Black Stone Cherry on their UK popularity ahead of Glasgow show

On paper, it appears a slightly odd pairing – the glam rock, over-the-top stylings of The Darkness alongside the southern rock, no frills appearance of Black Stone Cherry.

But for the bands, this tour has been a long time coming, having been first talked about when they played the same festival in England in 2012.

Black Stone Cherry’s connection with Justin Hawkins and company goes back even further, though, to a night in Tennessee in 2004.

“The first time we ever saw them was in Nashville,” recalled John Fred Young, drummer with Black Stone Cherry. “They’d just had a huge hit on MTV and we drove over to see the show. We didn’t have a record deal at the time and we were touring regionally, just trying to make it.

“We were attempting to sneak around backstage to see if we could meet the guys. It was total Spinal Tap stuff trying to get in and the security told us to get out of there.

“Then, in 2012, we did a show together and it was incredible. We’ve wanted to tour together for so long and finally we’re getting the opportunity.”

Black Stone Cherry’s popularity in the UK rock scene is huge, often surpassing the size of venues they play in their homeland. Three top 10 albums, a recent live album recorded at a sold-out Royal Albert Hall, and arena tours are just some of the successes enjoyed on this side of the Atlantic for the foursome, who grew up in the small town of Edmonton, Kentucky.

“We started touring Stateside in 2006 and we were doing a lot of tours with bigger bands, one of which was Hinder, who invited us over to the UK for their first tour over there,” Young continued.

“To quote Led Zeppelin, there was some sort of communication breakdown, because the promoters for the shows had no idea who we were or that we were supposed to be on the shows. We got to play, and I don’t think anyone had seen our style of music for some time. I feel it was kind of a shock, but it seemed to catch on and we kept coming back.

“Our second trip over was for Hyde Park Calling, when Aerosmith were playing the main stage, and that was a big turning point, as was an arena tour we did with Def Leppard and Whitesnake in 2008. That really propelled us, as did the Download Festival, and we kept coming back for our own headline shows.

“We’re blessed. We’re four kids from this little-bitty town in Kentucky who worked hard and never gave up.”

Combining southern rock with a harder edge, Black Stone Cherry formed in 2001 and claim they only had two options available to them in their town when they were growing up.

“It was either farming or playing rock ‘n’ roll, so we decided to play rock ‘n’ roll,” Young smiled. “My dad and uncle are members of the Kentucky Headhunters band, and they were very gracious to allow us to use their rehearsal space, The Practice House, at my grandparents’ farm when we were growing up. We would come out of school every day and play there for hours, until 11pm or midnight, and then drag ourselves to school the next day.

“I feel we’re very fortunate to be where we’re from. If we had been from a major city, I think it would have been harder for us. Being from a small town and having a slower pace of life, it gave us the ability to focus.

“Even though there’s not as much going on in terms of entertainment and we don’t have huge venues here, growing up in Edmonton helped us to have the sound that we have and definitely formulated what Black Stone Cherry is.”

Black Stone Cherry + The Darkness, Ovo Hydro, Glasgow, January 30