Perth’s most tenacious country band is on the up and up after scooping a top prize at the UK Country Music Awards 2021 last week.
Longstay, despite having an average age of 20, have been gigging steadily around Perth and the central belt for eight years.
Now the boys have had their efforts recognised, beating out stiff competition from all around the nation to win the UK Country Radio Song Award for their song Better Lands.
And after narrowly missing out on first prize back in 2019, when they were awarded second place at the Birmingham ceremony, Longstay are thrilled to have secured the top spot.
Callum Campbell, lead singer and songwriter for the country and Americana outfit, said: “It felt good to win.
“We thought we were so close the last time, so to win now feels like a recognition of our hard work. And not just for this song but for keeping going through Covid, when live music took a real hit.”
Winning song started off as riff gone wrong
And Longstay know very well that sometimes a setback is a blessing in disguise.
Lead guitarist Malcolm Swan revealed that the award-winning track Better Lands, which boasts an upbeat, guitar-driven sound and lots of heart, was born out of a slip of the thumb.
“The song originally comes from a mistake!” he explained. “I was trying to remember a riff and got it wrong.
“But what I ended up with was interesting enough to send to Callum and that’s where the song was born.”
Ever the go-getters, Longstay were one of the first bands back on the scene when live music started up again in Scotland. Playing the country’s first “Covid-safe” tour back in May, they brought live music back with a bang around Perthshire.
And last month saw them supporting Fife rockers Big Country on their Scottish tour.
Now the Longstay lads are focused on their upcoming mini tour of venues in
the south of England.
Starting in London with a gig on November 9, they will be playing in Poole, Salisbury, and more.