Following the resounding success of their inaugural tour, the highly anticipated “Girls Night In: The Round” is set to captivate audiences once again during its second run. The formidable quartet of singer-songwriters (Kezia Gill, Jade Helliwell, Demi Marriner and Jess Thristan) are gearing up to mesmerise audiences across the UK with more unforgettable performances next month. To tie in with the tour the girls have announced a cover of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ lead by Jess Thristan, but it’s not the ‘Jolene’ you might well be expecting!
The February 2024 tour will kick off at the prestigious Bush Hall in London on February 12th, setting the stage for an electrifying journey to Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow, Gateshead, and concluding with a grand finale in Leeds. Tickets on sale now right here.
Building upon the immense popularity of their first tour, the second edition promises an even more amplified experience. With larger venues and an expanded repertoire, each singer-songwriter will bring their unique flair and distinct musical style to the stage. The result is a night of pure magic and connection, ensuring an unforgettable experience for fans. This is more than just a gig; it’s an intimate gathering where audiences can immerse themselves in the heartfelt melodies, stirring lyrics, and soulful performances of these incredibly talented artists.
We were thrilled to catch up with Country music’s Spice Girls recently to talk all about the tour and the upcoming cover of ‘Jolene’. Much Jamshed wine was consumed during this chat!
Lovely to talk to the four of you together! Thanks for your time and Happy New Year. Does anyone have any New Year resolutions?
Kezia: Yes, but they all start after this weekend away that we’re on right now! (laughing) All the usual things like drink a bit less, eat healthier, get some earlier nights…….they go out of the window for this one weekend in January that the four of us do!
Jade: I need to take more pictures and videos on my phone. When I did my recent tour I realised that I wasn’t taking enough footage to put out on socials…..
…And maybe not to become Bridezilla this year? (Jade is getting married in 2024)
Demi and Jade at the same time: Too late!!!! (laughing)
Is everything going well with the wedding plans Jade?
Jade: If people would reply to their emails it would be going really well!! (laughing)
Kezia: You know who you are!
Jade: We’ve got all the big stuff sorted. Most importantly, I’ve got the dress!
Demi: and the groom!
Jade: We’ve got a band and we’ve booked some very special guests to sing during the ceremony too. Pete from W21 is going to DJ after for us too so all my non-Country music friends and family are going to be well fed up by the end of it! (laughing)
Kezia: It’s going to be that kind of wedding where the congregation could just burst into song! (laughing)
It feels like I am talking to the Country music Spice Girls here. If you had to give each other a Spice Girl name, what would you choose and why?
(The zoom call erupts in laughter amid a series of accusations like ‘Pom Bear Spice’!)
Demi to Kezia: You’d be Mum Spice!
Kezia: I would be! I look after all the other girls. (Pointing at Jade) You’d be Funny Spice…..
Jess: That’s a good one because she is proper funny.
Kezia: My ribs hurt already and we haven’t even been here that long.
Jade: Jess would be Content Spice. She’s always there with her phone grabbing content for Instagram! (Turns to Demi) You would be………now let me think……..I’ll be nice to you. (laughter all round)……..She should be Baby Spice but that’s already taken.
Jess: Sparkle Spice!!!!! That or Sequin Spice, that would be great for you. (Gives Demi a huge hug.)
You’ve announced a cover of Dolly Parton’s iconic ‘Jolene’ to be released to tie in with the tour next month. Are you pleased with how it’s sounding?
Jess: The girls haven’t heard the final version yet. I’m going to play it for them after this call and it’ll be the final master. I’m so thrilled with it and grateful for us all to be on a song together. Katy Rae produced it and she’s done an amazing job…..
Demi: It’s a darker and really beautiful version of it.
Kezia: I think when you hear that it’s another cover of ‘Jolene’ people might not think too much about it but when you hear it………Wow, you will not be expecting it done this way. It will literally give you goosebumps. ‘Jolene’ isn’t a song that you would expect to give you goosebumps but this version will.
Demi: The vibe of it makes me think it should be on ‘Yellowstone’, it’s in that vein.
Why did you choose ‘Jolene’?
Jess: It was the 50th anniversary of the song last year so it was in our minds. The song lends itself really well to the different perspectives and voices that the four of us have. We wanted to do an iconic song but twist it to suit our own voices and styles. And also, Dolly! (laughing)
Demi: Who doesn’t love Dolly, right? She could be our fifth Spice Girl!
You’ve all got strong voices and are exceptional singers in different ways but was there any hesitancy or slight imposter syndrome in covering a song as iconic as ‘Jolene’?
Demi and Jess together: Yes!!!!!! (laughing)
Demi: Absolutely.
Kezia to Jess: I’d have to disagree here because I think you’ve made it so different. If we were just going to get up at a karaoke night and sing the normal version you might worry about matching Dolly’s voice and vibe but this is such a different version that you almost can’t compare the two. Jess’ voice is so haunting anyway, full of really earthy, breathy tones, and when you hear the version of the song you’ll see that Dolly wouldn’t suit that version at all. Dolly’s is that upbeat, uptempo, almost chipper version that everyone loves but this isn’t, it’s almost a completely different song.
Jess: We haven’t tried to emulate her version at all because you can’t. There was no point in setting out to do an exact cover of that song, we wanted to do our own take on it. It works so well with our voices.
Kezia: Shout out to Katy Rae who’s managed to take four very powerful voices and blend them all together in the way that she has. So much of how great the song sounds comes in post-production.
Jade: We all recorded our vocals separately at home and then sent them to Katy and she’s created this really beautiful song that feels so connected and joined up. How she’s blended us all together is amazing.
In the WhatsApp group that I’m sure the four of you have, were there any other songs up for consideration?
Demi: Not for this. We have done for the tour. We’ve batted around lots and lots of ideas for the shows.
Kezia: What was great was that it was Jess’ idea and she came to us and asked us to be part of it. It was a no-brainer, there was no reason to say no to it at all, we were like, ‘Lets Go!’ However, when it comes to the tour, the song lists and ideas are endless!!! (laughing) We love to do covers, we love to do different things up on stage, so, as you can imagine, the WhatsApp group is lit!!! (laughter all round)
The first ‘Girls Night In’ seemed to be such a success. What were the best things about touring and being up on stage with each other?
Jade: For me, we were already such big fans of each other, we go to each other’s shows and listen to each other’s music, it was getting to sit up on stage with them each night and sing, harmonise and laugh with them – it was amazing. We also got to hang out for a week together too, which was so cool.
Kezia: It was like having the best seat in the house for a show that you’ve been dying to see! There were times I forgot I was on stage because I was so mesmerised by these three girls doing their thing! Also when we had a genuine laugh it turns out that there were another 100 people having that same laugh in the room too! Touring can be quite stressful but I didn’t feel like I was working the last time we went out on the road together. Anecdotes and jokes began to build up from show to show which then formed running jokes that the audience began to get in on too, via social media or coming to multiple shows. Ambulances, bras, zimmer frames, Pom Bear crisps – you name it!!! (laughing) That’s why I say that we can’t really plan what we’re going to do and say because each show is such a unique experience and the chat is driven by what’s happened to us up to that point in the tour so if you came last year – it won’t be the same show at all.
Demi: That’s testament to us actually being best friends I think. It’s easy to do writers rounds with other people and share powerful moments in songs but when friends go out on the road together, it’s a whole different thing with the stories and jokes, it’s much more meaningful and real. You’ll get a little insight into what our real lives are like! (laughing)
I can testify to that! I was at Jade’s Birmingham show and there was no-one more into the gig there than Kezia!
Jade: Even I saw that from stage!! (laughing) Every now and again the lights would move and I’d see her dancing and I thought ‘that’s my girl!’
Kezia: (laughing) I had to keep checking myself! I felt I was singing too loud and my internal voice was, like, ‘It’s not about you, Kezia, it’s not about you!’ (laughing) I know every word to her songs and I was bursting with pride for her!
Jade: The best thing about it was that she got a load of content for me! We all understand each other and what we need to do around the gigs so Kezia was like ‘I got some content for you. I got some stage shots, got some merch stuff, got you in the dressing room.’ What more could you ask of a friend? She came, she sang along and she created some content for me as well. Perfect! (laughing)
When you are out on tour do you find yourself adopting certain roles in the group? Who’s the organiser? Who’s the party animal? Who’s always late?
Jade: We were quite lucky last year and it’ll be the same again next month because Luke (Jade’s future husband Luke Thomas – guitarist, songwriter, promoter and general UK Country impresario) came out on tour with us. He was the general organiser – he got the merch, ran the rider and got us to where we all needed to be. He said it was both the easiest and the hardest tour of his life! (laughing) Normally being out on tour is so stressful – I often don’t eat properly, there’s no time, gotta get make up done, do some interviews – all that stuff, right? But on our last tour it was so chilled, the music was on and it was like we were getting ready for a girls night out! It was all very laid back and enjoyable which then makes the shows the same.
Kezia: It was a really intense week. Driving up to Glasgow and back down again. I’d hit a wall with tiredness at one point and the girls were, like, ‘Just get your nut down,’ so I did! I had a little nap and Jess woke me up all gentle and loving! ‘Kez, c’mon love, it’s time to come and put your make up on.’ We all looked out for each other and you don’t get that being out on tour with a bunch of sneezing, farting lads! (laughing)
Jess: I was really not well at the start of the tour and for the first show in London I barely had a voice but the other three stepped in and supported me. I was really nervous about how I was going to manage but they just made it so easy and helped me through it.
Are you looking forward to one show in the run in particular?
Jade: Leeds! (Everyone laughs) Home towns!!
Jess: I’m looking forward to Liverpool. We didn’t play there last time and it’s always a great night out there.
Jade: Every time I go to Liverpool I always find myself in some dive of a bar doing Karaoke! That’s definitely how I’m going to end the night.
Demi: That’s how you end the night every night!
Kezia: She’s got a real nose for it. I’m like it with charity shops and she’s like it with karaoke bars!
Jess Thristan with Jade, Kezia and Demi will be releasing their darker version of ‘Jolene’ on February 2nd and the ‘Girls Night In: The Round’ tour starts next month in London on February 12th. Tickets here.
