Kelly-Anne Launches Swindon Songwriter Night

When Swindon’s Honky Tonk bar closed a few months ago, Kelly-Anne lost both a regular performance venue and somewhere local country fans could come together. Keen to keep those connections alive, the emerging singer and songwriter decided to put on an evening of her own.

Redemption Road comes to The Plough in Swindon on Thursday 19 November, bringing Kelly-Anne together with Ben Hutcheson and Nat Hills for a free evening of original music and the stories behind the songs. She hopes it will become a regular fixture, giving independent country artists another place to share their writing.

“After the Honky Tonk called last orders, I knew I had to do something to keep the momentum going,” she explains. “I toyed with putting on a full country evening with DJs and line-dancing but my event experience is limited. It seemed like a sensible idea to start simple and go from there.”

Finding a country community

Each artist will have around 30 minutes on stage to introduce their songs and explain what inspired them. Kelly-Anne got to know Ben and Nat through their shared membership of the UK-CMA, building friendships through conversations about music, gigs and everyday life.

“They are both artists I talk to regularly about life, music, gigs and everything else,” she says. “I know that they both have excellent performance skills, a great following and both bring something different to the table.”

Their encouragement has also helped her take the first step into organising an event. She knows both want the evening to succeed, and hopes audiences will leave wanting to return.

For Kelly-Anne, songwriter nights offer a valuable connection between independent musicians and listeners. Many of the artists around her are developing their careers without management or financial backing, making opportunities to reach an interested audience particularly important.

“For me, the opportunity to share my music and find my tribe is priceless,” she says. “Music isn’t just about the song, it’s about the story behind it.”

Heartbreak, humour and being herself

Her own songs draw on experiences that have shaped her life, often finding humour in situations that were anything but funny at the time. She enjoys offering audiences a choice between a song about the one who got away and another about the worst breakup ever. The breakup, she says, wins every time.

In her case, that story involves being dumped in public on the night before Valentine’s Day. She can laugh about it now, and sharing it gives listeners a chance to recognise their own experiences in hers.

“I like to make the audience laugh where I can,” she explains. “Although I take performing seriously, I don’t take myself too seriously.”

That personality also comes through in her “y’alternative” identity. An enthusiastic pop-punk fan who once named pet rats after members of Green Day, Kelly-Anne has found plenty to connect with in country music without leaving her earlier influences behind.

“I’m an elder emo for sure,” she says. “As I grew up and my music taste changed, and my back was unable to cope with the pressure of a mosh pit, I found a lot of connection in country music.”

Her performances can bring those interests together, including mash-ups involving Sum 41 and Big & Rich. However, feeling comfortable with her own image took time. Looking at female country artists in flowing dresses, she wondered whether audiences would accept someone whose style was different.

A visit to Johnny Cash’s Hideaway Farm in Tennessee in June helped her find some confidence. Cash has always been her favourite country artist, and hearing stories about his life and songwriting encouraged her to trust her own instincts.

“I started to understand that I don’t need to be anyone else except me.”

A first step towards something regular

Previously known as Kelly Sings Country, she chose Kelly-Anne as a name that felt more natural for releasing original music. Discovering another performer using her former name helped prompt the change.

Her ambitions have grown alongside her songwriting. What began with country covers to backing tracks developed into learning guitar, writing songs and finding people who wanted to follow her progress. Performing at weddings and public gigs has also taught her to adapt and build a connection with a room.

Now she hopes Redemption Road can become a regular night, with more music releases planned next year and a longer-term ambition to organise her own festival.

“Country music needs to stay alive in Swindon and I intend to play a part in that,” she says. “And keep it authentic too.”