Buckle and Boots is definitely the festival to go to if you want to make friends and feel like you’re part of the Country family. We’ve known this for some time now but this weekend solidified that theory as I was greeted warmly by the Hancocks (the hosts), artists and fans alike. The music on Friday kicked off the only way a Country festival should with an international songwriters round featuring Australians and Americans! I wasn’t overly familiar with the three writers before the festival but they were the full works, all had strong vocals and superb songs. Tamara Stewart sat closest to me had joined us from Australia as had Blake O’Connor who was sat in the middle of the two girls althou

So last week we found out the nominations for this year's CMT Awards. The awards show as we know it today has been running since 2002 but has actually been running much longer, since the late sixties. Loretta Lynn and Carrie Underwood are amongst the awards biggest winners and once again Carrie is nominated for a couple of awards. So here at The Writers Room we decided to each predict the video we think is going to win and why in each category. So read on for a full list of nominees and let's see which one of us gets the most right come awards night! Video of the Year "Cry Pretty," Carrie Underwood "Drunk Girl," Chris Janson "Break Up in the End," Cole Swindell "Speechless," Dan + Shay "

Maren Morris first visited these shores at C2C 2016, at the time she'd had a big hit with My Church and though the single was still gathering traction both here and in the States we were only just getting to know Maren. She seemed overwhelmed by the queue of people waiting to chat to her at the end of the Bluebird sessions. Now she is a mega-star in Country music, headlining festivals across the States and collaborating with artists from across all genres to achieve chart success in many countries including here in the UK (The Middle peaked at #7 on the UK Singles chart last year). Back in March she released her sophomore album and is about to embark on another tour across the UK and she is

There are two sides to this Manchester crowd, of course there's the side we'd like to remember that were so loud they amazed Chris and the side that was so loud I couldn't hear Lindsay Ell over their conversations! This is the first time a crowd has irritated me this much that I include it in a review but it needs stating that something needs to be done, if you come in in time for a support act, finish your conversations in time for the support act! I was there six years ago when Lindsay made the first trip across the pond to support The Band Perry and I remember being stood in awe of her incredible guitar skills then and she still continues to amaze me as she goes from strength to strength.

There’s just a month to go until one of the best independent Country festivals opens its gate for the fourth year. Buckle and Boots has always been the best place to catch homegrown talent but over the years we’ve also seen some fantastic US and even Australian acts grace the barn stage. This year though seems the most international year with top acts from Europe also heading to Stockport to entertain us for three days! Taking place a little earlier this year on May bank holiday there’s no excuse for not getting there to support the best upcoming acts from around the World and I’m here to talk you through the ones to watch! Like in previous years if you’re looking to start the weekend off ea