Jackson Dean Returns to London with a Southern Storm

It’s clear Jackson Dean has come a long way from home in Odenton, Maryland. Hitting the open road at just 18
years of age to begin his career in country music. Jackson, now 24, is making yet another return to his loyal
London fan base. We managed to catch Jackson at the O2 Kentish forum, one stop on a short run of UK and
Ireland dates. The tour serves as a chance for his UK fans to get a first live listen of some of Dean’s new
material, tracks from his new album On The Back of My Dreams and new single ‘Still Ragin’.

The Kentish Forum: A Rustic Stage for Raw Country Sound

The Kentish Forum was the perfect venue for Jackson’s bluesy-country sound, the room had a rustic feeling to it

the huge arched ceilings, balcony seating, the stage designs popping colours of red and gold. This place held
that raw but authentic character, and it matched the energy Dean was bringing this evening. The crowd got
settled into the night through some soothing Americana sounds of support act Our Man In The Field. Amongst
those watching were a range of young and older fans, One Dad at the front row hoisted his son up on his
shoulders as the lights dropped and Dean stepped out with his band, you could see the youngster was full of
anticipation – and it was safe to say that feeling was shared by everyone in the room.

From Jackson Dean’s Outlaw Swagger to Heartfelt Ballads

Jackson Dean swaggered onto the stage with all the outlaw stride that defines his signature style. From head to toe,
Dean was exhibiting sleek country – The open button duster coat, low tilted cattlemen hat, and the classic
cowboy boots that we know have pounded all types of stage. Jackson kicked off the show with his new single
‘Still Ragin’ and it was undeniably the perfect opener, the song encompassed that southern-rock sound that Dean
oozes in his performance, and it certainly went down well for the listeners. You could hear the crowd had
already caught onto the lyrics that talked of freedom and dream chasing. Jackson’s gritty vocals were backed up
by the vintage bite of Brandon Aksteter guitar, his range of driven country riffs emulated the progressive
country sound that Dean and his band are built on.

Breaking the Nashville Mold with Soulful Storytelling

Jackson Dean’s enduring performance removes him from the classic ‘polished Nashville’ sound that we’ve seen time
and time again, but he still manages to keep things soulful. In one intimate moment during the set, Dean
strapped on his acoustic and gave us a heartfelt rendition of his tune Trains, one of his more popular numbers
from the new album On The Back of My Dreams. The lighting on the stage casted a silhouette over the
Maryland native as he stunned the crowd with a blissful vocal performance, a few couples within the crowd held
each other close as the lyrics of love and heartbreak echoed round the room.

Watch: Jackson Dean Joined CountryLine Radio To Talk ‘On The Back Of My Dreams’

A Nod to Bob Harris with ‘Heavens to Betsy’

One song during the setlist went out to infamous music presenter Bob Harris, Dean mentioned how the two of
them had conjured a friendship at the O2’s C2C festival back in 2024, where Harris had received his first tattoo
backstage from Jackson himself. Since then, the two have stayed in contact. Jackson delivered Heavens to Betsy,
a ‘stomp your feet’ style song, rooted in that new-americana sound. It was played in name of their bond, Dean
mentioned that it was Harris’ “favourite off the new album”, this was met with a cheer from the audience – you
could tell that Jackson had solidified his place in the heart of UK country.

A Thunderous Encore Leaves the Crowd Wanting More

After a rocking encore, the final chords rang out around the Kentish Forum. The room was met with an uproar
of cheers and applause as Dean made his way off stage. The crowd stayed around for a while after the
performance, the exhilaration of what we had witnessed still hung in the air.

There was a real country buzz amongst the crowds as they headed for the train station home, it was clear that
Dean had completed what he