Sierra Ferrell at The Forum

The Brudi Brothers

The Forum, 7 July 2026

When I saw Sierra Ferrell back in 2022 playing acoustically with just a two-piece band backing her, I knew she was something special and brimming with star quality but even that wonderful show didn't prepare me for just how fantastic this gig would be. It truly was two hours of pure magic, with Ferrell showing off her incredible stage presence and backed by a truly astonishing band. 

This was another extremely hot day in the UK but I came equipped with my mini fan, ready to queue in the sun for a good spot and fortunately met up with some good folk who made the waiting a pure pleasure. It was also fun to see fans turn up for the show dressed in cowboy hats and girls with flowers in their hair, copying Ferrell's signature boho-gypsy-cowgirl style. There was no doubt whose show we were there to see.

Once in we got a prime spot at the front and it was exciting to see the beautiful set-up in front of us, with a dreamy back-drop and a stage full of instruments waiting for her five-piece band. This was the first time Ferrell has played a headline show in London (she did support Mumford & Sons at the O2 Arena last year but nothing could make me go see their posh boy fake folk) since 2022, and already it was incredible to see how far she had come from that humble but wonderful Scala show. 

First though came the support band, a trio from Seattle called The Brudi Brothers, who have been playing with Ferrell for this entire European tour. They came out looking like they had stepped out of the 1940s,  as sharp as Hank Williams in his heyday, wearing tailored suits and cowboy hats. One brother, Johannes, was playing electric guitar and had a keffiyeh draped over his shoulders (he was also the only one without a hat!); Conrad Brudi, the main singer in the band, had a cool looking steel guitar and finally, (the best looking brother I must admit) George was playing the bass. I have since learned that not only does Chris Cornell's amazing daughter Lily manage the trio, George is also her boyfriend. So strange to think one of my first concerts was seeing Chris Cornell with Soundgarden on this very stage. 

They began singing the old country classic Moon Over Montana, sounding like a trio of cowboys sitting around a campfire in the desert, harmonising together in that way only siblings can, and oh my god it was chillingly good, they sounded absolutely heavenly and set up the whole vibe of the night perfectly. 

Conrad said they are always asked if they are real brothers and said they really were, despite them all looking so different, and two being blonde with George the only one with dark hair.  They all had big smiles and natural charm, they honestly felt like they were from another era, there was something so delightful about them.

They next sang a cover of the traditional song Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Hair. I'm mostly familiar withe Greg Dulli's darkly atmospheric version released with The Twilight Singers, which I do love, but hearing the Brudis' beautifully traditional take, bringing it back to its folk traditions and making full use of their incredible harmonies, was completely enchanting.

Conrad said the brothers had lived in Amsterdam for a while and surprised at how nice everyone in London was because "you are sending your worse over there" laughing as he told us at how rowdy Brits would try and take their instruments from them when they were busking in the Red Light district in Amsterdam, which I can totally imagine. 

Thankfully they were having a much better experience of the British here and I must say there were even more than a few people wearing Brudi Brothers t-shirts tonight, so they already are developing a (hopefully more respectful) following here.

Their next song, Me More Cowboy Than You, has apparently been a bit of a viral hit and Conrad explained they wrote it for their mother, who I'm sure they said was from Texas, so a proper cowgirl. The song itself is funny and satirical and so, so catchy. I'm not surprised it has been a hit online.

They then invited on Oliver Bates Craven on stage to play fiddle with them on the next song, Silver Wave. Craven of course plays in Ferrell's band and I not only saw him years ago play the Scala with Ferrell but also play with Chloe Kimes for her rip-roaring set with Lola Kirke last year. He did indeed make their sound even fuller and even more country and even added his harmonies on the chorus.

They slowed things down a bit with the dreamy Serpent Lullaby, before closing their set with a beautifully rowdy version of the old classic Rock Island Line, the song of course made famous by skiffle legend Lonnie Donegan, and I must say their glorious take was so good it rivaled his.

During their set they had commented at how amusing they had found it when in Glasgow the crowd had called, not for one more song, but "One more toon" (said in perfect Scottish accent. So when they left the stage having totally won over the crowd, everyone began chanting "one more tune! One more tune!" over and over again. I could see the boys at the back of the stage and there was obviously a discussion going on whether they could return for another song, because honestly the chanting went on for a couple of minutes, but it must have been decided they were too tight on time, so they lights came up and the roadies came on to prepare the stage for Ferrell and her band. It was a shame, as one more song (or "toon") would have gone down a storm, also years ago at the very same venue, I saw the only ever encore I've ever seen from a support band when Screaming Trees were enticed back on when they were supporting Alice In Chains. It would have been exciting to see it happen with another Seattle band achieve this feat at the same venue, but alas it wasn't to be and the Trees remain the only band I've seen do this.  

We knew Ferrell was coming when they began to adorn the stage with bunches of flowers: a huge bunch in front of her microphone and a vase of yellow roses next to it. When the lady herself finally emerges she looks just as lovely as those flowers, wearing a short white dress decorated with black lace and ruffled skirt and fitted bodice, she looked like a super glamorous saloon girl from an old Western movie, or even a French can-can girl! She also had the most fabulous bedazzled cowboy boots covered in sparkly rhinestones, while her hair was up tonight but decorated in her customary flowers with long ribbons floating behind her. She looked spectacular.

Her band, made up of a drummer, bassist (sometimes a double bass), a banjo/pedal steel player, a mandolin/guitar player and the aforementioned Craven on guitar and fiddle, looked equally as smart, all decked out in matching white cowboy hats and Western shirts, again it felt like they had stepped out of another era: they all looked fantastic and totally fit the vibe.

They launched into the song Rosemary from her last album Trail Of Flowers and it sounded so rootsy and full with Ferrell's distinctive smoky vocals rising above it all. It's strange to think that Trail Of Flowers actually came out two years ago and this is the first time we are hearing these songs live (well unless you went to those Mumford & Sons shows of course), but this is her first headline tour on these shores since 2022 and the fact that this is a long sold-out show says it all. I suppose if the Mumford support slot could be thanked for showing she has a following over here, and maybe helped make this belated tour happen, if so I thank them for that.

The first few songs are all from Trail Of Flowers: following Rosemary, there's the honky tonking Dollar Bill Bar and then the fast-paced Appalachian folk of I'll Come Off The Mountain. It is a dream to hear so much from the last album, she plays a good chunk of it throughout the night and ends with a quartet of songs from it, but more about that later!

She then returns to some old favourites like the foot-tapping Silver Dollar, which had everyone singing along, and the swinging old country of Bells Of Every Chapel, which sounds just like Kitty Wells could have sang it back in the 1950s, yet still feels so vibrant and timeless. And then there's the finger-picking glory of In Dreams, so perfect in its simplicity, with Ferrell bouncing while playing her acoustic guitar and everyone joining in on that haunting, wordless refrain.

Among all these oldies from her debut Long Time Coming came some exciting new tunes: there was a rootin' tootin' feelgood number called Kickin' Up Dust that featured some fine fiddle playing from Craven and Ferrell beautifully harmonising with mandolin player Joshua Rilko and Craven, even having a little dance with each of them!

Another new song, Pair Of Dice, saw Ferrell putting down her guitar and wandering the stage and letting her strong vocals take centre stage, building to a big finale that had her soulfully belting out the lyrics in true Tanya Tucker style. It was still pure country, with fiddle and pedal steel, but had a slightly more modern feel.

Later she tells a story about how she acquired her latest instrument, the concertina, and a man bringing her a big box of the vintage pieces. I'm sure she said something about the one she chose and was playing tonight was over a hundred years old but I may be completely misremembering. This new song, with Ferrell playing that said concertina to brilliant effect, saw Craven on guitar and Riiko on mandolin gathered around her bejeweled microphone and harmonising with her on a beautifully old-fashioned sing-along tune that sounded like it could be sang on an old back porch somewhere.   

Other highlights included her bluesy cover of the old Arthur Smith Trio song, Chittlin' Cookin Time In Cheatham County, ending with Ferrell screaming in the microphone and Craven soloing away on the guitar for one of the loudest moments of the night.

She introduced Years by saying "here's my favourite John Anderson song" and instantly everyone was singing along to her beautiful take on this recent classic from the old country legend. It saw Ferrell wandering the stage once more and actually bending down to sing the words to the audience, while Craven adorned the song with some fine fiddlin'. 

She also brought out the Brudi Brothers to accompany her on the old country classic One Woman Man, originally by Johnny Horton but I know it best as a George Jones song. The brothers gathered around one microphone like a performance on an old radio show and they and Ferrell swapped verses, joining together by the end, like an old Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty duet. There was even some cute dancing particularly by Ferrell and Conrad Brudi! They really need to make a record together!

She also spoke about what a fan she was of the Irish folk band The Mary Wallopers and what a treat it was to get to meet them on this tour. She then brought out Charles Hendy from the group, looking suitably serious in his stripey t-shirt, to sing a song with them. Ferrell stood by the side as he angrily sang the old protest tune, Worker's Song, an anthem highlighting the plight of the working class by the fat cats in power. Ferrell left much of the spotlight to Hendy and his powerful performance, only joining in on the chorus but often mouthing the lyrics or raising a triumphant fist as Hendy sang right-on lines like "Oh come on all you workers, who toil night and day... we're always the last, when the cream is shared out, or the worker is working when the fat cat's about." 

I absolutely applaud and share the sentiment of the song and even though I was not familiar with Hendy and The Mary Wallopers, the fact she brought him out to sing such a powerful song with such deep political meaning impressed me a lot. In fact she spoke a lot during the night about how everyone deserves the same rights and we are all the same, and her unhappiness at what is going on right now in America and the world. She also spoke about praying and putting your faith in God, but I didn't feel like I was being preached to, more her lovingly wanting to spread a little peace and love to us all. It felt authentic and kind rather than fear-mongering or hellfire.

After this the final songs were all from Trail Of Flowers, starting with the lovely jig of I Could Drive You Crazy, which saw Ferrell take up her own fiddle and skillfully sing as she fiddled away and the crowd joined in on this joyful number. She really is such an incredible musician and performer, it's always such fun to see her play her violin that's for sure.

She and the band then did her foot-stomping cover of the Charlie Poole & The North Carolina Ramblers' tune Don't Let Your Deal Go Down, giving us a delighfully bluegrassy moment that once again let Ferrell's voice shine and the whole band come together at the front of the stage, showing off their skills and chemistry.

After this she spoke again about people helping each other and looking to God, and sang a song that demonstrated this beautiful message, the beautiful ballad Lighthouse. with Ferrell soulfully singing "could you be the lighthouse for my soul." A truly endearingly lovely moment.

The final two songs were true show-stoppers, starting with the anthemic American Dreaming. Ferrell encouraged us to all try and help each other in some small way every day. "We are so powerful," she told us before she sang, "we have been led to believe that we don't have power. First they get us to work nine to five jobs and that's it, make a family and then we've not even going to spend time with that family because we're out at a job, that's not how we're supposed to live and I think we know that at this point too as well." Ferrell is clearly the leader we need and I love her more for it.

She danced around the stage and reached her arm out to the crowd as she emotionally sang "I'm American dreaming, but I don't seem to get no rest", she even at one point lying down on the stage, her head hanging off the edge before jumping back up and letting the fan at the side blow her long ribbons into the air. 

A big drum drum is then rolled out, adorned with the words "Heavy Petal Music" (which is the name of the tour), and she banged away at it as the crowd clapped along for the mostly vocal-only start of this proper hoedown of a song, the fantastic Fox Hunt.

When the band finally joined in, Ferrell picked up her fiddle and they really got into an incredible swing, with Ferrell even jumping up and down as she played her violin, absolutely raising the roof on this complete barnstormer of a song.

The band then joined her at the front of the stage and she introduced them all, each getting a big cheer. She said they were going to go offstage and pretend they weren't going to come back, or something to that effect, so we were in no doubt she was coming back for an encore this time! A few days before Ferrell and her band had played Paris and during the last song, Fox Hunt, someone had thrown a beer at her. She gamely carried on and finished the song but the band didn't return for the encore despite there being two more songs on the setlist. Ferrell called out the perpetrator on social media and they contacted her and said they are a huge fan and it was a foolish moment of jubilation that they utterly regretted and she forgave him. But to be sure, no one was stupidly throwing around drinks tonight thankfully!

Indeed she and the band did return to big cheers with huge smiles on their faces. She did another sweet speech about praying every day and then the band launched into an incredible version of The Beatles' Don't Let Me Down, with Ferrell swaying and dancing around the stage and using her fantastic voice to full effect. She even picked up a flower at once point, then bent down and handed it to a girl in the audience, before jumping up for the chorus and pushing her fist in the air. During the instrumental part of the song she did a magnificent twirl revealing old fashioned bloomers that matched her dress!

The whole thing was so glorious and triumphant, beautifully showing off her vocal prowess, and at the end she held out her microphone to the crowd and pretty much everyone was singing along.  

Ferrell grabs her guitar once again for the final song of the night, the jaunty, fiddle-filled Jeremiah, which ends with the whole band gathered around her (aside from the drummer), with banjo, slide guitar, big bass and of course that fiddle, while Ferrell strummed along, glowing with a big grin on her beautiful face. 

At the end Ferrell took the yellow roses that had been beside her for the whole show and threw each one into the audience and she actually threw one to me and I actually caught it! The night had already been a pure joy and that really capped it off! Aside from Tift Merritt giving me some of her flowers last week, I've always missed out on any flower throwing, Margo Price being the big one, so for Ferrell to see me and actually throw one into my hands was a spectacular moment for me! It was so exciting to catch a Sierra rose!

After a friend came over who had never seen Ferrell before and was blown away, saying it was the gig of the year for me, and honestly, it really was one of the shows that leave you flying on a high. I went home smiling all the way, gratefully holding on to my single yellow rose.

There's no double about it though, Sierra Ferrell is an absolutely phenomenal performer and she has an incredible band. You do feel like you have stepped back in time to a golden era of country music and, despite Ferrell beautifully insisting at the end, that we are all the same and she is just like one "we are no different", she is absolutely glowing with talent and star power. I can't wait to bathe in her glorious glow again.