FOR the last year, signs have suggested country music in the UK would take a steep turn in the right direction.

One of the six acts at the forefront of snowballing the market, the CC Smugglers, will be stopping at a West Midlands venue to help build the rise of county fans.

With a reputation as "the best live band on the scene", the hotly-tipped young group of guys were originally established by busking outside every UK tour date of the two-time Grammy award-winning UK country musicians Old Crow Medicine Show.

After the old-time country legends caught the Bedfordshire boys’ performance on the street, the Old Crow Medicine Show members refused to leave CC Smugglers playing outside and completed the tour by sharing the stage, side by side, at sold out venues including Shepherds Bush Empire and HMV Manchester Ritz.

From the streets of the UK, to playing with one of the biggest bands in their genre, the CC Smugglers have headed out on their own tour and will be at Birmingham's Hare and Hounds pub on Wednesday (April 29).

But frontman and songwriter Richie Prynne said it isn't just about being country, it's about the level of music and how it is played that really speaks to their fans and audiences.

He said: "Showmanship and really good music invariably speaks way beyond any genre. We play good, original music with inspiration plucked from the rhythms and instrumentation that inspired most of today’s modern music. We like to think most people connect with that in some way."

Tickets for the CC Smugglers stage show cost £8 and can be booked by visiting ccsmugglers.co.uk and following the links.