Ward Thomas (band)

Ward Thomas
Origin Hampshire, England
Genres Country
Years active 2014–present
Labels
  • WTW Music
  • Sony Music
Members
  • Catherine Ward Thomas
  • Lizzy Ward Thomas

Ward Thomas are a British modern country music duo, composed of 22 year old twin sisters Catherine and Lizzy Ward Thomas (born 28 March 1994) from Hampshire.[1] The band has been called "Britain's first country stars". Along with The Shires, they are producing modern country music with a British twist in a genre dominated by American singers and bands.[2] Fellow country singer, Crissie Rhodes of The Shires, describes their music as written "from a British perspective. While people have been able to appreciate the American sound, they can connect with the themes of British lyrics."[3]

Early life

Catherine and Lizzy grew up on a farm in rural Hampshire to a Maltese family and started composing songs together when they attended Hurtwood House, a sixth form college in Surrey, England and were introduced to Matt Greaves and session singer and fellow teacher at the school Ann Bailey.

Career

2014–15: From Where We Stand

Main article: From Where We Stand

They wrote the songs for their debut album From Where We Stand, which was released on 20 July 2014. It peaked at number 41 on the UK Albums Chart, number 1 on the UK Country Chart, number 7 on the UK Indie Chart and number 36 in Scotland. The album won UK Album of the Year at the British Country Music Awards and sold over 25,000 copies.[1] They have toured the UK multiple times, with shows at venues including Islington Assembly Hall and The New Adelphi Club in Hull, East Yorkshire.[4] In 2014, they performed on the BBC Introducing stage at the BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park festival,[5] returning to the festival in 2015 to perform on the main stage alongside The Shires; a performance which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 2.[6]

2016–present: Cartwheels

In June 2016, Ward Thomas announced a joint venture with Sony Music and that their second album, Cartwheels, would be released in September 2016.[7] Lead single "Carry You Home", described by The Times as "chirpy country pop" was released in June, followed by the singles "Guilty Flowers" and "Cartwheels", all of which were added to the Radio 2 playlist. Cartwheels reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart, making Ward Thomas the first UK country act to top the charts and officially making them the most successful UK country act.[8] In September 2016, Ward Thomas were confirmed to play at the 31st edition of Eurosonic Noorderslag in Groningen, NL. [9]

Discography

Albums

Title Details Peak chart positions
UK
[10]
UK
Country

[11]
UK
Indie

[12]
SCO
[13]
From Where We Stand 41 1 7 36
Cartwheels
  • Released: 2 September 2016
  • Label: Sony Music/WTW Music
  • Format: CD, Digital download, Vinyl
1 1 1
"—" denotes an album that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Album
SCO
[14]
2014 "Push for the Stride" From Where We Stand
"The Good & the Right"
"Town Called Ugley"
"Guest List"
2016 "Carry You Home" 59 Cartwheels
"Guilty Flowers" 88
"—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References

  1. 1 2 Wilson, Simon (2015-02-04). "Country music stars Ward Thomas head for the Rescue Rooms". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  2. "Ward Thomas export style from our country to USA". The Northern Echo. 2014-11-19. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  3. "'DOLLY AT GLASTONBURY WAS JUST HUGE.' CRISSIE RHODES TALKS TO SO SO GAY". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  4. "Under The Influence presents Ward Thomas". Facebook. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
  5. "Ward Thomas - Push For the Stride at Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park 2014". 2014-09-15. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  6. "The Shires & Ward Thomas - Everywhere (Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park 2015)". 2015-09-13. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  7. "Ward Thomas on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  8. "Country duo Ward Thomas top UK album chart".
  9. "First European Artists Confirmed for Eurosonic Noorderslag – Eurosonic Noorderslag". Eurosonic Noorderslag. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  10. "Ward Thomas". Officialcharts.com/. Official Charts Company.
  11. Peak positions for albums on the UK Country Chart:
  12. Peak positions for albums on the UK Indie Chart:
  13. Peak positions for albums in Scotland:
  14. Peak positions for singles in Scotland:

External links

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