The Old Brewery in Faversham, assembling a heavy-hitting double bill featuring Garrett T. Willie alongside headliner Ally Venable.

Word by Jess Bea

Rockin’ Roots Events put on an absolute masterclass in country and blues at The Old Brewery in Faversham, assembling a heavy-hitting double bill featuring Garrett T. Willie alongside headliner Ally Venable.

Opening the night, Garrett T. Willie came out swinging and kicked things off with an absolute bang. His raw, gritty, gravel-and-whiskey vocal had plenty of attitude, while his phenomenal guitar work poured out pure blues soul, filling the venue from floor to rafters. If the roof had blown clean off, it probably would have landed somewhere out in the Kent countryside. we were more than happy to bop along to the music.

While the rest of the crowd seemed to be saving themselves for the main event, Garrett showed no signs of holding back. His unapologetic performance brought plenty of energy to the room and proved to be the perfect way to get the night underway.

It was a powerful opening set from an artist who clearly knows how to grab an audience and make his presence felt. The venue may have been holding its breath waiting for the main event, but Garrett T. Willie gave everyone plenty of reason to start breathing again.

After a brief interval to let the amp tubes cool and give everyone a chance to catch their breath, headliner Ally Venable strutted onto the stage dripping with so much Texan fire that we nearly needed to call the local fire brigade. From the moment she picked up her guitar, it was obvious that the quiet, sleepy crowd from earlier in the evening had just been given a very loud wake-up call.

The atmosphere changed almost instantly. People who had been standing back and taking everything in were suddenly moving forward, heads were nodding, feet were tapping and before long the room was alive. Ally has that rare ability to grab an audience within seconds, and once she had them, she wasn’t about to let go.

Her blend of country blues, southern rock and straight-up blues fire came across beautifully in a live setting. Her guitar playing was nothing short of sensational, with every solo delivered with feeling rather than simply for the sake of showing off. There was plenty of technical ability on display, but more importantly, there was soul behind every note.

Then there were those vocals. Ally can switch from a sweet, almost conversational delivery into full-throttle power in the blink of an eye. One minute she’s pulling you in with a softer line, the next she’s letting rip and filling the entire venue with a voice that sounds like it has been forged somewhere deep in the heart of Texas.

The undisputed crown jewel of the set had to be Texas Louisiana. From the very first chord, the entire room seemed to fall under Ally’s spell. It was one of those moments where an artist and audience connect completely, with everyone eating straight out of the palm of her hand. The guitar work was fiery, the vocals packed with attitude, and the whole performance had that unmistakable southern swagger that makes you want to turn the volume up and leave it there.

Ally doesn’t just play a stage; she commands it. There is an effortless confidence about her that makes it difficult to look anywhere else once she’s performing. Whether she’s standing centre stage ripping through a guitar solo or leaning into a vocal, she has a presence far bigger than the stage itself.

And what makes it even more impressive is that nothing feels forced. She isn’t trying to convince you that she’s a star. She simply walks out, plugs in and proves it through the music.

By the time the set reached its closing stages, Ally had completely transformed the room. What had started as a relatively subdued crowd was now fully engaged, with the energy bouncing around the venue and the audience clearly wanting more.

She brought genuine Lone Star heat all the way to little old Faversham, and judging by the reaction, nobody was complaining about the temperature. With blistering guitar, powerful vocals, plenty of attitude and a stage presence that could light up a room without an amplifier, Ally Venable delivered a show-stopping performance from start to finish.

This wasn’t simply a headline set. It was a reminder of exactly why live blues matters — and why Ally Venable is an artist who deserves to be seen, heard and remembered.