Liv Austen
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Yee-hah! A one-day country music festival is shortly being staged in Fulham.
Though not normally known for 10-gallon hats, guitar picks or bootlace ties, SW6 will host the inaugural Coffee and Country Festival.
Two cafes are taking part, building on the spike in popularity for the genre revealed by the success of the recent O2 Country to Country festival. Entry is free.
Attempting to replicate the vibe of the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, 10 musicians will perform acoustic sessions in The Lekkerbek at 25 Effie Road, and Labi’s deli at 609 Fulham Road.
Festival founder Ida Ahlbom, 24, explained: “The driving purpose behind Coffee and Country is to continue to raise awareness of this increasingly popular genre and to champion the excellent British country talent that doesn’t always have a platform to showcase their talents.”
She added that one aim of the pop-up festival was to introduce more people in Hammersmith & Fulham borough to country music.
Among the musicians taking part are: Anna Jay, Backwoods Creek, Elliot Joseph, Fifth Floor, Katy Hurt, Lisa Wright, Liv Austen, Rett Russell, Southern Junction and The Southern Companion.
Lynne McDowell, a presenter on the new TV music channel Keep It Country, said that festivals such as Fulham’s reflect “a growing passion for country music in the UK”, and said she hoped it would provide a grassroots template for similar festivals in other parts of the country.
Coffee and Country will be staged on Thursday 28 April from 4-8pm.
The festival’s chosen charity is The Haven in Fulham, which supports people with breast cancer.
