Ryan and Rory: Beer Wants Me and the UK Wants Them Back
Written by Lauren Page | @LiveWithLP
Ryan and Rory have discovered two things about the UK. We know how to do country music, and apparently, we know how to party.
After making their first trip across the pond for C2C earlier this year, the duo wasted absolutely no time finding an excuse to come back, returning less than six months later for The Long Road Festival in Lutterworth.
But before we discussed new music, British country fans or anything remotely sensible, I had a complaint, they didn't come to Glasgow for C2C.
As someone who had been patiently waiting to catch Ryan and Rory live, I felt it was important they knew there was an entire Scottish fanbase waiting for them.
“Well shit,” they laughed. “That’s good to know. I’ve always wanted to go to Scotland, so now we’ve got an excuse.”
Exactly. Consider this my official campaign to get Ryan and Rory to Glasgow.
When I caught up with the boys backstage at The Long Road, they were also fresh from releasing Beer Wants Me - a song I had already played approximately four or five times during my five-hour drive to the festival that morning.
Turns out I wasn't the only one getting slightly carried away with it.
“People are partying to this song straight up. It’s pretty crazy,” they said. “People are showing us pictures of pyramids of cans and bonfires. They’re doing what the song was intended for, which is to rip it.”
And Ryan and Rory were certainly practising what they preach.
They had already spent three nights in London before arriving at The Long Road, celebrating the release “from sun up to sundown in every pub we’ve seen”.
By the time we spoke, backstage had actually run out of beer... Seems about right.
There is a lot of fun surrounding Ryan and Rory. You only need to spend five minutes with them to work that out.
But underneath Beer Wants Me, the partying and their brilliantly chaotic energy is a very clear idea of what they want their music to be.
Country.
Not music that needs to repeatedly remind you that it's country. Not something chasing whatever sound happens to be working at that particular moment, just country music.
“We wanted to do something that nobody else is doing, this isn’t a dig at anybody, but we don’t want to be doing music that has to tell you it’s country. We just want it to be country. That’s what we grew up on.”
And there is one duo sitting right at the top of the Ryan and Rory inspiration board.
Brooks & Dunn.
“Our North Star is Brooks & Dunn. So if we could sprinkle a little bit of that on top of what we’re doing, that’s the goal.” You can certainly hear it.
Ryan and Rory manage to tap into that big, fun, 90s country energy without sounding like they're trying to recreate something that's already been done.
Instead, the formula is actually pretty simple.
“They sang about stuff they love, so we’re doing the same thing and hopefully everyone can relate to that.”
Judging by the reaction they've already received over here, we definitely can.
When Ryan and Rory arrived for C2C in March, it was their first time visiting the UK as a band and they genuinely had no idea what kind of reception was waiting for them.
Apparently it took approximately three or four minutes to find out.
“The first show, it took us maybe three or four minutes to go, alright, we understand. We get it.”
And what they quickly discovered is that British country crowds might be welcoming, but we are absolutely not quiet. “You guys are the most arms-wide-open type of crowd, yet the rowdiest over here, man. And we just love that.”
We will absolutely take that compliment.
In fact, before they'd even properly finished their first UK trip, they were already working out how quickly they could get back.
“The second our last note hit on the Sunday show that we played, we were like, okay, how can we get back here in less than six months?” Mission accomplished.
And coming back for The Long Road gave them an entirely different introduction to UK country culture. C2C meant arenas and indoor stages. The Long Road meant fields, sunshine and thousands of country fans descending on the Leicestershire countryside for the weekend.
“This is our first one,” they said of experiencing an outdoor UK country festival. “We think we know what to expect, but that’s always wrong.”
Luckily, they had somehow managed to bring the weather with them too.
“I’m getting sunburned. This reminds me of CMA Fest actually, about how hot it’s getting out here.”
Obviously, I immediately informed them they were our lucky charms and therefore wouldn't be allowed to leave.
“We’re ripping up the passports.”...Perfect.
But their return to the UK has also highlighted something Ryan and Rory realised very quickly during their first trip.
Country music doesn't stop at Nashville.
“You don’t have to be from Nashville to be country,” they said. “There is country everywhere. Like, really, really everywhere.”
And increasingly, one of those places is right here.
The growth of country music in the UK has been impossible to ignore over the last few years, but hearing American artists come over for the first time and immediately recognise the passion of the audience here never gets old.
Ryan and Rory clearly felt it.
They came for C2C, immediately wanted to return and were back playing The Long Road within six months. Not bad going.
Before I let two VERY in-demand men get back to their festival duties, I had one final question.
I always ask artists who they think we should be listening to. With so much new country music being released every week, who deserves a little more attention?
This resulted in absolute chaos.
“She’s Aussie.”....“She had a red hat on at C2C.”... “She’s so country.”..... “This is a bad answer.”
Names were thrown around. Phones came out. Signal was nowhere to be found.
Eventually, we got there...
The recommendation was for the Australian country artist they'd caught at C2C, whose authentic, old-school sound whose name is Tyla Rodrigues.
And honestly, the struggle to string a sentence might have been the perfect way to end an interview with Ryan and Rory.
Well, almost.
Because just as we were wrapping up, the wind blew an empty can beside us.
“That was a sign.” Apparently, it was time to go and crush some more cans...
And with that, Ryan and Rory headed off to prepare for their first ever set at The Long Road, while I finally got ready to see the duo I'd been waiting to catch since they cruelly skipped Scotland earlier this year.
They’ve now done C2C...They’ve done The Long Road... They've discovered just how rowdy British country fans can be.
Next stop, Glasgow? I'll provide the cans.
Beer Wants Me by Ryan & Rory out now