Words and Images by Libby Smith
At the beginning of the week, I had the pleasure of experiencing an evening filled with incredible country music at St Georges, Bristol. Having never been a listener of country music, I went into this gig unsure of what to expect and if I would even enjoy it. However, that quickly dissipated from my mind as I went on a journey through the lives of these artists. They wore their hearts on their sleeves through song writing. When I left the venue at the end, the world had one more country music fan in it.
I made my way to my assigned seat and watched as the venue began to slowly fill up with excited fans, chattering amongst each other and waiting for the show to begin. As everyone settled in, the lights dimmed and the talented Alex Hall took to the stage to warm everyone up for Brandy Clark.
Hailing from Gainesville, Georgia, it was clear that Hall’s raw and perfected talent in singing and guitar playing was the reason why he had gone from playing bars and restaurants in his hometown to a room full of fans in Bristol. His voice echoed throughout the whole room, sharing stories about love, loss, and a few covers in between. It was easy to see from the start that he had strong links to Elvis’ music and overall style, while also making his own music sound modern and unique within the country scene. His voice was incredibly emotive, leaving everyone silent and focused on his performance. The perfect acoustics and lighting in the venue made for one of the most intimate gigs I had ever experienced. I loved listening as Hall shared songs about his wife and where he grew up. I felt thankful for the opportunity to experience a genre that I had no real knowledge of, yet had been incredibly moved by.
As he said his goodbyes, the once quiet and attentive crowd erupted into cheers and claps, showing that everyone was equally as impressed as I was. As he left the stage, the excitement in the air began to rise for the next act.
After the half-hour break between the two performers, the room once again began to quickly buzz with energy. The lights dimmed once more, and the one and only Brandy Clark strolled onto the stage, being met with a wave of applause as she picked up her guitar and her charming smile lit up the room.
Having listened to Clark leading up to the event, I could tell that she was a star in the country music scene. She is a ten-time Grammy nominee, racking up millions of streams and fans across different platforms, as well as writing some highly influential songs for others such as Miranda Lambert and Kasey Musgraves. She’s also recognized for being an openly queer country musician, something that has become an inspiring step in building the LGBTQ+ scene within the genre.
Growing up in Nashville, it was immediately clear that her life up to this point had been poured into her music. Each song told a detailed story or ingrained memory, whether it was positive or negative. The entire performance took everyone on a journey through what felt like the intimate pages of her diary. It was easy to see why she was such a respected songwriter across the world. Throughout her hour and a half performance, an assortment of emotions ran through me as each story was told to the beautiful sounds of the guitar, double bass, and harmonica, played by her and her two fellow musicians on stage. Every second of her performance was captivating, and not only a pleasure to watch and listen to, but also created a visual storyline in my mind. This made this stranger standing on the stage before me feel like a close friend who I’d known all my life, and that is a very rare talent.
As the final song played out and Brandy thanked the crowd, she was welcomed with a standing ovation of shouts, smiles, and even some tears were shed. As the crowd slowly spilled out of St Georges, the energy in the air was filled with contentment and love for the performances we had collectively seen. I made my way home feeling fulfilled, grateful, and humming the songs all the way back.
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