Country In The Afternoon returns to The Half Moon Putney on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th May 2026 for its 15th edition. Four superb country & americana artists will appear each afternoon reflecting the broad spectrum of these genres.

On Sunday, 17th May, we are delighted to welcome back to Country In The Afternoon as our 4pm headliner, SJ Mortimer, the electrifying lead singer and songwriter of award-winning americana rock band Morganway. Dubbed “part angel, part banshee,” she is known for her powerhouse vocals, emotional honesty and magnetic stage presence. From recording her debut album, Nashville Sessions, in Tennessee to touring across the UK, Europe, the US and China, SJ’s journey has been defined by fearless creativity and a refusal to be boxed in. Her songwriting moves effortlessly between grit and grace, heartache and defiance, country storytelling and soul-drenched rock. With charting albums, major festival stages, international tours and four-time BCMA Band of the Year awards with Morganway, SJ now stands on the edge of a bold new chapter. In 2026, SJ will release new solo material recorded in Muscle Shoals, rooted in country, folk and soul.

Opening up proceedings at 1pm will be Anton O’Donnell. Blessed with a smoky, whiskey-soaked voice redolent of the great soul singers of Stax & Muscle Shoals, and armed with just an acoustic guitar & harmonica, Anton adds incisive lyrics to sweet melodies to create something that can reduce a rowdy bar to awed silence or rouse the most sedate venue to fever pitch. The Glasgow based Anton has brought his music from his hometown to Texas, Nashville to Bern, Berlin to Vlaardingen, and back again. Living proof that success does not necessarily mean compromise, Anton has taken the music he loves – blues, country, folk, rock n roll – and shaped them into a potent, fresh, yet reassuringly familiar brew. Reviews have been consistently impressive from his near-constant performances and tours. In the Netherlands his solo sets were praised by 'The Blues Alone' for their "convincing, spicy and catchy songs... that contain confrontational strong lyrics." Hannah Compton of 'Building Our Own Nashville' writes that his won't be a name she forgets any time soon.

At 2pm, the winner of the 2024 BCMA Horizon Artist of the Year, Katie Rigby, will deliver her own take on country music. Priding herself on her authenticity, Katie became known for her single ‘Past Life Cowgirl’, which is an ode to her country soul and has amassed over 100,000 global streams. 2025 was a huge year for Katie and she continues to go from strength to strength. She debuted at C2C and The Long Road, sold out her first headline tour in the UK, spent time writing and recording in Nashville (including the renowned Bluebird Café), as well as a European tour covering Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Imagine Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour meets Taylor Swift’s Evermore. Katie’s thoughtful lyrics and detailed melodies bring a fresh twist to the UK country scene.

Appearing in London for the first time, Ally Row, at 3pm, are a folk and alt-country duo from Victoria, Australia, made up of multi-instrumentalists Alice Fitzgerald and Rowan Sizer. Blending soaring harmony vocals with banjo, guitar, keys, and foot-stomp percussion, the pair have built a reputation for high-energy live shows that move seamlessly between intimate storytelling and festival-ready anthems. Emerging from the Australian grassroots circuit through relentless touring and busking, Ally Row quickly gained national attention after winning both the Triple J Unearthed NYE on the Hill competition and the Port Fairy Folk Festival busking competition. Since then, they’ve appeared at major events across Australia. Their debut album, Something More, debuted at #5 on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart, cementing them as one of the country’s most exciting emerging folk-country acts. With a sound that sits somewhere between modern americana and indie-folk, Ally Row are known for emotionally honest songwriting, dynamic instrumentation, and a magnetic on-stage chemistry that continues to win over audiences.