Since it was established in Nashville in 2014, the all-female writers’ round Song Suffragettes has become a staple of the city’s live music scene and been a training ground for many of the biggest women in the genre today. It first crossed the pond to the UK last year, showcasing the best UK and international female country music talent on tour across the country. Now, having had monthly residencies in New York and London, the show returned to Bush Hall for this year’s Country Music Week, featuring British stars Simeon Hammond Dallas and Catherine McGrath alongside Brooke Eden and Harper Grace representing the USA.
After an introduction from Song Suffragettes founder Todd Cassetty, the four perfomers arrived on stage before kicking off the acoustic show, taking turns to perform three songs each. Right from the off it was clear they all had really great chemistry, bouncing off each other and cracking jokes throughout as well as talking about everything from accents when singing to the best place for a breakup, which ranged from the likes of Smoothie King and McDonald’s to a fancy restaurant! It was so nice to see them all chatting and bantering with each other and made you warm to all of them very quickly.
Kicking things off was Catherine McGrath, who used the evening to showcase some of the new music she’s been working on. She opened with ‘Hey Stranger’, a tongue-in-cheek kiss-off to an ex popping up out of nowhere which contrasted punchy chords with her sweet vocals, before following it with the introspective ‘What Do You Wear To A Breakup’. It’s such an interesting take on the breakup song and you could really feel all the emotion in her delivery as she wrestles with the conflict of having to be the bad guy over the soft, gentle melody. For her final song, she sang ‘Thought It Was Gonna Be Me’ from her debut album ‘Talk Of This Town’, which had a bittersweet feel that belied the poppy melody, along with a twist in the chorus that didn’t so much tug at your heartstrings as yank them out of your chest. It was a strong return from her and I’m intrigued to see more from her soon.
Brooke Eden – wearing a pink satin short suit and white cowboy hat combo that would have made Barbie envious – was next up, beginning with ‘Whispering’ from her recent EP ‘Outlaw Love’. The song was written in the early days of her relationship with her now-wife Hilary and I loved the sass and confidence she brought to her performance, with its sharp acoustic twang and defiant lyrics. She also took the opportunity to show off her vocal chops, balancing smooth delivery on the bridge with a massive note towards the end that drew whoops and cheers from the crowd. Next she played a new song ‘I’d Rather Be Lonely’, written about her friend’s breakup, which featured a massive chorus and was full of fierce, raw emotion. Her final song was a piano version of ‘All My Life’, the song she wrote for her and Hilary’s first dance, which she mashed up with Maroon 5’s ‘She Will Be Loved’ and introduced with a very touching speech about her experience of coming out (as well as a promise that she wouldn’t wait seven years before she came back to London). It had a beautiful heartfelt quality about it and I definitely found myself welling up towards the end!
That might seem a hard act to follow, but Simeon Hammond Dallas proved she could definitely hold her own. Performing songs from her 2022 EP ‘Make It Romantic’, she started off with the tongue-in-cheek ‘A Hundred Lovers’, which had a folkier vibe than the EP version and a huge chorus that gave her the chance to show off the incredible belt in her voice. However, for me the standout song of her picks – and indeed of the whole show – was ‘Betting On You’, which she introduced by speaking very candidly about her experience of firing her band members after a conversation around the Black Lives Matter movement. It had a gentle, lilting melody that contrasted the bite in the lyrics, as well as a huge sense of strength and passionate self-belief in the chorus, and got by far and away the biggest cheer of the night. She rounded things off with ‘Make It Romantic’, a dreamy ballad that showed off the sweet, rich tones of her voice as well as some great gravelly touches and her guitar playing skills with an impressive bluesy riff.
Closing the round was Harper Grace, who instantly won the audience over with her charm and self-deprecating humour. Her first song was ‘Getaway’ – written just five days before last night’s show! – which highlighted her husky tones with its rapid-fire delivery and huge anthemic chorus that practically demands to be sung along to. Next up was the moving empowerment anthem ‘Oh Say Can You See’ which she wrote in response to going viral for all the wrong reasons after singing the national anthem at a soccer game aged 11 (and spoke very candidly about beforehand). It was a hugely powerful moment and felt really uplifting, especially on the soaring chorus. She closed the night with her recent single ‘Sparkle’, a bright, uptempo number with effortlessly gliding vocals and a positive lyrical message about being yourself, which finished the main portion of the show on a really joyful note.
It’s something of a Song Suffragettes tradition to end with a group cover paying homage to the women of country, and this one was a classic: Miranda Lambert’s ‘Mama’s Broken Heart’. I thought all four performers sounded absolutely fantastic together, with some brilliant harmonies throughout, and really captured the spirit and energy of the song perfectly. The crowd roared their approval as they finished the set and they were more than happy to reciprocate afterwards, mingling with fans in the Bush Hall lobby and posing for photographs.
Overall Song Suffragettes delivered another successful night showing the depth of emerging female country talent on both sides of the pond. All four performers showcased the range of their own musical styles, as well as the sheer range of sounds and influences women in country are drawing on today, and the connection between them all on stage elevated that to make for a really engaging and entertaining evening. It’s clearly becoming established as a fixture in the UK country music calendar and I hope we don’t have to wait another year for them to come back over here (maybe a special guest slot at C2C in March? But we’ll just have to wait and see…).
Set list: 1. Hey Stranger (performed by Catherine McGrath) 2. Whispering (performed by Brooke Eden) 3. A Hundred Lovers (performed by Simeon Hammond Dallas) 4. Getaway (performed by Harper Grace) 5. What Do You Wear To A Breakup (performed by Catherine McGrath) 6. I’d Rather Be Lonely (performed by Brooke Eden) 7. Betting On You (performed by Simeon Hammond Dallas 8. Oh Say Can You See (performed by Harper Grace) 9. Thought It Was Gonna Be Me (performed by Catherine McGrath) 10. All My Life/She Will Be Loved (Maroon 5 cover) (performed by Brooke Eden) 11. Make It Romantic (performed by Simeon Hammond Dallas) 12. Sparkle (performed by Harper Grace) 13. Mama’s Broken Heart (Miranda Lambert cover) (performed by Catherine McGrath, Brooke Eden, Simeon Hammond Dallas and Harper Grace) Performance date: 21st October 2023
