Georgia-born Megan Moroney has fast become one of the rising new stars of country music following the success of her debut single ‘Tennessee Orange’. The song first gained popularity on TikTok and hit number one on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase Country Airplay chart earlier this year, as well as reaching the top 5 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. She’s also scored as US Country top 10 debut album with her first LP ‘Lucky’. Now she’s crossed the pond for a highly anticipated UK tour – including making her debut at The Long Road Festival this weekend – which last night rolled into London’s legendary venue The Garage.
Accompanied by her two-piece band Eric and Alex, Moroney arrived on stage around 9pm dressed in one of her signature prom dresses – this one an all-black strapless number teamed with white cowboy boots. She kicked off her writer’s round-style acoustic set with ‘Lucky’, the title track from her debut album. I loved the fun, cheeky quality of the song and it was clear that the rest of the sold-out crowd felt the same way, with the entire room singing and clapping along from the off. They didn’t let up for the next hour and 15 minutes, as well as whooping throughout and bursting into roaring cheers as she finished the song.
At the start of her performance Moroney promised ‘old stuff, new stuff and everything else’ and that’s definitely what we got, with her set running the gamut from her very first single, ‘Wonder’ – a mellow, laid-back number which saw her advising a friend about a lover who’s blowing hot and cold – to current release ‘I’m Not Pretty’ with its swinging melody and kiss-off lyrics to an ex’s trash-talking new partner, as well as a raucous cover of Taylor Swift’s ‘Picture To Burn’. There were also plenty of tracks from her 2022 EP ‘Pistol Made Of Roses’, including ‘Hair Salon’ with its gentle melody and clever chorus twist, ‘Fix You Too’, a subdued, wistful song about not wanting a partner who’s a project, and the defiant, slinky murder ballad ‘He Made Me Do It’ which she played at a fan’s request.
However, perhaps unsurprisingly the set was dominated by songs from ‘Lucky’, including ‘Mustang Or Me’, which saw Moroney introducing the introspective song with the story of how she still drives her car from high school. Elsewhere, the romantic ‘Sad Songs For Sad People’ (chosen by the audience) had the room swaying along as she waved to the crowd and held up her hands in a heart shape, whilst ‘Girl In The Mirror’ provided a really moving moment – particularly on its acapella finale – and ‘Traitor Joe’ saw Moroney dancing on her stool as she delivered the twangy, pop-influenced track with its big singalong chorus. My favourite though was ‘Why Johnny’, which Moroney played solo on her pink guitar, and which was full of emotion and pleading as she questioned June Carter on why she fell for (and stayed with) the Man in Black. It was really nice to see that softer side of her and it’s something a bit different from the rest of her catalogue as well, and I also liked that she’d done her research on their relationship which she mentioned in her intro – something a lot of other artists wouldn’t necessarily do.
One other thing which particularly stood out to me during the set was Moroney’s humour. It shone through on songs like the unreleased track ‘Nothing Crazy’, which featured a shuffling honky-tonk melody and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, ‘Another On The Way’ with its portrayal of tough Miss Daisy running the local dive bar or the playful, sassy ‘Sleep On My Side’, but also in her performance as well. She could frequently be spotted rolling her eyes during the more upbeat songs and cracked self-deprecating jokes throughout too, alongside telling the stories behind her songs. It was an aspect of her personality I perhaps hadn’t expected to see but it made her a very engaging performer to watch and easy to warm to as well.
Moroney closed her set with – what else? – ‘Tennessee Orange’. Before playing the song she thanked the crowd for all the support for the song (which was released a year ago tomorrow), and encouraged them to pursue their own dreams, telling them “if you’re passionate about something do it until it works”. They responded by singing along at top volume throughout – particularly on the final chorus where she asked them to sing with her – and I loved the little sideways glance she threw in on the line ‘don’t worry I’m doing OK’, because she certainly is. It was the perfect way to end the night and sent the crowd on their way on an absolute high and eagerly anticipating her return to UK shores.
Overall Megan Moroney delivered an outstanding performance that showed why she’s going to be the next big country star, with her distinctive vocals, smart lyrics and immediate connection with the crowd. As she left the stage she declared “I can’t wait to come back” and judging by the enormous cheers she received it’s clear we can’t either! However I suspect it’ll be a long time before we see her in a room that small again, so when she does come back make sure you snap up your tickets as soon as possible – because chances are they’ll sell out yet again…
See Megan Moroney on tour in the UK this September:
Friday 1 September – Thekla, Bristol
Set list: 1. Lucky 2. I’m Not Pretty 3. Wonder 4. Hair Salon 5. Another On The Way 6. Mustang Or Me 7. Nothing Crazy 8. Fix You Too 9. Why Johnny 10. Sleep On My Side 11. Sad Songs For Sad People 12. He Made Me Do It 13. Picture To Burn (Taylor Swift cover) 14. Girl In The Mirror 15. Traitor Joe 16. Tennessee Orange Performance date: 31st August 2023
