Since the release of her debut major label album ‘Hero’ in 2016, Maren Morris has become one of the biggest players in country music. With a further two LPs under her belt – most recently 2022’s ‘Humble Quest’ – plus collaborating with Zedd on the smash hit ‘The Middle’ and becoming part of supergroup The Highwomen with Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby, she’s carved out a unique path with her blend of country, pop and R&B sounds, as well as being unafraid to stand up and speak her mind on social issues. Now, after a short run on tour in the UK with The Chicks, last night she returned to London for her first headline show since 2019, when she played at the Royal Albert Hall on her GIRL World Tour.
Arriving onto the foliage-covered stage shortly after 9PM with her four-piece band, Morris opened the show with ‘Circles Around This Town’, the lead single from ‘Humble Quest’. The crowd burst into huge cheers from the very first note and she poured conviction and soulful vocals into the mellow, laid-back song that told the story of her journey to success. Right from the off the whole room was singing along and as Morris herself said, “the tone has been set for the night… this is gonna be f***in’ cool”.
Across the next hour and 20 minutes, Morris promised “we’re trying to cover as many bases as we can… hopefully all your favourites”, and the set struck a good balance across her three records. As the only album she hasn’t yet played in the UK, unsurprisingly several songs came from ‘Humble Quest’, including the sweet, playful ‘I Can’t Love You Anymore’, which saw Morris spinning across the stage with her tambourine as her gold sequin jacket caught the lights and the crowd clapped along, before she jammed out with her band on ‘Detour’ and delivered a dramatic, sultry rendition of ‘Nervous’, which showed off the song’s 90s grunge influence. We were also treated to a brand new acoustic song, ‘Get The Hell Out Of Here’, from her upcoming fourth album. Before her performance Morris spoke very movingly about struggling with her self-worth and how the song came from wanting to change that feeling, and it was a lush empowering number that was full of emotion and provided a really uplifting moment, as well as showing off Morris’s songwriting skills (“I handed out my heart on paper plates” being a particularly strong line).
That said, there was still plenty for fans of Morris’ previous work to enjoy. ’80s Mercedes’, with its acapella intro, was an early highlight, whilst Morris also showed off her introspective side on ‘I Wish I Was’ and ‘I Could Use A Love Song’, which she introduced with an emotional chat about her love for UK crowds and her first performance at C2C back in 2016. Elsewhere, ‘GIRL’ and ‘Drunk Girls Don’t Cry’ provided huge singalong moments, her Zedd collaboration ‘The Middle’ took on a rockier vibe, ‘RSVP’ had a slick, slinky feel and the raw ‘Once’ featured an epic final note as well as some impressive vocal runs. Undoubtedly though the standout moment for me was ‘All My Favourite People’, which saw Morris’ husband Ryan Hurd make a surprise guest appearance to cover TJ Osborne’s part as Morris herself jammed out with her bassist, including both of them bending over backwards at the same time! I also loved her rendition of ‘Second Wind’, which saw the crowd waving along and her vocal absolutely soaring throughout, particularly on the defiant chorus.
After introducing ‘the most fun band I’ve ever had’ on the tongue-in-cheek ‘Rich’, Morris closed her set with a warm, delicate rendition of ‘The Bones’ before finishing with – what else? – ‘My Church’. She delivered a brilliant spin on the opening of the song, slowing it right down and stripping back the melody to show off the power and belt in her voice, before bursting into the anthemic chorus. The crowd practically took the roof off Kentish Town Forum as they sang along to every word and erupted in a roar of cheers and applause at the end, as Morris waved to fans whilst leaving the stage.
Overall Maren Morris delivered yet another standout performance, showing off her vocal skills as well as her songwriting talents and bringing bags of positive energy and fun to the stage. It’s clear that she absolutely adores playing for UK fans – as she said on stage, “I’m definitely feeling the love tonight… I knew you’d show up” and given the reaction of the crowd throughout and buzz on leaving the venue, the feeling is definitely mutual. She promised that “if you keep showing up I’ll keep coming back”, and based on this show there are a multitude of reasons for us to keep coming back! Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait another four years to see her on this side of the pond again – I’m hoping for a C2C headline set when that fourth album comes out…
Set list: 1. Circles Around This Town 2. I Can’t Love You Anymore 3. 80s Mercedes 4. I Wish I Was 5. GIRL 6. The Middle 7. RSVP 8. Detour 9. Drunk Girls Don’t Cry 10. I Could Use A Love Song 11. All My Favourite People (with Ryan Hurd) 12. Nervous 13. Once 14. Get The Hell Out Of Here 15. Second Wind 16. Rich 17. The Bones 18. My Church Performance date: 5th July 2023
Maren Morris’ latest album, ‘Humble Quest’, is out now on Sony Music Entertainment.
