LIVE REVIEW: COUNTY CALLING 2026: THE HOMESTEAD STAGE - MACARTNEY REINHARDT

Arriving on stage for her UK Festival debut, sporting a brand new pair of Ariat boots, was Macartney Reinhardt. In the preceding days she has probably seen more of the UK than many of the Festival attendees, dropping off in Newcastle, York and Wales amongst other places along with naturally a trip to Liverpool. Early birds would get a little Macartney bonus, as the soundcheck would yield an impressive partial cover of "Jolene", only the third cover we've ever heard her play after George Michaels "Last Christmas" and Elliot Smith's "Twilight" but those were both recorded.

Rocking in a spectacular brown outfit, Macartney would take us for a whistle stop tour of her catalogue, including an unexpected stop, at a song yet to be released! It was the pure pop country of "New Beginning", that would kick things off,

"I thought we were forever but forever didn't last

I'm running from my footsteps, and the memories in the past"

Ending with a gentle cooing, the audience was already building beyond the hay bales that provided the main seating in front of the Homestead Stage. For what had been a changeable day weather wise, even the sun popped out to catch Macartney's set.

Continuing with "Best You're Ever Gonna Get" which would open with a strident guitar refrain setting the scene, before Macartney laid in with some witheringly sassy lyrics. The song gave her a chance to really stretch her vocals with the "Get" of the title being beautifully extended each time it came round.

Even #TEAMw21 had to take a breath, when Macartney said that she had written "Hey Girl" when she was only 16. It's a song with her future self passing on wisdom, telling her that things will get better. It turned out to not just be a message to herself but to others in similar predicaments and so holds an important place in Macartney's heart. Performed live it's a little gem as the vocals on the chorus rise and become louder as the song progresses.

In a bold move, Macartney would later reveal that she dropped an established song out of her set to give the UK fans a chance to hear a new song currently unrecorded "Leave Like That".

If it is an indicator of where Macartney is heading, then it most definitely sounded that she is going in the right direction, on this tale of betrayal.

"You were someone else the whole time

Wasn't reading between the lines"

It seemed to fit her voice like a glove, and was highly impressive.

Keeping the cheating theme going, "Word Gets Around", was another of Macartney's clever creations, taking a small town cheating song and playing with convention. First though she has to ask questions no-one really wants the answers to and Macartney would alter her phrasing accordingly to incorporate her disdain.

"Does she make you happy? Is she something special?

She's something to you, I can never be"

As it was the Ariat Homestead Stage, Macartney more than repaid them by showing off her new Ariat boots and directing the crowd to go check out the Ariat stall, before launching into "Coming Home" about her location switch from Georgia to Nashville.

The line

"Look at me now - I'm singing to the crowd" never seemed more vivid, with the sun sparkling off her jewellery, life must have seemed pretty perfect.

Macartney's writing definitely seems to be evolving, and "Two Ships" is a further example of that, packed with drama and tiny details.

Her guitar playing took on a new more sombre style while her vocals adapted to delivering lines

"Living on our own damned Island" with some real venom.

The final chorus opened almost a capella, with Macartney dropping her guitar playing, to barely a strum, before again ramping up the sound - it was another piece of performance magic.

More jaws dropped when "Old Country Song" was revealed to have been written aged fifteen, with its name checks for Merle Haggard and George Jones - it closed to an audience "Yeehah". The set would come to a close with "High Horse" which was prefaced with a heartfelt introduction of how moved she had been on this first adventure to the UK. This was one final chance to let rip and would see Macartney fire out the chorus, with top marks for use of the phrase "Giddy up!" Leaving us with a soaring extended "High Horse", there is so much more yet to come Macartney Reinhardt, #TEAMw21 cannot wait to go on the journey with her.

With a lot of friends made - let's hope we see her on UK soil again some time soon.