BY MICHAEL CHOWNE
At a hot and sticky Islington Assembly Hall in London on Thursday 30th July 2026, Nashville Rising stars The Castellows put on an entertaining first UK Headline show whilst they are over supporting Luke Combs at Wembley Stadium for the next 3 nights. Really great that they gave a half hour support slot to UK based transatlantic duo Outpost Drive who grabbed the chance with both hands putting on an impressive performance.
The Castellows are 3 sisters from rural Georgetown, Georgia, USA and this show, originally billed at the 400 capacity Bush Hall, was moved to this 950 capacity venue to accomodate a larger audience. Ellie (acoustic guitar, keys and vocals) and Powell (banjo and vocals) are actually 2 of a set of triplets whilst Lily (lead vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica) is their younger sister. Playing here with a band that included electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, fiddle, mandolin, pedal steel and steel guitar (the last 4 all from one talented guy), the 3 sisters worked the stage well and put on an energetic show – Lily in particular had a real workout and how she didn’t get dizzy with all that spinning around I’ll never know! Lots of upbeat, catchy original country, with traditional influences, and well sung. There were a few slower numbers too that really allowed the harmonies to shine. Whilst aesthetically pleasing, I would have loved to have heard the banjo more as this got a little lost in the overall sound mix. No. 7 Road and Hurricane are particular favourites of mine – the latter has a very similar vibe to another of my faves, God Sends A Train by American Young. A cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing In The Dark was great and had the whole crowd singing along.
Earlier, Brighton based husband and wife duo Outpost Drive gave us a really strong opening set. Mary Bragg Robinson from Mobile, Alabama and Willow Robinson who was raised on a farm on the Herefordshire/Welsh border, first met in Los Angeles at one of Willow’s performances and it’s surprising that Willow hadn’t heard Mary Bragg sing until after they were married! The duo was then formed and they’re going from strength to strength in the UK Country scene with their great on-stage chemistry. Look out for their debut album ‘The Outpost’, and the accompanying tour, later this year.
