WHEN The Shires released their debut album in March, the country duo made their own little bit of history.

For they became the first English country band ever to get into the UK album chart top 10. And now East Lancashire audiences have the chance to see one of the hottest bands around when they come to Blackburn later this month.

The Shires – Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes – are attracting a whole new audience to country music, all the more remarkable considering the pair only started working together two years ago.

“Our music is reflective of where country is now,” said Ben. “It’s not what a lot of people think it is. The country scene is a very modern and cosmopolitan place these days.”

For Ben country music has been a revelation.

“I’d had a publishing deal when I was 14 and a record deal at 17,” he said, “and I thought I’d never get the chance again.

“To be honest before I met Crissie I was done with songwriting, I wasn’t getting anywhere, I was 24 and was really thinking it was time I got a proper job. I’d was seriously considering taking up an offer to become a recruitment consultant.”

But then, Ben admits he had something approaching an epiphany.

“I heard the American band Lady Antebellum and that was it,” he said.

“ I realised then that’d I’d been trying to conform for far too long when really I should just be writing songs from the heart,”

He appealed on Facebook for a female country singer to work with him and Crissie, a friend of a friend, replied, came round the next day and they discovered an instant chemistry He said: “Both Crissie and I are so taken by the honesty and integrity of country. It’s all about storytelling.

“Writing wise and making music and being with Crissie is really liberating. She’s such a great singer and she really inspires me and in many ways she’s a lot more ‘country’ than I am, she’s been doing country for years.. So it just feels great.

“One of the good things about working together is that neither of us is really precious about things. We take criticism from each other, there’s no going all defensive when one of us makes a point. We have a very honest relationship when we’re writing together and the songs benefit because of that.

Ben and Crissie travelled to Nashville, the home of country music, to record Brave – they are the first UK act to be signed to Universal’s Nashville record label.

“That was an amazing experience,” said Ben. “Music is so important in Nashville, everyone is so involved in it. They say that the guy delivering your pizza will probably be a better guitarist than you and they’re probably right.”

Working with some of Nashville’s leading session musicians on the album proved a real eye opener.

“It was amazing” said Ben. “We had the musicians with us for just three days and we recorded 15 songs. At most a song would be done in four takes but often they would nail it first time.

“Creatively it was a great experience, you got that real sense of community among everyone in Nashville.”

For their live shows Ben and Crissie will be joined by their own band but anyone expecting an outbreak of rhinestones will be disappointed.

  • The Shires play King George’s Hall, Blackburn, on Tuesday, April 28. Details on 0844 847 1664.