This article was published in 2015.

Formed in 2013, Leeds' country band Fitzwallace exploded onto the local music scene and started people talking with the release of their first EP 'Treading Water'. One year on and the highly anticipated 'Sweetheart' EP will be released on 21 May at 360 Club Leeds.

Fitzwallace are attracting a lot of interest from industry bloggers and radio presenters alike. Nick Ahad and Andrew Edwards at BBC Radio Leeds have taken a shine to the group. Both hosts have showcased Fitzwallace live on their shows, with Nick Ahad declaring: "Leeds has a new favourite band".

Recent performance highlights include Europe's largest country festival Country to Country held at London's O2, and supporting The Shires / Ward Thomas as part of their co-headline tour at the sold-out gig in Leeds.

Identifying themselves as a country, folk, pop band Fitzwallace incorporate vocal harmony into their music, taking influence from artists such as Fleetwood Mac, The Civil Wars, The Eagles and Zac Brown Band.

Joe Martin, from the band said: "We've started to see a growth in the popularity of country music in the UK and are trying to nurture the scene that exists and watch it grow as we grow. We're not really trying to replicate American Country, we want to create something that people in the UK can identify with while still being able to hear elements of country in the music".

The new EP is a mix of songs showing the breadth of Fitzwallace's influences and songwriting styles. It kicks off with the punch, rhythmic, 'Ballad of a Star', followed by the title track 'Sweetheart Of Mine' which features mandolin playing a rhythm role, this leads into the 'Golden State of Mind'- a song describing the different parts of America, and finishes with the West Coast sounding track 'Somebody New'.

The EP will be for sale on the night and available to download from Bandcamp the very next day.

"It's a great time for Country music in this country at the moment and I am in no doubt that Fitzwallace will benefit from this and go on to have a huge future both on these shores and across the pond" - Emerging North

"Fitzwallace are definitely a band to keep a watchful eye on. Their range of influences makes them easily accessible to fans across many genres and their live show is one not to be missed" - Mark J Wiggins (Six Shooter Country Blog)

Doors 8pm - 11pm 18+ event.
£5 Advance tickets: Jumbo Records & Crash Records
£6 On the door.