Chloe and The High Tides

A Sunderland band are bringing a country twang to the city’s music scene. Katy Wheeler finds out more.

COUNTRY music is big business in America, but a new five-piece are hoping to inject the genre with a Mackem sound.

Chloe and The High Tides are performing a whirlwind of gigs around the city in the coming months in the hopes that success will fall at their cowboy boot-clad feet.

Far from aping their country cousins across the pond, they’re wielding their own tunes and own accents – a formula which means their fan base is fast gathering pace.

At the helm is singer Chloe Chadwick who explains how the band came about.

“We’ve been together since November,” she said. “I’m originally from Stoke, but I came to Sunderland to do music. I’ve been writing music since I was 13 and I decided I wanted to put together a new kind of country band.

“I held auditions and then we locked ourselves away in a rehearsal room with an album full of music. We had our debut live gig at the Hastings Hill in March and haven’t looked back since.”

Chloe, who is also the band’s guitarist, is joined on stage by experienced musicians Dan Pietruszka (bass), Adam Beddow (guitar), John Forster (drums/percussion) and Luke Waterfield (fiddle).

Together they are peddling their sound, alt-country and pop, across the region.

Chloe said: “Unlike America, I don’t think enough people here have delved into country. But we don’t want to do that American country with an American accent thing.

“Instead we’re using our experiences and influences to deliver music with a country feel. It’s catchy, it’s poppy, it’s easy on the ear, it’s good for radio and we don’t think people need to like country to like us. We believe it will work. We just need people to get behind us.”

The band are inviting Wearsiders to come along to the launch of their EP, Rise and Shine, on August 4.

The event is free and will take place at Indigo Rooms, High Street West, from 8pm.

Chloe said: “We want to create a fan base and put original music from Sunderland on the map.

“There’s good original music out there, but more people need to get out there, enjoy the nightlife in the city, and listen to live music.”

Rise and Shine features four tracks from the band and is available to buy for £3 from their website and also from iTunes.

In the meantime, the band are in talks with record labels and are preparing to play the Country Music Festival in Wales this summer.
- Katy Wheeler- Sunderland Echo

A Sunderland band are bringing a country twang to the city’s music scene. Katy Wheeler finds out more.

COUNTRY music is big business in America, but a new five-piece are hoping to inject the genre with a Mackem sound.

Chloe and The High Tides are performing a whirlwind of gigs around the city in the coming months in the hopes that success will fall at their cowboy boot-clad feet.

Far from aping their country cousins across the pond, they’re wielding their own tunes and own accents – a formula which means their fan base is fast gathering pace.

At the helm is singer Chloe Chadwick who explains how the band came about.

“We’ve been together since November,” she said. “I’m originally from Stoke, but I came to Sunderland to do music. I’ve been writing music since I was 13 and I decided I wanted to put together a new kind of country band.

“I held auditions and then we locked ourselves away in a rehearsal room with an album full of music. We had our debut live gig at the Hastings Hill in March and haven’t looked back since.”

Chloe, who is also the band’s guitarist, is joined on stage by experienced musicians Dan Pietruszka (bass), Adam Beddow (guitar), John Forster (drums/percussion) and Luke Waterfield (fiddle).

Together they are peddling their sound, alt-country and pop, across the region.

Chloe said: “Unlike America, I don’t think enough people here have delved into country. But we don’t want to do that American country with an American accent thing.

“Instead we’re using our experiences and influences to deliver music with a country feel. It’s catchy, it’s poppy, it’s easy on the ear, it’s good for radio and we don’t think people need to like country to like us. We believe it will work. We just need people to get behind us.”

The band are inviting Wearsiders to come along to the launch of their EP, Rise and Shine, on August 4.

The event is free and will take place at Indigo Rooms, High Street West, from 8pm.

Chloe said: “We want to create a fan base and put original music from Sunderland on the map.

“There’s good original music out there, but more people need to get out there, enjoy the nightlife in the city, and listen to live music.”

Rise and Shine features four tracks from the band and is available to buy for £3 from their website and also from iTunes.

In the meantime, the band are in talks with record labels and are preparing to play the Country Music Festival in Wales this summer.
- Katy Wheeler- Sunderland Echo

Ready for summer? Well you will be once you give Chloë and the High Tide's Summertime Lovin a listen: a great big chunk of North Eastern Country Soul, driven by toe-tapping violins and foot shuffling bass. Im not really a big country music fan, but from their heel clacking band photo to plains-tinged vocals this is genius! I challenge you to take a listen and resist the urge to get your butt down to a barn dance pronto!
- Carla Washbourne - Narc Magazine

Ready for summer? Well you will be once you give Chloë and the High Tide's Summertime Lovin a listen: a great big chunk of North Eastern Country Soul, driven by toe-tapping violins and foot shuffling bass. Im not really a big country music fan, but from their heel clacking band photo to plains-tinged vocals this is genius! I challenge you to take a listen and resist the urge to get your butt down to a barn dance pronto!
- Carla Washbourne - Narc Magazine

COUNTRY music has been given a Great British makeover. Ruth Lawson catches up with Chloe and the High Tides who masterminded the reinvention.
GET ready to have your preconceptions of country music torn to pieces.
This North East five-piece have one mission in mind: to prove that the overlooked genre of music can be just as exciting and appealing as indie-rock.
Drawn together through a passion to make country-inspired tunes but with a British edge, Chloe and the High Tides are already making waves locally with their “accessible and authentic” sound. Since forming last November, the band locked themselves away in rehearsals all winter to hone their style only taking to the stage for their first show in March this year.

Singer Chloe Chadwick explains: “We made our debut at Hastings Hill in Sunderland. We wanted to have it close to family and friends as we’re all based in and around Sunderland and Newcastle.” And it was a sweet moment for Chloe who had spent many of her formative years in indie outfits even though her true musical love lay with country. “I have always loved country music but had never had the chance to work with the right musicians to carry this forward,” she says. “We have all worked extremely hard to create a new, exciting, British take on country music that we believe is original and stands us out from the crowd.”

The North East music scene is a vibrant one filled with an array of exciting emerging talent in the indie and folk genres but country music certainly isn’t an style the region is renowned for. But Chloe and the High Tides are hoping to change that by showing audiences that country can be cool. She says: “I think a lot of people who have not seen us before are not sure what to expect, however when we start playing, the toe-tapping starts and people are joining in with our lyrics.”
Chloe adds: “There isn’t really a country scene at the minute in the North East, but that doesn’t mean to say there’s a bad reason behind that. We aren’t American country music, we certainly don’t sing with American accents, we do our own thing and we like to be different.”

Not only are Chloe and the High Tides trying to overcome the challenges faced by being a country band in a swamped pool of indie, they also count reality talent shows as a dagger to the heart of original music. Chloe says: “Lack of original music and too many cover bands has not helped matters. Although we like performing the odd cover, it’s still very hard to get original gigs especially in pubs nowadays as they aren’t willing to take the risk. People would rather hear cover music which is a shame as there’s a lot of really good local original music out there.”

Despite the barriers local acts face in the current climate, Chloe and the High Tides have had a positive year which has seen them record and release their debut EP, Rise & Shine. Radio stations around the world have already picked up on it and played some of the tracks and Chloe tells me even The Kinks’ legend Ray Davies owns a copy. But they’re not letting the early success go to their heads and are “thinking practical” and focusing their energies on perfecting their sound and performance.

“Of course we would love to have a top 10 album and be performing at Glastonbury which is one of my dreams, however it’s our first year as a band and we’ve managed to achieve a lot in less than a year already,” explains Chloe. - Ruth Lawson- Evening Chronicle Newcastle-Upon-Tyne

COUNTRY music has been given a Great British makeover. Ruth Lawson catches up with Chloe and the High Tides who masterminded the reinvention.
GET ready to have your preconceptions of country music torn to pieces.
This North East five-piece have one mission in mind: to prove that the overlooked genre of music can be just as exciting and appealing as indie-rock.
Drawn together through a passion to make country-inspired tunes but with a British edge, Chloe and the High Tides are already making waves locally with their “accessible and authentic” sound. Since forming last November, the band locked themselves away in rehearsals all winter to hone their style only taking to the stage for their first show in March this year.

Singer Chloe Chadwick explains: “We made our debut at Hastings Hill in Sunderland. We wanted to have it close to family and friends as we’re all based in and around Sunderland and Newcastle.” And it was a sweet moment for Chloe who had spent many of her formative years in indie outfits even though her true musical love lay with country. “I have always loved country music but had never had the chance to work with the right musicians to carry this forward,” she says. “We have all worked extremely hard to create a new, exciting, British take on country music that we believe is original and stands us out from the crowd.”

The North East music scene is a vibrant one filled with an array of exciting emerging talent in the indie and folk genres but country music certainly isn’t an style the region is renowned for. But Chloe and the High Tides are hoping to change that by showing audiences that country can be cool. She says: “I think a lot of people who have not seen us before are not sure what to expect, however when we start playing, the toe-tapping starts and people are joining in with our lyrics.”
Chloe adds: “There isn’t really a country scene at the minute in the North East, but that doesn’t mean to say there’s a bad reason behind that. We aren’t American country music, we certainly don’t sing with American accents, we do our own thing and we like to be different.”

Not only are Chloe and the High Tides trying to overcome the challenges faced by being a country band in a swamped pool of indie, they also count reality talent shows as a dagger to the heart of original music. Chloe says: “Lack of original music and too many cover bands has not helped matters. Although we like performing the odd cover, it’s still very hard to get original gigs especially in pubs nowadays as they aren’t willing to take the risk. People would rather hear cover music which is a shame as there’s a lot of really good local original music out there.”

Despite the barriers local acts face in the current climate, Chloe and the High Tides have had a positive year which has seen them record and release their debut EP, Rise & Shine. Radio stations around the world have already picked up on it and played some of the tracks and Chloe tells me even The Kinks’ legend Ray Davies owns a copy. But they’re not letting the early success go to their heads and are “thinking practical” and focusing their energies on perfecting their sound and performance.

“Of course we would love to have a top 10 album and be performing at Glastonbury which is one of my dreams, however it’s our first year as a band and we’ve managed to achieve a lot in less than a year already,” explains Chloe. - Ruth Lawson- Evening Chronicle Newcastle-Upon-Tyne