Americana Rock New Country

You can also follow us on Facebook here:

To established followers of New Country no explanation will be necessary, but to those not familiar with the genre, I’ll explain and no, do not think “Dolly Parton”. New Country is an enornous phenomenon Worldwide, and if you want a really full explanation you’ll have to go to Wikipedia, but suffice to say that has come about strongly from the 1990’s onwards with a sound born in Nashville, Tennissee. The music is powerful and exciting, is melodic, and features powerful vocalists with songs that generally tell a story, some of them even being very funny (so they are worth listening to).

There has not been any representation of this genre locally in Bristol (where we are based) and we have taken it upon ourselves to push this genre before the public. We have always thought that good music, played well will always be enjoyed, whether or not it is familiar to the audience, and our experiences to date have proved this to be true. People who have heard us play will undoubtedly remember us and want to see us again.

A quote from a recent gig – one woman to another on the dance floor – “Well if this is New Country music I love it!” She sounded astonished and it was great to hear from the stage.

We also play songs that come under the general heading of Americana, some of which you’ll recognise with songs from bands from John Mellencamp to Tom Petty.

The pandemic took a heavy toll on music in general, and a lot of good venues disappeared, never to return, but there is always room for optimism, and so we are once again pushing our voice to be heard.

If you get a chance to come to see us, please introduce yourselves to us, we are a large and growing bunch of friends enjoying something new, exciting and different.

If you are a venue owner or booker, do give us a call - you'll be surprised by how well our act is received by all audiences.

Comprised of experienced musicians, 52nd State came together with a desire to make great music and to be different.

Of course all bands say they are different, but we have set out to be radically different, with our repertoire chosen from the broad category of Americana and New Country.

Please make sure to listen to our recordings further down this page to get a flavour of what we do and how we do it. We are always looking for new venues to play, so if you have one and want something different then do get in touch.

The driving ambition behind the band is the desire to play GREAT music, that will engage and please any audience. Performing to a high standard we will surprise you and have you dancing before you know it.

From Jenks, Perth, Australia: On my recent trip to Bristol, I had the privilege of seeing my old mates Mark and Terry in their band 52nd State. I saw them on the Friday at the Lodekka then again on the Saturday at the Masonic, Bedminster so I don't know if I'm classed as a fan or a stalker - but if you get a chance, take it, a must see!

Our repertoire includes music from:
Lynyrd Skynyrd
The Brothers Osborne
Dwight Yoakam
John Mellencamp
Darius Rucker
Keith Urban
Delbert McClinton
Jo Dee Messina
Taylor Swift
Luke Combs
Eric Church
Lady Antebellum
Jennifer Nettles
Sugarland
Kirsty McColl
Martina McBride
Blackberry Smoke
Carrie Underwood
Miranda Lambert
...and more is being added all the time.