Just a stone’s throw from Holborn tube station, downstairs at Pizza Express was the venue for tonight’s line-up. A fully table seated venue, with a decent sized stage area and seats almost on the stage, Jack (Holloway Road) did comment that he felt like a ‘pole dancer’ performing – fortunately, no one gave him money for a ‘dance!’
The evening started with a few words from Baylen Leonard before Morgan Myles took to the stage. Morgan was completely new to #TEAMw21, which was especially surprising after Baylen said it had been 7 years since she had been over in the UK. So this wasn’t even a first time visit. In a one hour, 12 song set, the Pennsylvanian native kicked off with “Sanctuary”, (a song about people who get you through hard times), and it took all of 10 seconds before we asked myself “How haven’t we heard of her before”? Such a great blue’s feeling with fantastic vocal run’s handled brilliantly. Next came “We Won’t Go Home” and a complete change of style. An upbeat catchy pop/country feel, reminiscent of early Sheryl Crow. With Ben on accompanying acoustic guitar, (whom she had only met a few hours before), two new songs “Overserved” and “New Love” (a song written with John & Jacob of The Brummies), were performed. Next came the Bonnie Raitt number “Love Me Like A Man” performed in one of the greatest blue’s styles I’ve heard in a long while. She said she started singing that when she was ten years old! Possibly the most inappropriate song a ten year old should sing!. A song called “Whisky Dreaming” and a powerful vocal performance of Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whisky”, followed, before the rock based “Kick-Ass” cheating song “Adeline”. A rare love song followed, before her latest single “Acapella” and a song she said she covered before it became famous, “Girl Crush”. “Silence” closed an amazing set by a tremendously versatile singer who can cover blues, rock, and pop country styles with ease. Shades of Shania, Sarah Darling and Sheryl Crow among others make this an artist you must look out for in the future.
After a short break, Holloway Road took to the stage. Probably realising that because it was a fully seated audience, who were stuffed full of pizza, they decided to showcase much of the new material they have to choose from, for their forthcoming EP. Opening with a song previewed at C2C “Autograph”, you knew that whatever the boys performed, it would still be the unique sound of Holloway Road. They followed that with their recent single release “Under Cover”, and you could tell that this was going to be a fairly laid back/stripped back evening with the lads. Another new song written with noted Nashville songwriter Phil Barton, “Get The Girl” got a first time airing sounding like real old school Holloway Road. More new material followed. “Something Like This” “Reckless” and “Do You Wish It Was Me?” were performed faultlessly considering most of the material was so new. The current single “No Place” and their summer song “We Get There?” followed. John & Jacob received a second song writing name check of the evening on “Hangover Here”, a song they heard while hanging with John & Jacob while in Nashville recently, and they instantly decided “we are gonna cut that!”
All of the nine new songs are pure Holloway Road, and emphasise the saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” They know what their audience wants and they deliver perfectly. Even tonight, with them almost static, (well, compared to their usual performance!) they captured the audience’s attention and didn’t let go. The heavily streamed “If She Falls” came next, followed by “We Said So” with the catchy “Oh Oh” chorus getting everyone joining in. The evening ended with “I Won’t Fall”, complete with audience participation on the clapping. Holloway Road proved yet again, that they are one of the best UK Country acts around. The chemistry between them is almost tangible, as is the pleasure they get from performing. Most people that evening were maybe not familiar with Holloway Road before, but after an hour with them, they certainly will not forget them.
The next country Pizza Express Live event is on 27th June 2018, and features Kate Ellis and American Young.