Since she burst onto the country scene with her smash hit ‘Burning House’ back in 2015, Camaron Marvel Ochs – better known simply as Cam – has become one of the most beloved live acts in the UK. She’s made frequent trips here ever since and has won over audiences’ hearts and minds with her combination of engaging stage presence, smart songwriting and beautiful vocals. Last night she was back again for one night only, performing in London as part of the Roundhouse’s In The Round series, following her last visit in June 2022 to support Eagles at BST Hyde Park.
After being introduced with a recording of writer Alan Watts on the theme of growing from within, Cam arrived on stage to enormous cheers from the sold-out crowd, telling them, “I wanted a little moment alone with you”. She then spoke about her love for playing in the UK and what she wanted from the evening, encouraging the audience to “take a deep breath and drop whatever filter you’ve been using… so all of us can laugh and cry and scream and do what you need to do”. It was a really lovely way to kick off the evening and you could genuinely feel how happy she was to be back here. She then introduced her band – drummer Jordan and multi-instrumentalist Simon – before launching into ‘Redwood Tree’, the opening track from her 2020 album ‘The Otherside’. Her delicate vocals were crystal-clear as always as she conveyed the song’s moving, bittersweet lyrics and she encouraged the crowd to hum along with her, adding to the intimate atmosphere of the performance.
That connection with the audience was one thing that really stood out to me throughout the next hour and 40 minutes of music. Cam frequently broke off from her set to chat to the crowd, telling stories about the influences behind her songs – like how her husband finding a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes in a shop in Argentina inspired the retro, playful ‘Classic’, or the way the story of the first meeting led to the lush, romantic ‘Like A Movie’. She also cracked jokes throughout, replied to audience members’ shouts with “I love you too!” and encouraged them to sing along with her on the likes of the soaring ‘Mayday’ or cheer on her attempt to whistle on the nostalgic, uptempo ‘Changes’ (including knowing glances to the audience on lines like ‘they’re all having babies now’). It’s clear that she really adores the crowds here and the feeling is very much mutual.
For me the highlight was the acoustic section midway through the set. Sitting between her band on stools, Cam opened the section with ‘Village’, including a moving intro about recently losing her grandfather and encouraging the crowd to think of the loved ones they miss. It’s a song that truly tugs at the heartstrings and is impossible to be moved by, especially when she delivers in it her lush, sweet tones; I was full-on sobbing before she even reached the chorus. In complete contrast, she followed it with the rollicking, jaunty ‘Half Broke Heart’, highlighting her ability to balance the lively melody with downbeat lyrics, as well as the wistful ‘Palace’. She also premiered a new song, ‘Slow Down’, inspired by the events of the pandemic, which featured some gorgeous harmonies with Simon and Jordan and that felt like it could have come straight from a classic Disney movie, providing a moment of calm before she kicked things into high gear.
Speaking of which, there was also plenty of time for fun during Cam’s set. ‘The Otherside’ had an atmospheric, defiant quality to it, with the crowd clapping along throughout, whilst ‘Diane’ – featuring Cam, Simon and Jordan all on acoustic guitars – had the whole room on their feet singing along as she showed off her impressive belt. Elsewhere, her take on Patti Smith’s ‘Because The Night’ gave her an opportunity to rock out as she span around the stage, and the sultry, passionate ‘Til There’s Nothing Left’ highlighted the power in her voice as she hit some impressive notes (something she’d also done earlier in the show on the likes of ‘Forgetting You’ and ‘What Goodbye Means’ to huge cheers from the crowd!).
Cam closed the main portion of her set with – what else? – ‘Burning House’. It’s her signature song and her dreamy, delicate vocals sound just as fresh as the first time we heard, floating effortlessly over the gentle melody and packed full of yearning and emotion. She makes you believe every word of it and showed why it’s a classic for the ages. After the crowd rose to their feet to give her and her band a standing ovation as they left the stage, before loudly demanding an encore, the three of them returned to play an acoustic version of ‘Girl Like Me’, the closing track from ‘The Other Side’. It really felt like a full circle moment and Cam’s delivery had a lovely smooth quality to it, as well as tons of warmth and richness to balance the frankness of the lyrics. She got another standing ovation at the end and could be spotted hugging a fan from the stage before the lights came up – just another sign of how strong her relationship is with the audience here.
Overall Cam showed why she’s been hailed as ‘this generation’s Dolly’ with her performance at the Roundhouse. She drew the crowd in straight away and held them in the palm of her hand for the entire show, showing off her incredible skills as a vocalist, songwriter and entertainer and absolutely radiating love and affection for the UK crowd. At the end of the show she promised she’d bring her new music to Europe first and ‘it won’t be this long [until I come back] again’. I think it’s safe to say that it can’t come soon enough!
Set list: 1. Redwood Tree 2. Forgetting You 3. Classic 4. Mayday 5. Changes 6. What Goodbye Means 7. Like A Movie 8. Village 9. Half Broke Heart 10. Slow Down 11. Palace 12. The Otherside 13. Diane 14. Because The Night (Patti Smith cover) 15. Til There’s Nothing Left 16. Burning House Encore: 17. Girl Like Me Performance date: 17th April 2023
