Alright, I know y’all ain’t gonna believe this but the U.K. really does have some amazing country music! Some argue they have older folk music than the United States…LOL! Alright, that’s enough.
This band is a killer find. Folk-Americana group The Wandering Hearts are reminiscent of First Aid Kit, Of Monsters and Men, whilst keeping their British roots at the very heart of their music. Their seamless vocal harmonies and pop sensibility add a twist of Fleetwood Mac. Band members AJ, Chess, Tim and Tara are all grafters – working hard to hone their skills as musicians, and the standard is there to be seen. Hearing how naturally their voices blend together, it’s incredible they met almost by chance 18 months ago. Their love of folk, Americana, vocal harmonies and gin drew them together, and one afternoon in an empty bar room of the Earl Haig Hall in Crouch End, The Wandering Hearts were born.
“Tara and Tim met at a gig and struck up a friendship, bonding over their shared love of similar music and artists. They met Chess and AJ soon after through mutual friends, then all got together at Tim’s flat to work on one of Tim’s original songs.”
The band’s debut, ‘Wish I Could’, is one of the first songs The Wandering Hearts wrote together and highlights their knack for crafting heartfelt lyrics.
The band was discovered within half an hour of uploading their first demo online, and signed a major recording deal with Decca Records (part of Universal Music Group): “After our second rehearsal, we uploaded a song we’d been working on to SoundCloud with the hashtag #ukcountry. Our now manager heard it sent us a message about 30 minutes after we uploaded it! We were introduced to Decca soon after and the rest is history.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT9wPFUEtdQ&list=RDbT9wPFUEtdQ
Their live gigs seem killer, by the way. This year has seen the band play sold-out headline shows at St Pancras Old Church and the Borderline, plus a string of summer festivals across the UK including Bestival, Cornbury, Secret Garden Party and Standon Calling. The summer highlight for the band was sharing the bill with Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks at BST Hyde Park.
“To just get to see Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks live, let alone share the bill with them, was a dream come true. The memory of that feels all the more poignant after the passing of Tom Petty and knowing we got to see him on his last European tour. It was just a really special day for all of us. We’ll never forget it.”
The memory of that feels all the more poignant after the passing of Tom Petty and knowing we got to see him on his last European tour.
Keep up with the band. They’ve been busy recording their debut album, due for release in early 2018.
Follow The Wandering Hearts
The Wandering Hearts’ Girl Gang Music Picks
First Aid Kit
HAIM
Jessie Ware