Folk-rock singer-songwriter Dolly Mavies (real name: Molly Davies) found herself at the center of a media storm when she and her band decided to walk out of a gig in Daylesford, near Kingham, after receiving a tip-off about US Vice-President JD Vance's potential attendance.
The decision, which Mavies described as a small action, quickly gained worldwide attention after the news spread, leading to a surge of support on social media.
Mavies revealed that her band's suspicions arose when they noticed an unusually heavy security presence at the venue, a farm shop, which included a convoy of police motorbikes and large cars.
Mavies explained her band’s reaction, stating that they were suspicious when they turned up at the venue and there was a lot of security around, which normally wasn't the case. There was also a huge convoy of police motorbikes and very big cars.
Although it was later confirmed that Vance did not attend the gig and had never planned to, the media coverage led to a significant increase in social media followers for Mavies.
She went on to say that she was inundated with wonderful comments and support from people all across the world. "Obviously, there's an overwhelming sense of support in America... I think for a lot of American people there's a lot of uncertainty, and a lot of people are scared, and it was amazing to feel like they'd been heard," Mavies said via BBC.
In her post-event reflections, Mavies responded to those who accused her of staging a PR stunt: "We definitely didn't do that at all. If we were that clever we would have done something before now."
Mavies, who released her debut album The Calm & The Storm last year, added that while she faced criticism, she remained firm in her belief that the action was peaceful: "Nobody's ever going to agree with everybody, and that's totally fine. It riled some people up and that's for them to decide... but I do think it's really interesting because in the grand scheme of things we just chose not to do something. We could've done something much more extravagant… leaving is the most peaceful way of protest in some way."
The incident also drew attention to JD Vance’s visit to the Cotswolds, where he and his family were spending their summer break away from Washington D.C.
Vance's trip included various official engagements and cultural site visits, though there was no confirmation that he attended the music event in Daylesford.
Following the incident, Mavies received an outpouring of support from fans around the world, especially from the U.S., where the uncertainty surrounding political figures and their influence has become a topic of widespread concern.