The latest country music sensations hail not from the depths of Texas or Tennessee, but Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

Hence the name, the Shires. But this country-pop duo is no gimmick act – they sound the real deal and having taken critics and fans by storm their next stop is Kent.

Singer-songwriters Ben Earle and Crissie Gudgin combine American-influenced music with a song-writing style that draws inspiration from both sides of the Atlantic.

“Well they say it’s way too cold for cut-off jeans and they won’t be drinking moonshine and G&Ts”, they sing in their single Nashville Grey Skies, which includes the refrain.

“We can build our own Nashville under these grey skies.”

The groundswell of interest in country music in the UK is now “officially unstoppable” according to music experts, so take your partner by the hand and get down to the Britannia Theatre at Chatham Maritime on Saturday, April 25.

Doors open at 7pm. Tickets cost £12.

Visit www.thebritanniakent.com or call 0844 2491000.