FESTIVAL PREVIEW / INTERVIEW: COUNTDOWN TO COUNTRY CALLING 2026 - NEEVE ZAHRA

Ahead of her forthcoming appearance at Country Calling #TEAMw21 found time to catch up with Neeve Zahra, who earlier in the year completed her first UK tour as well as releasing her second outstanding EP. Our chat comes after her appearance at Buckle & Boots on the inside of the top deck of a bus!

We avoid asking Neeve about the bizarre "Bus" experience, being a trouper she made the best of it, turning a potential disaster into an up close roaring success.

#TEAMw21: The UK tour, the Green Note show was an absolute triumph but how did the rest of the tour go?

Neeve: "I loved it, definitely the highlight of my journey so far. The venues were full and I didn't expect it either. They were all quite intimate shows, and everyone was sold out or very nearly sold out and for Manchester we had a full band.

#TEAMw21: For the tour you took the inventive step of taking an additional pedal steel / guitarist with you which worked really well?

Neeve: I love the pedal steel, it's appeared on my records since the first EP, so I had to bring it

#TEAMw21: Another treat each night was the impromptu cover, London got Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" - it got us wondering who your influences are?

Neeve: I have a lot of influences that are not Country, obviously Dolly is one, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Nicks - "Landslide" was one that we did on the tour and obviously The Beatles.

#TEAMw21: There were all playing in the house as you were growing up?

Neeve: Yes it was all my Grandad, he showed my every sort of music person that I love

#TEAMw21; What's the plan for the year? - now the EP is out.

Neeve: Well there's a few festivals planned Country Calling being one of them, I've been writing a hell of a lot since

#TEAMw21: - We have vague memories of you playing a live stream during Lockdown and you had so many songs that have yet to see the light of day?

Neeve: I have so many songs, that will never ever see the light of day! Songs that I've probably forgotten and will never remember. I write at least 3 times a week or more. You have to write even if it 80% of it is bad.

#TEAMw21: - Are you visited in the middle of the night by inspiration?

Neeve: ( laughs) I often wake up and have to put down a voice note. I have a little music room upstairs and that is where I write most of my songs. I've had times where I've written a song in there and I don't remember even coming up the stairs, I just transform when I'm writing.

#TEAMw21: If we were to ask you how many unrecorded songs you have that are active, that you could drop into a set if you wished - how many would we be talking?

Neeve: Set ready songs, maybe fifteen, there are some that I've written recently that I definitely want to record later on in the year.

#TEAMw21: Do you see that as another EP? an album maybe?

Neeve: It's tricky, I don't really want to do an album until I've grown my fanbase a bit more. I may just go with a couple of independent singles,

#TEAMW21 : We know we lumbered you with the epithet of producing one of the best UK Americana debut EP's ever, along with the likes of Laura Oakes debut Acoustic EP. We still believe that and every so often go back to make sure it is still as good as we originally thought and it never lets us down. Yet you don't really play many of those songs any more?

Neeve: No I don't, I see it as very young me, that is the 16/17 year old me,

#TEAMw21: The big song "Love Me" sounds like it is written by someone much older that you were at the time, someone in there late 20's at least

Neeve: "Love Me" I think I will nearly always play, I do love that song,

#TEAMw21: The new EP is on vinyl and it looks like you put a lot of effort into that - is that something you've always wanted?

Neeve: My Grandad has a record player and everything he listens to is on vinyl, everything I've ever been influenced by is either a YouTube video or on vinyl. He's given me so many, so much of what I listen to is on vinyl.

#TEAMw21: Of course once you have that 12 inch canvas for the sleeve there's lots more to think about

Neeve: And of course what colour do you want the vinyl itself, I've gone with a cream, with peachy tones in the middle. It's very good quality and of course it's not just the EP, there are extra tracks

#TEAMw21: You have had a number of support slots with indy folk like Kyle Falconer of The View - We're curious as to what their audience make of you turning up and singing a totally different genre to what they'll be seeing later

Neeve: Do you know what, I've actually supported quite a few people, Pete Docherty, John Power from The La's, so many people that you would not put me with. Sometimes you either win them or you don't, either way it's an experience. I got to play at the O2 Glasgow which is a massive venue. A lot of these indy fans do also love country music! I played with a full band there and tailored my set a bit - I didn't play "Love Me" there.

#TEAMw21: We've only seen you solo or with one musician, what is a full Neeve Zahra band show like?

Neeve: We try and make it sound as close to the actual record as possible, we've got drums, keyboards and bass.

#TEAMw21: For Country Calling, we are getting to see you solo, which having seen you on the bus is by no means a bad thing, and a great opportunity to get you seen by a lot of new people hopefully.

Neeve: I would love at some point in the future to do a full band show at Country Calling, this time though I may just settle for playing one of those new songs.

#TEAMw21: For the moment we guess it's just a case of getting the EP out there and heard by as many folk as possible.

Neeve: Yes, I've sat on this work for a year, put my money into it, and all my heart and soul, so you do have to ride off the albums and EP's for a bit, and get as much out of it as possible. I'm also supporting an artist called Brett Landin in London and a host of other tour dates so definitely getting out there.

#TEAMw21: You know of course we did have a word with Bob Harris on your behalf, he'd played one of your singles, and we met him at the Lower Third and said Bob "You've got to go back and listen to the first EP!!" It's not often we do that for someone!

Neeve: (laughs) I would love to get another song on Radio 2, played by Bob, that would be amazing. It's so hard of course, and is as much about who you know.

As it turned out that tour support slot for Brett Landin worked out really well and on September 4th, Neeve Zahra will be making her US debut in New York City. Before then of course she will be bringing her guitar and songs to Country Calling - Come see what all the fuss is about.

Neeve's Current Catalogue & much more can be found at linktr.ee

Neeve Zahra will be playing the Country Calling Homestead Stage On Saturday 15th August

Neeve will also be with the Little Wranglers Kids Club