Royal Albert Hall

The Shires, the biggest-selling UK country act of all time, made their Royal Albert Hall debut on 18 May 2018, as part of the Albert Sessions!

The duo released their debut album Brave in March 2015, which became the first British country album ever to enter the UK top ten. Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes have been going from strength-to-strength ever since, and released their highly anticipated third album Accidentally on Purpose earlier in 2018.

The Shires performed at the Hall as part of the Albert Sessions – a series of concerts which enable artists who have not previously headlined here to offer cut-price tickets to fans, and engage with the Hall’s Education & Outreach programme by offering a bespoke educational opportunity for young people.

Ahead of the show, ben and Crissie treated a group of aspiring songwriters to an exclusive workshop in songwriting, music making, music business and beyond. Read what we learned at the session.

Last night we played The Royal Albert Hall! Thank you so much for coming on this incredible journey with us. Apparently we also became the first UK Country act to headline the Royal Albert Hall. Was incredible to hear you all singing your hearts out with us. All our love, B&Cx pic.twitter.com/mOSnXDpRuW

— The Shires (@theshiresuk) May 19, 2018

The show was supported by special guests Andy Brown and Sinead Burgess.

All photos: Christie Goodwin