Longstay is a young award-winning country band playing a lively mix of Country, Southern Rock, and Americana music.
Longstay beat off stiff competition from around the nation to win the UK Country Radio Song Award for their song Better Lands.
The boys narrowly missed out on first prize back in 2019, when they were awarded second place at the Birmingham ceremony, Longstay is thrilled to have secured the top spot.
Based in Perth (Scotland) they originally formed as a trio quickly becoming regulars on the local music scene, and now performing as a tight four/five-piece band.
Callum Campbell (Lead Vocal) and Malcolm Swan (Lead Guitar), who front the band, have been playing music together for 8 years, and this shines through in their live performances where their interaction and ease are evident on stage.
Their musical influences range from Creedence Clearwater Revival and Willie Nelson, through Counting Crows and the Eagles right up to current-day artists such as Jason Isbell, Brothers Osborne, and Chris Stapleton. This heady mix is apparent in their own songs which formed the core of their acclaimed debut album Calling Me Home.
The year 2020 was a great year for the band, starting with studio time in January to lay down the next album to be released in the summer. Live gigs were on the up too, with bookings to play at C2C in Glasgow, several festival dates including the Tartan Heart festival, and a tour to the South of England and London to coincide with the release of the album. However with gigs cancelled, the band’s income and ability to finish and promote the album was curtailed, so the decision was made to postpone the releases until 2021.
However, they still got together online and did some virtual gigs for their fans, playing a mixture of covers and their own songs. After multiple requests to release the tracks, and without access to a studio, they recorded their parts individually in their homes and these were mixed and released under their second album Quarantine Sessions (Linked here) – an entirely homegrown affair!
2022 saw the live music scene slowly opening up again and the band has enjoyed success at several festivals across Scotland, and getting back to gigging, including a support slot for Scottish rock royalty Big Country. The band rounded their year up with a mini tour around the south of England stopping off at Coventry, London, Poole, and Salisbury they brought in the bells in their home city of Perth.
Testimonials
Maverick Magazine
‘Longstay is on the road for big things, and will reach their destination soon with quality like this.’
Liverpool Sound and Vision
A sound of youthful dynamic… One of substance and gravitas’.
Americana UK
‘Longstay could well be the stalwarts of the Scottish Americana scene in years to come’