The unstoppable Nashville-based singer-songwriter Margo Price crossed the pond for a run of shows in the UK to celebrate her two new records Strays and Strays II. We caught her magic at London’s KOKO and it was everything you want a gig to be.
Opening the evening was Margo’s neighbour, good friend and country singer Kelsey Waldon, who had her own group of die-hard fans waiting right by the barrier, admiring her every note. Rightfully so. Waldon’s seven track set was a beautiful showcase of her songwriting skills. Her positive and approachable aura immediately connected with the fans flooding in to KOKO that evening, leaving everyone fixated on her show.
As Margo Price steps on to the stage, her blue dress having her seemingly floating across it, a vision with a guitar and a tambourine about to serenade us into the year 3000. The anticipation can be cut with a knife but as the first chords of Been Down The Mountain echo through the venue, the anticipation immediately rolls into a frenzy of pure bliss. Smiling faces, dancing, singing along.
Taking us through a lot of her discography, Price is never not connected to the audience through her stories, telling tales of a land that for most of us Brits is made of Tennessee whiskey and warm summer nights. And if she had asked us to join her coven that night to dance under the moonlight, she wouldn’t have had to ask us twice.
As the first half of the set comes to a close, Margo Price treats the audience to a cover of Tom Petty’s “Have Love Will Travel.” And in what felt like his spirit being present, Price delivered the song with a clear sense of respect for his craft while never losing her own personal stamp. Price’s homage to Tom Petty’s timeless classic not only honored his musical legacy but also highlighted her own musical prowess, solidifying her position as a distinguished performer in her own right.
In a defining moment for her career in the UK, Margo Price received the prestigious UK Americana Award for International Song of the Year for her song “Radio” (ft. Sharon Van Etten). This recognition elevated the evening even further and the crowd celebrated Price for her achievement.
In a stunning outfit change, Price takes the stage again for her encore to play her award winning track and then to send us all off into the night with a roaring rendition of Janis Joplin’s 1971 masterpiece Mercedes Benz, sang on the barriers of North London’s KOKO.
High Fives & Stage Dives 