Country On The Eye

21/05/2026

Hi everyone,

The news of Country on The Eye's cancellation was devastating, but it doesn't have to be the end of the story.

We hope you'll support Ben R. Atkinson when he brings One Night In Nashville to Lincoln for Ben's Country Music Show's 18th anniversary.

Some amazing artists will be joining to celebrate the birthday with a bang.

This summer Ben's Country Music Show celebrates 18 years on the air. To mark the occassion we're hosting a birthday party and YOU'RE invited. The show has been broadcast from a variety of studios in Lincoln since 2010, so what better way to celebrate our 18th year on air than to host three of Nashville's top artists for a very special show that will never happen again. A true one off.

We will record it live for later broadcast, but if you're in the area or willing to travel, we hope you will be able to join us! 🤠🎂

Feat. Victoria Banks, Jeff Cohen, Karli & James, Emily River Thomson and ME!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/one-night-in-nashville-tickets-1990101118016

20/05/2026

Dear , we have some difficult news.

It is with a heavy heart that Country on the Eye 2026 will not go ahead as planned.
Despite the incredible support from artists, fans, and local partners, due to low ticket sales, we cannot deliver the event to the standard it deserves.

All ticket holders will have received a full refund; however, process times will vary based on payment type. If you have not received your refund within 5-10 business days, please speak to your payment provider

Thank you to everyone who believed in this event — your enthusiasm has meant the world to us, and we hope to bring live music back to Melton Mowbray in the future.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

18/05/2026

Country On The Eye takes place on Saturday 13th June in the beautiful surroundings of Play Close Park, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire 🗓️ 🎶 We're delighted that Hull and East Yorkshire-based artist Emily River Thomson will be opening up the main stage this year! 🎸

Emily is a singer-songwriter based in Skidby, East Yorkshire, playing guitar and ukulele. Her influences are varied, ranging from Fleetwood Mac and Carole King, through to modern-day artists such as Kacey Musgraves, Emily Ann Roberts, Blair Dunlop, Sam Hunt and Luke Combs.

Emily’s writing falls within the modern country/folk genre. Emily has supported international artists such as Sound of the Sirens, Duke Special, Holloway Road and Blair Dunlop, whom she accompanied live on stage on the first date of his ‘Notes from an Island’ tour at Kardomah94. Emily has played festivals across the Yorkshire region and released her debut album, ‘Chrysalis’, on 23rd October 2025 to a ‘sold out’ launch event at the Union Mash Up in Hull. Emily has recently received airplay on BBC Introducing and on iHeartRadio in Los Angeles.

Don't miss Country On The Eye 🌾 ✨ Friday 12th (Songwriters Showcase 7pm) and Saturday 13th (full festival) 🎟️ Gates open at 10am, live music on the main stage from 10.30am - 11:00pm and acoustic performances around the festival site + Americana-inspired food, beer tent, Americana merch, fairground rides, line dancing, rodeo bull, and so much more! 🤠

15/05/2026

Country On The Eye takes place on Saturday 13th June in the beautiful surroundings of Play Close Park, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire 🗓️ 🎶 We're delighted that Nashville songwriter and friend of the UK scene Jeff Cohen will join us on the main stage 🎸

Jeff Cohen is a distinguished, 6 time BMI Award winning, Grammy and CMT Award Nominated songwriter, producer, and publisher based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Cohen’s songwriting prowess is evident in chart-topping hits like “Crazy for This Girl” by Evan and Jaron, “Postcard from Paris” by The Band Perry, “Holy Water” by Big & Rich, and BBC Radio 2 A-list hits for The Shires, including “Thousand Hallelujahs,” “Daddy’s Little Girl,” “Echo,” and “I See Stars.” His versatility has led to collaborations with a diverse array of artists, including Teitur, Sugarland, Josh Groban, Jake Bugg, Spin Doctors, Elles Bailey, The Wandering Hearts, First Time Flyers, Macy Gray, Nell Bryden, Mandy Moore, and many more. Cohen is also co-writer on 2018 UK Americana Song Of The Year Nominee “Endless Road” by The Worry Dolls. Beyond the music charts, his work has enriched numerous television shows such as “Dawson’s Creek,” “One Tree Hill,” “The Simpsons,” “Saturday Night Live,” and the themes for “Paw Patrol.” and “Jack and Jill”.

Before fully immersing himself in songwriting, Cohen served as a music executive at BMI, where he played a pivotal role in the careers of talents like Jeff Buckley, Lisa Loeb, Joan Osborne, and Spin Doctors. He is also the founder and songwriter for the critically acclaimed band Pancho’s Lament.

Don't miss Country On The Eye 🌾 ✨ Friday 12th (Songwriters Showcase 7pm) and Saturday 13th (full festival) 🎟️ Gates open at 10am, live music on the main stage from 10.30am - 11:00pm and acoustic performances around the festival site + Americana-inspired food, beer tent, Americana merch, fairground rides, line dancing, rodeo bull, and so much more! 🤠

13/05/2026

SURPRISE! 😄 Along with our acoustic stage announcement, we're delighted to announce that the overall competition winner from our acoustic stage submissions is... Ruby Lily. The panel had received an incredible volume of high-quality applications this year, making the selection process very difficult, but Ruby's performance really stood out.

We can't wait to welcome her to the main stage at Country On The Eye in 2027! Watch this space, this is an artist to remember! 👏 👏

13/05/2026

🤠 Country On The Eye festival takes place a month today! 🤠

To begin the countdown, we're delighted to share our final lineup poster, including the addition of our acoustic stage artists. You'll find the acoustic stage adjacent to the main festival site, and who knows, some of our great acoustic acts might well turn up for a surprise appearance elsewhere around the festival 👀

Playing on the acoustic stage at the inaugural Country On The Eye are:

Chasing Twisters ★ Daniel Desachy ★ Francesca Brown ★ Half a Clown
Josie Field Duo ★ Joycie ★ Lauren Claire Townley ★ Leannán ★ Ruby Lily
Sam Kellner ★ Stevie Jones ★ The Cabin Band ★ The Far North ★
The Grassroots High Roller Club ★ Will Edgar

Friday 12th and Saturday 13th June. Book your tickets today, before it's too late!
www.countryontheeye.co.uk/tickets

£30 (Festival only) / £40 (Festival + Songwriters Showcase) / £12 (Children 5+ Festival)

13/05/2026

Country On The Eye takes place on Saturday 13th June in the beautiful surroundings of Play Close Park, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire 🗓️ 🎶 We're delighted that acclaimed Canadian and Nashville-based country singer-songwriter Victoria Banks will make her UK festival debut with us. Victoria has written songs for some of the biggest country acts of recent years, including Reba McEntire, Carly Pearce, Sara Evans and Mickey Guyton. Plus she's an artist in her own right and teaches songwriting at Belmont University in Nashville 🎸

Labeled “one of the best songwriters in the business” by Nashville’s MusicRow magazine, Victoria Banks was named Female Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) in 2010 and has been nominated for 9 other CCMA Awards. She is an instructor of Songwriting at Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business.

Victoria penned Reba’s 2024 single “I Can’t”, which was premiered on NBC’s The Voice and performed on the 59th ACM Awards. She also co-wrote 3 songs on the ground-breaking 2020 EP Bridges by the Grammy-nominated Mickey Guyton, and 4 songs on Guyton’s 2021 Remember Her Name album, including “What Are You Gonna Tell Her” (which made history as the first original song performed by a Black woman on the ACM Awards).

In her multi-decade tenure as a songwriter on Nashville’s Music Row, Victoria has had cuts by over 100 artists. Her songs have been recorded by Carly Pearce, Lauren Alaina, Terri Clark, Cassadee Pope, The Shires, Isaac Slade (of The Fray), and more, and have been featured in TV and movies like Breakthrough, Nashville, American Idol, and Dancing With The Stars.

Don't miss Country On The Eye 🌾 ✨ Friday 12th (Songwriters Showcase 7pm) and Saturday 13th (full festival) 🎟️ Gates open at 10am, live music on the main stage from 10.30am - 11:00pm and acoustic performances around the festival site + Americana-inspired food, beer tent, Americana merch, fairground rides, line dancing, rodeo bull, and so much more! 🤠

13/05/2026

Join us back here at 6pm for the full announcement of the acts joining our acoustic stage! Country On The Eye takes place one month today... 👀🤠🪕🎸

12/05/2026

Yesterday afternoon our Artistic Director Ben R. Atkinson joined John Collins on CountryLine Radio to chat about the story behind Country On The Eye, what it's all about, what you can expect on the day, and how it all came together! Shout out for our great headliners Gary Quinn and Karli & James.

11/05/2026

Country On The Eye takes place on Saturday 13th June in the beautiful surroundings of Play Close Park, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire 🗓️ 🎶 At the heart of the day, we're delighted to introduce the John Montague Legends Slot, named after a very dear friend of ours and many in the Leicestershire country and folk community. We couldn't think of anyone better to play the first Legends slot, than Austin songwriter and performer Bob Cheevers who will be coming out of retirement from live touring for a very special show 🎸

Whether playing shows in-and-around his home base in Austin Texas or across the globe, Cheevers brings it all to the stage every night. An Emmy winning songwriter who was a show- opener on Johnny Cash’s final tour, Bob’s favorite acknowledgement is his Texas Music Award for “Singer/ Songwriter Of The Year” which he received three years after moving to Austin in 2008. His artistic lifestyle and story songs live-up-to and soar above his accolades and critical acclaim. His February 2019 tour with London guitarist Geoff Haves will be Bob’s 19th year of touring Europe (mostly the UK). He will be promoting last year’s “Bob On A Stick” (14 songs on 128mb memory sticks) and the new 11 song “From Me To You” both of which are live-in-studio recordings. Consistent with Bob’s philosophy about his songs is his perennial statement, “I don’t know if these stories are true…but they happened to me”.

Don't miss Country On The Eye 🌾 ✨ Friday 12th (Songwriters Showcase 7pm) and Saturday 13th (full festival) 🎟️ Gates open at 10am, live music on the main stage from 10.30am - 11:00pm and acoustic performances around the festival site + Americana-inspired food, beer tent, Americana merch, fairground rides, line dancing, rodeo bull, and so much more! 🤠