Gig Review - A Country Night In Nashville - Alexandra Theatre Birmingham

 

A theatre trip for us on Saturday, rather than a “normal” gig venue.  We walked into a theatre in Birmingham but took our seats in a Nashville Honky Tonk – “Crazy Joe’s Live Lounge”.  As the rest of the audience took their seats a few were caught out as the lights began to flash across the stage, building anticipation. In the background 'The Devil went down to Georgia' could be heard, on walked the band (Drums, Keys, Guitar and Bass) to play along. 

Wait who is this under the single spotlight, a glittery gold sensation singing a haunting, acoustic version of Jolene? 

The show has only just begun and the audience are already singing along. A short chorus later, the song shifts to 'Ring of Fire' and Dominic Halpin enters the stage looking every bit a Country singer, there is something Johnny Cash about the all black outfit but somehow there’s something more.   

Dominic introduces himself and Matt the guitarist. Dominic checked how many of the audience have been to Nashville, but not to worry – if you haven’t, let yourself be transported to The Crazy Joe's Live Lounge. The cheap gags (fitting for the scene) start straight away with asking Matt about line dancing and him being a Morris dancer, complete with waving around his bandana, smoothly leading in to a Dwight Yoakam hit.

A Country Night In Nashville, although comprising (of course) covers, is far more than a covers show.  It is a tribute to the music of Nashville, and with its themed backdrops, lighting show and sheer energy it is a full-on theatrical experience.  The links between songs, the stories of stars of country music, the anecdotes about songs and the jokes with the band and the audience all add up to make the show what it is.  More than all of that though is the band, each member an accomplished performer in their own right, most of them songwriters too.

 

Fronting the band is Dominic Halpin, who is also the creator of the show.  Dominic, in his own words, lives and breathes music and was raised on some of the greats, which gives some of the history to the night, with songs spanning many decades.  Dominic is a born performer, an entertainer from the old school.  His passion shows with every song and his voice is just perfect for the range of music performed, easily singing the Country Standards, 50s Rock n Roll and even a short burst of Frank Sinatra.  Despite it being his name on the drum kit, when one of the others is taking centre stage, Dominic happily takes a step back to be “just” one of the musicians.

 

The lead, and the limelight, is shared – principally with vocalist Shelly Quarmby.  An accomplished singer in her own right, with albums under her own name, Shelly has a stunning voice that wouldn’t be out of place in the West End.  Whether taking the lead, effortlessly harmonising or joining Dominic for a duet Shelly keeps up with high energy dancing around, very much in the style of June Carter Cash. This comparison was very much cemented in the second half when she sang the role of June in a Cash medley.

 

The band is split four men and two ladies, and after a big start to the evening with Dwight Yoakam, Alan Jackson, Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson, the gents leave the stage to make way for Shelley and Donna Marie to have a few songs to themselves. 

 

Donna Marie is a familiar face to us, having most recently appeared on the Paddock Stage at Buckle and Boots as part of the Songs and Stories Collective, as well as being featured on our review pages with her singles.  In addition to playing her trademark big acoustic guitar she provides keys to this show as well as incredible backing vocals and a couple of solo numbers.  Shelly and Donna combined beautifully, ending with a rendition of The Chicks’ Travelling soldier accompanied by drummer Jono Price on side drum which added extra emotion to the performance, emotion which is reflected in Shelly's face

 

Jono sits at the back on his drum kit (apart from his cameo with the girls) and not only keeps time for the band, but plays in the traditional Country style and joins in with the skits and gags throughout the show.

 

Joining Jono in keeping the bassline thumping is  Ben Wiltshire, alternating between electric bass and stand-up bass – plus backing vocals!

 

There is an easy camaraderie between Dominic and the band – the boys also play together as Dominic Halpin and the Honeybees – and this is easy to see in the joking around, especially with lead guitarist Matt Wells who is the butt of many jokes, including being called the “creepy old uncle” when touchingly referring to the band as being “like family”.  Matt doesn’t just provide some incredible guitar playing – he also plays haunting lap steel, slide guitar using a beer bottle that is then thrown off stage and even broke out a banjo – which resulted in duelling banjos between him and Dominic (on guitar) to round off the first half.

 

The second half opens with Johnny Cash and everyone swinging their instruments – even Ben with his double bass! Dominic explains the notes he played could fit into any tune and we are treated to a little ditty from Dominic, who is looking for a woman with big hands.  He explains they are all songwriters and we get a rendition of his own song Fire & Smoke. 

 

The extra comedy, skits and instrumental breaks elevate this show – rather than just exiting stage to allow for a solo Dominic challenges the band to keep up with his random choices of songs, resulting in a walk out rather than take on Justin Beiber!  The solo was Dominic playing a tribute to Buddy Holly – and it was spot on! A different transition as Dominic exited stage left while Shelly walked on stage right, sat down at the keyboard and sang a fantastic solo “Girl Crush”.  Is there no end to her talents?

 

As the band come back on, we are clearly in party mode, with more modern songs dropping in, banter with the audience and Donna Marie offering herself for selection as a “redneck” to song an energetic “Red Neck Woman” showing her own performance skills, despite her telling us later that she is very shy!  Coming out from behind the keyboard means she can show off her tassled red boots, rivalling Shelly's sparkles!

 

A Kacey Musgraves number gets the crowd singing and clapping, and then a full party set takes us all the way through with the whole audience on their feet and dancing in the aisles – 9 to 5, Jolene, Dance the Night Away, Wagon Wheel all going down well and accompanied by a thousand voices.

Make no mistake, this isn’t “just another covers show” – it’s a tribute show featuring a band of highly talented musicians who would be at home on any stage performing a very well written show centred around a carefully chosen mix of music.

image courtesy of Handshake Ltd

 A Country Night In Nashville is rightly filling theatres up and down the country, playing to thousands of music fans every week.  Hearing the comments at the meet and greet afterwards proves that this show will run and run, a stand-out among the tribute shows – in fact a stand-out among all shows

Silverball Country attended A Country Night In Nashville as guests of Handshake Limited

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Gig Review - Country In The Afternoon - Half Moon Putney

 

Take an iconic venue, add in some touring artists, mix with the Chittick’s unerring ability to curate a line up and the result is another stunning Country In The Afternoon.

 

If you haven’t yet sampled a CITA, its basically a mini festival over two days.  Taking place at the Half Moon Pub in Putney, which has played host to a long list of legends over the years, you get to see four acts per day, starting at 1 and finishing at 5, in time to sample the fabulous food that the pub has to offer.  Each day has a great line up, so you can do either day or both and still have a great time.  Although the weekend attracts in excess of 300 people over the two days in comfort, it still feels like an intimate gig, with many of the artists opting to play an acoustic or stripped-down set.

Following on so closely after Buckle and Boots Festival, there was a chance to see some of the touring artists who played in Manchester, and this weekend saw a Saturday line up of Matt Wynn, Jessie G, and Australia’s Josh Setterfield (who all played the main stage), headlined by Alyssa Bonagura while on Sunday headliner Aaron Goodvin from Canada was joined by Eleri Angharad (who played the Paddock stage) plus Simon James and James Riley.  We attended on Sunday, fighting our way through tube closures to make it to a sunny corner of South West London.

 

The theme of Sunday was very much about telling stories – it was as much about the stories as the music.  Eleri Angharad was up first and set the tone.  Her style of gently strumming her guitar while she talks is very soothing and keeps a link between words and songs.  She played her fabulous new single Good For A Girl, and ended with a great rendition of These Boots Were Made For Walking which really got the crowd singing along and pumped for the rest of the day.  She was also wearing good boots!

Simon James hasn’t been around much recently, but he’s back and with the promise of a new album.  If anything, his voice has matured, and it’s a voice that we have really missed.  When Simon sings he transports the audience and himself to a different place.  You can see this in Simon because either his eyes are closed or he’s staring out into the distance.  Speaking to Simon after the show he confirmed he is often not on that stage.  Simon loves to talk between songs and even shifted his set list around to accommodate the time he had taken!

James Riley was not familiar to us but is an artist that as soon as Gavin and Christine heard him play at a showcase event, they knew they wanted to bring him to Country In The Afternoon.  Playing acoustic guitar and accompanied by a stand-up bass and a fiddle player, James is on the folk side of country but very much in the story telling tradition.  He spent lockdown playing roof top concerts in his own neighbourhood earning him a slot on local tv news, and took himself off to a remote part of the Kent coast to write his newest songs, all influenced by his view out across the sea.  The attention he received for his rooftop series means that James will be spending part of his summer playing at Glastonbury.

Sunday’s headliner Aaron Goodvin has been on a mini tour of the UK having flown over for Buckle and Boots.  As he demonstrated in a songwriters round on the Paddock Stage, Aaron is a natural storyteller, even stopping mid song to tell a story.  It’s a clever technique that grabs your attention and keeps you laughing!  His start in the music industry came when his mother bought a Karaoke machine for the family and then entered Aaron in a contest at the local mall where he came second, winning $200 dollars which he instantly spent on golf clubs.  This was clearly the dream life for him – singing and earning – and the rest is history!  Supported and heckled in equal parts by Matt Wynn and Jessie G, the pair then joined Aaron on stage for an impromptu rendition of Tennessee Whisky which they had previously performed to support Electric Umbrella – a children’s charity in Hertfordshire.  

This collab was completely unexpected and one of the best we have ever seen. Already a big star in Canada, Aaron would like to cultivate a “sexy image” in the UK, rather than the Kermit comparisons from a comment on the tour.  There followed a few passable Kermit impressions which added to the general light-hearted approach Aaron took to his set, delivering a personal, intimate, powerful and hugely entertaining show before joining us all outside in the sunshine.

 

We have worked with Gavin and Christine Chittick at a number of festivals, so we know how hard working they are and how very welcoming too.  They have a real talent for finding artists who will work well in the Country In The Afternoon format as well as the Millport Festivals that they put on, and while Millport is taking a break we know that they will continue to promote great music and introduce us to new artists.  Country In The Afternoon allows for music, meeting up with friends and the chance for us to really appreciate the artists we may have missed while working at festivals, all in relaxed surroundings.

 

See you in November!

Silverball Country attended Country In The Afternoon as guests of Cumbrae Promotions

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Single Review - Afraid To Fall - Gasoline and Matches

 

Gasoline and Matches are always busy performing, running their writer’s round in Birmingham, playing for festivals, squeezing in their day jobs in music but fortunately for all of us they have managed to find some studio time.

The result is Afraid To Fall, which is easily their most polished and professional track to date.  Gasoline and Matches are going from strength to strength – this year already they played a blazing headline set at Buckle and Boots and have just been announced as playing at The Long Road Festival.

Sally and Steve have really dived into this track telling a familiar story – in their own words:

Afraid To Fall is the anthem for anyone stuck in the friend zone

A strong musical opening which grabs your attention from the outset, the guitar giving Western vibes.  The vocal comes in with perfect harmonies from the first line, with a breathy feel as the line fades.

The chorus is catchy and will make you want to join in, and perhaps reflect.

Have you ever thought about me

Have you ever talked about me

I really need to know

Its nice to hear more of Steve’s voice in this track, but without compromising on the guitar riffs that we have all come to expect and love from the duo

We can all recognise the feeling in the song, but Gasoline and Matches hope that it will empower you to take the leap, and not be afraid to fall.

Afraid to Fall, the new single from Gasoline and Matches is available to download and stream from Friday 2 June.  Take the leap and support independent artists.

Find and follow the duo on Facebook, Instagram and on Spotify

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Festival Reflections - Buckle and Boots 2023

 

Let’s start by looking at the crowd, we talk a lot about the “Country Family” and I need to start by thanking both those new and returning to the festival; it is your presence, enthusiasm and support of one another that plays a central role. Whether you used the attendees page to ask about clothing, the temperature, money, parking, taxis, or anything else there is always someone prepared to help you out and it’s the same on site. People may arrive on site alone, but they always leave with new friends. About 80% of the attendance is returning and most of those newbies can’t wait to come back and stay for longer next time.

Why are the people so important? You help create an atmosphere where the artists don’t want to sit in a green room but are happy to mingle among you, which adds to the whole intimacy of the festival.  How many country artists did you spot that were not on the line-up but came anyway to be a part of the festival?  From those trying to break into county music (Leanne Brumfitt), those on their way (Alan Finlan) and some of the best we have (Kezia Gill)!

It is probably the one festival where Laura Hancock does not have to worry about getting volunteers. Yes, you read that right, every one of the crazy people behind the bar does it as a volunteer. There are even those who buy a ticket and want to be the other side!

Most people turn up regardless of the line-up -just look at ticket sales, people booking the moment they get home, whilst some of us need a few days to recover.  It is lovely to read messages where people say “I don’t care about the line up as its always amazing”. Rest assured that the Hancocks and Gary Quinn will always look to promote UK country music and secure you international artists. In fact, every year the festival grows and gets a little bit better.

This year had the added bonuses of:

·       The Nashville Sounds in the Round Take-over on Thursday afternoon

·       The Old Time Sailors

·       The Country Orchestra

·       Purple Rabbit Pilates and a beach

I’m not sure that they can take credit for the weather, but it was fantastic and certainly better than when it rains.

Everyone will have their standout artist, but this year we think the UK artists stole the show. Why?

Robyn Red – at just 18, this young lady is making waves. With a phenomenal voice, she is growing in confidence with every performance and just wowing her audiences.

Gasoline & Matches – not only did they bring their Birmingham based show ‘Nashville Sounds in the Round’ to the Paddock stage giving you a reason to arrive early, but then they went on to set the stage alight with the full band which included a saxophonist, to close out the Paddock stage on Friday night.  They are a polished act who just keep getting better. We were very impressed with the intro track and stage presence.

Backwoods Creek – despite working hard as the house band, it was nice to see them take to the stage under their own name to headline the Paddock stage on Saturday night. They bought their usual raw energy which got the crowd to their feet and kept them there, blowing the roof off the tent. The addition of Jeremy McComb for their cover of Walking In Memphis showed how versatile and spontaneous they are as a band.

Emilia Quinn – moving up to the main stage, she absolutely smashed it, looking very natural up there with enormous amounts of energy.  Appreciated by the other artists who brought her on stage, we’re all so glad she announced her headline tour.

 

Finally lets not forget the food vendors, who work long hours to keep many of us going but with some amazing tasting food.  The stall holders who help us look our best and help keep it country.

Holding tight to my Buckle and Boots cup by the handle but sadly only containing coffee, I’m shattered and my body hurts, voice is non-existent and like many of you I need sleep and vegetables, but you know what - I’ll see you next year!

In the meantime, please go and support local acts.

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Gig Review - Nashville Sounds In The Round take-over at Buckle and Boots Country Festival

You asked, they delivered!

Birmingham's premier country songwriter night 'Nashville Sounds In The Round' hosted by the British country music duo Gasoline & Matches (aka Sally and Steve) was transported from its usual home at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall to the Paddock Stage to launch the festival.

Like all writer’s rounds, this is an opportunity to hear about the stories behind the songs and often an opportunity to showcase new artists.  On Thursday afternoon, 12:30pm to 2:00pm to be precise, Gasoline & Matches were joined on stage by their guests: Namywa, Kylie Price and James Berryman.

Namywa, a fellow Brummie is an international recording artist but this was her debut country festival performance. Supported by her dad in the audience, she showed off a powerful voice and some great earrings.  If she was nervous in this new setting, it never showed. Her soulful voice absolutely filled the Paddock Stage

Kelly Price is from New Zealand and loved the setting of Whitebottom Farm/Etherow County Park but nothing gave her roots away more than when she referred to “Stevo”.  Loved her stories that she was crazy but still got her man, and actually she is still crazy – that’s very country. Check her out at Kylie Price website .  Whilst she will freely (and frequently) admit that her songs are a little downbeat, her storytelling is fantastic in both her songwriting and conversation, and her personality shines.

James Berryman isn’t new to the round having played back in September and spotted as a one to watch. Believe it or not he has 17 years of experience.  A writer’s round leaves the artists with nowhere to hide – but with James he is not only a talented singer songwriter, but he could probably double as a comedian! Maybe next time we just have an impressions show with James and Steve!

A very large crowd, which actually felt like it was everyone who had arrived on site, was attracted to the Paddock stage, why wouldn’t anyone want to sit in the sun (or shade) and listen to great music?  Sat in front of the stage or stood at the back by the bar, sound quality was amazing.

The high energy that Gasoline & Matches put into any performance is difficult to contain and so they are often spotted adding harmonies and playing along with their guests.  This is only a taste of their ability and I hope everyone stuck around to see their headline performance with their full band.

What a takeover, setting everyone up for a festival that you need to buckle into but hopefully it may have convinced a few of you to make the journey down to see their next ‘In the Round’ on Thursday 1^st June with a truly international line up.

B:Music website

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Gig Review - Cody Pennington Country Show - O2 Academy Birmingham

 

It was a slightly different kind of gig for us on Friday night in Birmingham – the Cody Pennington Country Show.  Different in that it was a mostly a show of big Country Music hits performed by Cody and his band, interspersed with some of his original material.  Not really a “covers show”, more a tribute to Country music.

In a show of two halves, Cody Pennington opened for Cody Pennington with some big crowd pleasing songs to get everyone singing along in the first half of the show, kicking off with Luke Combs’ smash hit Beer Never Broke My Heart which really got the show going. The whole of the sell out audience were certainly up for a party, singing along to pretty much every song, including favourites Wagon Wheel and the set ending The Gambler.

In truth the set list was Luke Combs heavy – Cody wasn’t shy about wanting to open for Luke on his next UK tour and he even asked the crowd to tag Luke in their photos and videos to persuade him that Cody would be ideal for this!  The crowd roared their approval of the songs and also the idea - Luke may get a surprise when he checks his social media! 

After around 45 minutes the band took a short break, partly for Cody to change into a T shirt as it was – in Cody’s words – “a hot sweaty gig”! Academy 2 is not the largest of the rooms at Birmingham’s Academy and as Cody’s popularity grows he will almost certainly return to a larger room or larger venue.  The heat allowed Cody to show his humbler side, as he turned his fan round to cool down his pedal steel player - he also made a point of thanking the venue staff and especially the bouncer at the front who was handing out water in front of the stage

In the show’s second half Cody showed off those vocal, musical and showmanship skills including – not easily done by a male vocalist – Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 and Shania Twain’s Man! I Feel Like a Woman! complete with a bum wiggle – to the crowd’s amazement and enjoyment.

As we looked around the crowd we didn’t see any familiar faces, so this was a crowd of Brummies out for a good night.  There were some glittery cowboy hats, some boots, plenty of plaid shirts, but when Cody belted out the big hits, the crowd were right there singing along, and when he dropped in his own singles – Downtown, Cowboy Sitting at The Bar, they still sang it back to him.

 

If you haven’t come across Cody Pennington yet, Cody is a “unicorn” - he is actually from Nashville!  He told us a fascinating story of how he first met Chris Stapleton when working in CVS in Nashville.  On checking a customer’s ID, he noted the name was C Stapleton.  That was it – that was the story!  It was a great intro to performing a Chris Stapleton song though! 

Cody is now UK based, taking the Nashville sound around the country with his show.  Cody plays electric guitar throughout the show, accompanied by Holly Carter on pedal steel, plus his drummer and bassist. Cody does use some reverb on his mic and a small amount of backing tracks to allow a banjo sound plus piano when he sang Walking In Memphis.  The microphone effect brings a big sound to a small venue – while other acts offer us the feel of a Nashville Honky Tonk, Cody and his band are without doubt bringing us the US Stadium sound, even in Birmingham on a Friday night.

The Cody Pennington Country Show delivers exactly what it says on the tin – some of the biggest hits of modern country performed as they should be.  For many, this is the only way they will hear the likes of Luke Combs songs performed live.  People will come out for covers, and they will love the originals.  UK festivals would do well to get Cody on their line ups – before Luke Combs steals him away!

The Cody Pennington Country Show is touring the UK throughout the year, with four shows in Scotland in November.  Tickets are limited for many dates – see CodyPennington.com for details.

If you can’t make it to a show, check out Cody’s music on Spotify, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

Silverball Country attended The Country Show as guests of Cody Pennington

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Gig Review - Nashville Sounds in The Round - Up! - Birmingham Symphony Hall

 

image by Nashville Sounds In The Round

Songwriters Rounds, or “in the rounds” (sometimes called “guitar pulls) are becoming increasingly prevalent in the UK Country scene.  A little different from a standard gig they allow more artists to perform on one stage at the same time.  If you haven’t been to a round, the basic idea is to have a few artists on stage singing songs in turn, but telling the story behind each song as they go along.  There are always popular rounds at Buckle and Boots festival, and this year you will have the opportunity to see several!

Away from the festivals there are a few regular songwriters rounds, notably the Birmingham based Nashville Sounds in the Round hosted by Gasoline and Matches and the London based The Round Up with Two Ways Home.  This year Lewis and Izzy of Two Ways Home decided to take the Round Up on the road as a UK tour, taking in three countries, 11 shows and around 35 guest artists.  Their penultimate show was in Birmingham – so as the two shows share the same DNA it seemed like a great idea to combine the two for one morning only into Nashville Sounds in The Round-Up!

Hosted by Gasoline and Matches’ Sally and Steve but curated by Two Ways Home the show added two guests to the line up – Welsh based The Goudies and London brothers The Blue Highways.  A round is always a great opportunity to see new artists, on this occasion for us at least that was the Goudies having met The Blue Highways for the first time in 2019 - and interviewed them

 

With four different artists on stage you will often get a real mix of styles as each choose their own playlist, sometimes in advance, sometimes reacting to the previous song.  The first round opened with Smiling Viper from our hosts which was a wake up call for a Saturday morning, the Goudies countered with a soft er country song Where We Belong allowing Two Ways Home to bridge the styles with their song Waiting On Luck.  The Blue Highways was a solo performance for the first half with Callum on his own singing “Don’t Leave Me Alone” from their recently released album.

 

The rounds are as much about the stories as the music, and we were told the story of Maggie, who has a Grandmother was obviously a big part of the Goudie’s life, leading to the beautiful Maggies Prayer, a tribute to her memory.  Trained pianist Callum obviously couldn’t resist the magnificent Steinway Grand piano which he used for his own tribute – to a Harrow music venue where the band played the first gig.  Teardrops In The Storm was possibly the standout performance of the morning, and perhaps the North West London influences helped the very Elton John vibe.

 

The Steinway opened the second half, with Callum now joined by brother Theo, as all the participants played us new songs, old songs, songs available at the merch table, songs never played in public, songs played at family weddings and even a song added to a birthing playlist!

How do you end a show with so much talent all together?  With a group song of course – all combining (with the audience too) for a rendition of Sweet Home Alabama, rounding off a superb collaboration and a fine start to a Saturday in Birmingham!

Nashville Sounds In The Round have two very special shows coming up – the May show will actually be on the Paddock Stage at Buckle and Boots Country Festival, while the June show back in Birmingham will be a Buckle and Boots Takeover!  Tickets for June can be found at B:Music

The Round Up will also be festival bound, taking their round to The Long Road Festival in August!

Silverball Country attended Nashville Sounds in the Round - Up as guests of Gasoline and Matches and B:Music

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