The Shires Announce New Album 'Bonfire' & UK Tour For November

Credit: Bethan Miller

THE SHIRES

New Album Bonfire out July 3

First Single “Getaway Car” Out Now

UK Headline Tour Announced for November

Pioneering British country duo The Shires – Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes - return with their first album in four years, Bonfire, a joyous celebration of togetherness, escapism and positivity. Bonfire will be released on LP, CD (including signed formats) and digital on July 3. Pre-order HERE.

Summing up the new album, Ben said: “This is easily the most instinctive album we’ve ever made. Out went overthinking, multiple takes and layers of production. If it was fun, we went with it.”

Sounding as fresh and contemporary as ever, The Shires have shared contagious lead single “Getaway Car”, out today, which captures Bonfire’s escapist nature. A thumping kick drum, upbeat acoustic guitar and simple, sun-seeking lyrics sung wholly in harmony drive you to its instant, air-punching chorus. Listen HERE.

Crissie commented on the new single: ““Getaway Car” is about that one person who can take the wheel when life gets hard to navigate. It’s a foot stompin’, hand clappin’ festival sing-along song and a fresh new sound of The Shires!”

The Shires are appearing at C2C Festival (London) today, opening brand new stage The Yard and hosting the Spotlight Stage, and take to the road in November for a 12-date headline tour playing major venues across the UK. Full details below.

From their breakthrough in 2015, The Shires saw records tumble: first British country artists to achieve a UK Top Ten album with debut Brave, the fastest-selling UK country album of all time with follow-up My Universe, the only British act to win a prestigious CMA award. Ahead of their time in many ways, Ben and Crissie not only paved the way for subsequent British country artists but also previewed the current golden age in popularity of country music in the UK. They have maintained an enviable reputation at the forefront of the genre and couldn’t be happier to be back with new music to share.

The Shires November UK headline tour:

Mon 3 Nov – Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Wed 5 Nov – Gateshead Glasshouse

Thu 6 Nov – York Barbican

Sat 8 Nov – Manchester Bridgewater Hall

Sun 9 Nov – Birmingham Symphony Hall

Tue 11 Nov – London Palladium

Wed 12 Nov – Brighton Dome

Fri 14 Nov – Ipswich Regent Theatre

Sat 15 Nov – Poole Lighthouse

Sun 16 Nov – Swansea Building Society Arena

Tue 18 Nov – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

Wed 19 Nov – Bedford Corn Exchange

Thu 20 Nov – Bristol Beacon

Purchase tickets HERE

The Shires Bonfire Biography

The Shires’ sixth album, Bonfire, doesn’t mess about. From the moment it opens, it’s an invitation to join the country duo, comprised of co-vocalists Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes, on an adventure inspired by the joy of playing live.

Contagious lead single “Getaway Car” captures Bonfire’s escapist nature. A thumping kick drum, upbeat acoustic guitar and simple, sun-seeking lyrics sung wholly in harmony drive you to its instant, air-punching chorus.

“This is easily the most instinctive album we’ve ever made,” says Ben. “Out went overthinking, multiple takes and layers of production. If it was fun, we went with it. The getaway car is whatever makes you happy, or takes you out of your problems in the moment.”

It is four years since The Shires’ last album, the Top 5 hit 10 Year Plan - their fifth Top 10 album in eight years. The break, prompted by Crissie becoming a mum, was their first time off in a decade and a chance to take stock of everything they’d achieved.

The list is long. The duo’s debut album Brave was the first in history by a British country act to go Top 10. 2016’s My Universe was the fastest-selling UK country album of all time and the first of a trio of albums to reach the Top 3. The Shires are the only British act to win a prestigious CMA Award. They have sold out Royal Albert Hall, supported Carrie Underwood and The Corrs and headlined festivals. So much do the pair love being in The Shires that within a year of Crissie giving birth they were back on the road. But this time it was different.

“The initial idea was to do a few acoustic shows, all within a two hour radius of my house,” says Bedfordshire-based Crissie. “That meant places we don’t usually play, including seaside towns where entire families came, sometimes several generations, and sang along. It was an eye-opener.” “Then it got out of hand,” says Ben. “Fans piled in on social media asking why we weren’t going to Scotland or Wales or wherever. Our 15 planned shows became 45. Then we did a further 40 in 2024.” Those back-to-basics tours became the inspiration for Bonfire. “The idea of bringing people together, of hearing from kids who had just discovered country and from parents who had forgotten how much they love live music was the start of our reset,” says Ben.

In late 2024, Ben flew to Nashville to begin work on the new album with longtime producer and co-writer Lindsay Rimes. By the time his plane landed, he had written “Getaway Car”.

“The entertainment system was broken, so I had nothing to do but stare out of the window,” says Ben. “I wasn’t even trying to write when the lyrics and melody flew into my head.” Ben came home with the country-meets-soft rock monster “Magnetised”. “I was sat bashing the piano, imagining I was on stage when that riff fell from the sky, a real Elton John moment,” laughs Ben. “It’s about that one person you can’t live without.”

He also had boisterous album opener “Bonfire Song”, thanks in part to Jilly Cooper. “I was watching Rivals on TV and there were scenes on a sun-kissed balcony in Spain, people dancing in an orange glow,” he recalls. “It reminded me of playing festivals, being lost in the moment as the sun sets.” Much of Bonfire was recorded in Ben’s studio in a shed in his garden. Some was written with American singer-songwriter Eric Paslay, a friend who supported The Shires on their acoustic tours.

“’Sing You Back’ we wrote in the dressing room before a gig at a theatre in Bury St Edmunds,” says Ben. “There was a piano in there, I started playing some chords and Eric joined in singing, scribbling down lyrics and recording on his phone.” Time constraints meant grabbing moments to record, wherever they were.

“It was quite DIY and definitely chaotic,” says Crissie. “My vocals for “Bonfire Song” were recorded in a cupboard in a hotel room, with pillows piled in. “House of Cards” we made at my mum’s house, which was a real full-circle moment for me. Ben and I met on Facebook 13 years ago, after I uploaded a couple of videos to YouTube that I had recorded in the same back bedroom.”

Bonfire’s most spine-tingling ballad, “House of Cards” is a tear-jerker about waiting for your world to fall apart. “In different ways,” says Ben, “we’re all trying to hold it together. No one’s life is perfect.” “Bonfire Song” is among the album’s many antidotes, an ode to dancing, singalongs and togetherness. It also boasts what Ben considers the riskiest chorus he’s ever written.

“It’s literally only na-na-nas,” he says. “My songwriting brain wanted more words, but my gut disagreed. It just felt right. I could imagine our fans in a field, chanting it back.” The same could be said of “Watching You Watching Me”, which opens with kazoo, swerves into salsa and boasts drums with a tinge of Motown.

“It’s pure sass,” says Crissie. “The lyrics are about giving someone the eye and we’re hoping to start a few new romances in the crowd when we play it live. C’mon, don’t be shy! I can’t wait to strut around stages singing it. It’s a chance for Ben and I to get some acting in.”

“Hypocrite” is another ripe for the pair to play act and closes with Crissie laughing. “The song has a playfulness that’s new for us. We get to show our jokey side, which you will definitely hear more of from now on.” The Shires return to the road with a full band this year for their own tour and festivals. “We’re nervous because it’s been a long time, but that makes it more exciting,” says Ben. “It feels like we’re starting afresh, with our fans behind us. We’re parents acting like kids again – out to have fun and see where it takes us.”