Country twins Ward Thomas set for gig at The Castle

Country music seems to be experiencing a bit of a boost in the UK at the moment with the likes of Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves recently performing at The Ritz and The Shires set for the Deaf Institute on 26 July. Now, Hampshire’s country music twins Ward Thomas are putting on their best cowboy boots to perform at The Castle, Manchester, on 16 July.

Ward Thomas are 20 year old twin sisters Catherine and Lizzy Ward Thomas from Hampshire (not particularly known for producing a conveyor belt of country music stars), but they were exposed to country music in their early teens by a Canadian cousin, who introduced them to the music of the likes of Carrie Underwood, Johnny Cash, Dixie Chicks and Alison Krauss and, as Catherine Ward Thomas puts it they “fell hard for Country”. Having been brought up on a rural livestock farm and with a family heritage which included artists and authors, they were probably about as close to a British Nashville as possible.

It wasn’t long before listening to Country music lead to writing and recording it and whilst they were in the sixth-form at school a demo for their track Footnotes reached two Nashville session musicians and ultimately to the recording of their debut album From Where We Stand, which is now set to be released on 21 July.

From Where We Stand was written entirely in the UK but recorded in Nashville, where some of Country’s finest took part included Bobby Blazier, Dan Dugmore, Chris Rodriguez, superstar Vince Gill and Grammy Award winner Michael Omartian, it is a true England meets Nashville album. This is reflected in their sound, which is a distinct UK version of Country Music. It’s a fresh sound, with original songs delivered with impressive ability. Ranging from heartfelt ballads such as Try and From Where I Stand to dynamic pieces such as Way Back When and Push For The Stride, the music of Ward Thomas takes on a diverse array of moods and borrows from personal experiences.

To support the release of their debut album Ward Thomas are taking to the road with a two month UK tour which sees them travelling the length and breadth of the country and performing in Manchester at The Castle.

Ward Thomas play at The Castle on Wednesday 16 July 2014.