academy of Country Music.
Their current album, Need You Now, is the best-selling album of 2010 so far, shifting 2.3 million copies - a million more than their nearest rival, tween star Justin Bieber.
And now they are trying to crack the UK - a market which has never really embraced the old Tennessee twang.
Chance meeting
The group, who derived their named from the antebellum architecture style homes in the American South, met four years ago.
The group were named vocal group of the year at the CMA Awards
Kelley and school friend Dave Haywood began writing songs together in college before moving to Nashville.
Hillary Scott had stumbled across Kelley on MySpace and, after a chance meeting at a bar, the group was formed.
They quickly graduated from beer-soaked bars to the Grand Ole Opry, and were signed by Capitol Nashville in 2007.
A platinum debut album followed, and several of their singles have crossed over to the mainstream charts.
So the band's relative anonymity in London has allowed them a refreshing break from the spotlight.
"We got photographed one time coming out of a restaurant, but I don't think they knew who we were," says Scott, as Haywood jokes: "They probably thought we were Kings of Leon."
Speaking backstage at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, at the tail end of a three days promotional trip, the group are acutely aware the of challenge they face in the UK.
Yet the secret of Lady Antebellum's success seems to be that they don't sound traditionally country in the first place. On first listen, the title track from Need You Now could be mistaken for a soft rock power ballad.
"We didn't necessarily set out to do this sound - these are just the songs we wrote," says Scott.
Kelley adds: "Country music has changed a lot over the years and the lines have blurred - most of it on the radio now is a pop country sound, like Taylor Swift."
However Haywood admits they're not sure what to expect from their first UK concert - a one-off show which is partly intended to test the waters.
They are used to playing to tens of thousands of fans in US stadiums, so the Empire's 2,000 capacity means a more intimate affair.
"We're anxious to see how the crowd is tonight," he says. "Ever since we released the album over here we'd been looking for a way to come play.
"It's more of a thank you to the fans in the UK for buying the record, but we're so thrilled it's sold out.
"We'll see how it goes but hopefully this is the first of many."
And fan interaction is important to the group - they have a presence on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and their own social network on their website.
For the last two years, they have also uploaded a weekly video "webisode" to their site to give fans an insight into their lives.
"There are so many fans that can't come to shows," says Haywood, "but you can put a video up on a Wednesday and somebody in Malaysia, Japan or the UK can see it - so it's a great way to stay connected with fans."
Scott adds: "We feel privileged that people want to go to our website and see a webisode. They're spending their hard-earned money and taking time out of their day and putting food on our table."
Just before the concert the trio carry out their usual vocal warm up and, according to Scott, "Dave checks his fly about 50 times".
The hour-long set is met with rapturous applause by the packed out venue which, it has to be said, is home to a slightly more mature audience than normal.
The group are clearly overwhelmed and frequently express surprise at the reception.
The trio sold out their performance at the 2,000 capacity Shepherd's Bush Empire
As well as Brits, fans from as far afield as Spain and the US have travelled to the gig. The home crowd even know the words to tracks from the band's debut album, which did not receive a UK release.
Covers of Radiohead's High and Dry and the Beatles' Hey Jude (for the benefit of a British audience) go down well, and after Kelley thanks fans for "indulging my London fantasy", the show culminates in a standing ovation.
Backstage, the group are buzzing with excitement.
"We heard a British audience might be a bit more subdued, but they were louder than some of our US concerts," claims Haywood.
"Hillary cried before we came back for the encore," Kelley adds. "You never dream about it happening on a global scale and it is for us - it was phenomenal."
So does this mean Lady Antebellum will be returning to this side of the pond?
"This has put away any doubts for us about whether it was worth coming over," he says, "It's not even a question.
"We'll be back soon!"
And as the group fly back home to the news that their album has climbed 52 places up the chart to number 22 thanks to their three days of promotion, they could be back sooner than they think.
Lady Antebellum's latest single I Run To You and album Need You Now are out now.
:)
Submitted by megzdee44 on August 18, 2010.
Its actually amazing how many people know you now :) Friends, who know I love Country music, come up to me and say "OH! Theres a new band called Lady Antebellum that you'd like!" and I usually reply "I know! Pretty amazing arent they?" and they agree!! I love the recognition you guys are getting :)
Im hoping that you will come back and visit us again soon :D <3
very well deserved and glad
Submitted by happylindauk on August 22, 2010.
very well deserved and glad you have no more doubts about coming back!!!! xx
Uk concert.
Submitted by Biker on August 22, 2010.
That's such good news to hear you guys will be coming back soon. The concert at Shepherds Bush was amazing. Everyone who heard we went, was green with envy! You could easily fill the O2, mind you the atmosphere at Shepherds Bush was brilliant. We hope it was the first of many concerts.
The UK loves you guys! <3
Submitted by anakellya on August 23, 2010.
so awesome!! can't thank you guys enough for bringing country to the UK... but hey, how about you bring it back again soon too... ;) we miss ya big time here!!
-
7996Emmaw:Nice interview!
The concert was amazing, loved finally getting to see you guys.
And it's awesome to see the recognition you're getting, you fully deserve it!
Lady A you rock, come back soon please :) x -
7562anakellya:so awesome!! can't thank you guys enough for bringing country to the UK... but hey, how about you bring it back again soon too... ;) we miss ya big time here!!
-
7554Bikerburger:That's such good news to hear you guys will be coming back soon. The concert at Shepherds Bush was amazing. Everyone who heard we went, was green with envy! You could easily fill the O2, mind you the atmosphere at Shepherds Bush was brilliant. We hope it was the first of many concerts.
-
7553happylindauk:very well deserved and glad you have no more doubts about coming back!!!! xx
-
7463megzdee44:Its actually amazing how many people know you now :) Friends, who know I love Country music, come up to me and say "OH! Theres a new band called Lady Antebellum that you'd like!" and I usually reply "I know! Pretty amazing arent they?" and they agree!! I love the recognition you guys are getting :)
Im hoping that you will come back and visit us again soon :D <3 -
7436sgraylarmer:Great little interview, and really pleased you enjoyed the reception you got, we really enjoyed seeing you. I know from speaking to a number of people on the way out who had been to see other country artists over here, that they thought that yours had been by far the best performance.
Also since the release of I run to you over here, I have had people coming up to me saying, 'oh thats who you were on about, they're quite good' - so your fan base is definately growing! Next time you are over here hopefully you can, hit the press a bit more and spread the word.
Hopefully see you again sometime in the near future
Come back soon
Great little interview, and really pleased you enjoyed the reception you got, we really enjoyed seeing you. I know from speaking to a number of people on the way out who had been to see other country artists over here, that they thought that yours had been by far the best performance.
Also since the release of I run to you over here, I have had people coming up to me saying, 'oh thats who you were on about, they're quite good' - so your fan base is definately growing! Next time you are over here hopefully you can, hit the press a bit more and spread the word.
Hopefully see you again sometime in the near future