October UK Headline Tour
Today, the Indiana-born, Nashville-based rising star Stephen Wilson Jr. has released his new single ‘Hardwired‘ featuring Miranda Lambert. Co-written by Wilson Jr., Jesse Frasure, Adam Hood, and Miranda Lambert, ‘Hardwired’ is a vivid portrait of working-class perseverance that culminates in a stunning interpolation of The Pixies iconic song ‘Where Is My Mind?’. The song is released alongside a hypnotic and hair-raising visualiser directed by Jace Kartye.
‘Hardwired’ is anchored by Wilson Jr.’s signature gut string acoustic guitar playing that has earned him recognition from Guitar World and Premier Guitar, who recently featured him in a six-page print feature in their August 2026 issue.
‘Hardwired’ follows last month’s release of “Gary” (Live From CMA Fest 2026) and his most recent single ‘Preacher’s Kid‘, which was named Song You Need To Know by Rolling Stone and was featured in Billboard’s New Music Friday Guide. All Country News proclaimed, “[the] sprawling, electrifying new track that arrives as both a statement and a reminder of why Wilson remains one of the most fascinating storytellers working today.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHrGfh6VdEw
Wilson Jr. premiered ‘Gary’ late last year with an electrifying performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and also performed it on This Past Weekend with Theo Von and The Howard Stern Show. In March, he released the official video for ‘Gary’, which stars award-winning actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13). The song is currently in the Top 40 on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart.
The official video for ‘Gary’ marked his ninth collaboration with director Tim Cofield who also directed his official video for ‘Cuckoo‘, which took home the ACM Award for Visual Media of the Year in May.
Throughout the rest of the year, Wilson Jr. will tour the US and Europe on his headline Gary The Torch Tour that will culminate with two shows at The Truth in Nashville, TN on December 11 and 12. He will also tour as part of the Outlaw Music Festival this summer, and will support Dave Matthews Band on September 4 at the Gorge Amphitheater and Brandi Carlile on September 11-13 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Find a full list of tour dates on his website.
2026 UK Tour Dates:
10/15 – Belfast, UK – SSE Arena #
10/17 – Sligo, IE – Sligo Live Festival * SOLD OUT
10/19 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow # SOLD OUT
10/20 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow # SOLD OUT
10/22 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton #
10/23 – Bristol, UK – The Prospect Building # SOLD OUT
10/25 – Manchester, UK – O2 Victoria Warehouse # SOLD OUT
* Festival
# Gary The Torch Tour
FULL DETAILS OF ALL UK TOUR DATES ARE ON THE COUNTRY LOWDOWN GIG GUIDE
KEEP UP WITH STEPHEN WILSON JR.
Website – Instagram – TikTok – Facebook – YouTube
ABOUT STEPHEN WILSON JR.
Stephen Wilson Jr.’s journey from the hollers of southern Indiana to Nashville, Tenn. has been a winding road that’s taken many detours: He’s been an Indiana State Golden Gloves boxing championship finalist, a scientist, and a lead guitarist and songwriter in an indie rock band. In 2016, he ditched his laboratory 9-to-5 and signed a publishing deal with BMG Nashville where his alchemic songcraft immediately made waves, leading to cuts from Caitlyn Smith, Old Dominion, Tim McGraw, Sixpence None the Richer, Leigh Nash and more.
2023 proved to be Wilson Jr.’s breakthrough year, signing with Big Loud Records and releasing his critically-acclaimed debut double album søn of dad: a triumphant, genre-spanning set of 22 songs dedicated to his late father and given to the world on the five-year anniversary of his passing. In 2024, Stephen’s star grew as he made his network television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, followed by performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s #LateShowMeMusic series and Later…with Jools Holland.
Ahead of the one-year anniversary of søn of dad, Wilson Jr. was also profiled in an extensive feature for CBS Saturday Morning, and last year, he released a deluxe edition of the album which featured a moving interpretation of “Stand By Me” that has been streamed tens of millions of times.
Last November, he earned his first CMA Award nomination for New Artist of the Year and played twice on the broadcast – a moving performance of his song “Took A Walk” from the film The Long Walk with Shaboozey and a star-making rendition of “Stand By Me.” To close out the year, he released new single “Gary,” which he debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and is currently climbing the country radio charts.
Fresh off his first ACM Award win for Visual Media of the Year for the video for his song “Cuckoo”, Stephen is currently in the midst of his Gary The Torch Tour headline tour that extends through December across the US and Europe/UK.
This year, he will share the stage with Dave Matthews Band at The Gorge Amphitheatre and Brandi Carlile for 3 nights at Red Rocks.