THE SHIRES
New Single “Watching You Watching Me” Out Now
New Album Bonfire Out July 3
UK Headline Tour Kicks Off In November
Summer Festival Appearances Include The Long Road, The Great British Farm Fest, BST Hyde Park
Pioneering British country duo The Shires – Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes – have shared their new single “Watching You Watching Me” from their forthcoming album Bonfire, a sonic celebration of togetherness, escapism and positivity. Their first album in four years, Bonfire will be released on LP, CD (including signed formats) and digital on July 3 via Blue Highway Records. Pre-order HERE.
Penned by The Shires’ Ben Earle alongside Lindsay Rimes and Eric Paslay, “Watching You Watching Me” is a delightfully fun reminder that stolen glances don’t turn into stolen hearts all on their own – all it takes is a split second of courage.
Speaking about the new single, Ben said: “‘Watching You Watching Me’ is a really fun and different sound for us. There’s a bit of Motown in the production and a small nod to our song ‘Guilty’ in the intro. It’s going to be so fun to play live, and we can’t wait to get on some big festivals stages this summer with this one.”
“Getaway Car,” the lead single from Bonfire, made country music history when it became the first track by British artists to top the Official UK Country Radio Airplay Chart on Sunday 12 April.
From their breakthrough in 2015, The Shires have seen records tumble. They became the first British country artists to achieve a UK Top Ten album with their debut Brave, delivered the fastest-selling UK country album of all time with follow-up My Universe, and became the only British act to win a prestigious CMA Award. Ahead of their time in many ways, Ben and Crissie have not only paved the way for subsequent British country artists, but they’ve also previewed the current golden age in popularity of country music in the UK. They have maintained an enviable reputation at the forefront of the genre and couldn’t be happier to be back with new music to share.
The Shires Summer Festivals:
Sat 23 May – The Great British Farm Fest, Stoneleigh Park
Sat 27 June – BST Hyde Park, London
Sun 26 July – Melbourne Hall, Derby
Fri 28 August – The Long Road Festival, Leicestershire
The Shires November UK full band headline tour:
Tues 3 Nov – Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Thu 5 Nov – Gateshead Glasshouse
Fri 6 Nov – York Barbican
Sun 8 Nov – Manchester Bridgewater Hall
Mon 9 Nov – Birmingham Symphony Hall
Wed 11 Nov – London Palladium
Thu 12 Nov – Brighton Dome
Sat 14 Nov – Ipswich Regent Theatre
Sun 15 Nov – Poole Lighthouse
Mon 16 Nov – Swansea Building Society Arena
Wed 18 Nov – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Thu 19 Nov – Bedford Corn Exchange
Fri 20 Nov – Bristol Beacon
Purchase tickets HERE
