Illinois-born Margo Price first burst into many country fans’ consciousness with her critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Midwest Farmer’s Daughter’, in 2016. Since then she’s become known for her soulful country sound and outspoken, often politically charge lyrics, and has been winning over fans on both sides of the Atlantic with her live performances including appearances at Glastonbury, C2C and The Long Road. Now, after the release of her latest albums, ‘Strays’ and ‘Strays II’ last year, this month she’s been back in the UK for a short tour, finishing with a headline show at London’s legendary KOKO last night.
Arriving on stage shortly after 9 PM in a flowing blue-green dress to the strains of the Rolling Stones’ ‘Play With Fire’ and accompanied by her five-piece band The Pricetags, Price kicked off her 90-minute set with ‘Been To The Mountain’, the lead single from ‘Strays’. Right from the start you knew this was going to be a SHOW, with Price spinning around the stage and dropping down into a twerk as she shook her tambourine, played the cowbell and belted out the defiant lyrics over a 90s grunge-influenced melody. Her energy was infectious and clearly the crowd appreciated her efforts, bursting into cheers and applause as she brought the song to a close.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a significant chunk of the set came from ‘Strays’, including the gospel-influenced ‘Closer I Get’, which saw Price brilliantly channel the frustration of trying to reach one’s goals yet feeling further away than ever. Meanwhile ‘Change Of Heart’, a slinky blues number with a salty kiss-off lyric that perfectly contrasted Price’s breathy, delicate vocals, saw her take to the drums for an impressively high-energy performance, whilst ‘County Road’ completely switched up the vibe with its soft, piano-led melody and bittersweet lyrics. Price wrung absolutely every drop of emotion out of the song, which felt like it could have come from a lost Joni Mitchell mixtape. That balance of gentleness and power was a theme that ran throughout her performance and showed why she’s been recognised as an artist with multiple strengths yet who firmly knows what type of music she wants to make – stuff that wouldn’t have sounded out of place 30 or even 50 years ago, whilst still feeling fresh and unique.
However, there was plenty for fans of Price’s previous work to enjoy too. ‘Four Years Of Chances’ was an early highlight, with its pulsing beat and perfectly timed red light flashes that put an almost funk-style spin on the traditional country sound of the original, whilst ‘Tennessee Song’ showed off the belt in Price’s voice with its two bookending huge notes. Elsewhere, the driving ‘Letting Me Down’ channelled classic rock and roll sounds over Price’s soaring vocals, ‘All American Made’ – from Price’s 2017 album of the same name – was as searing and relevant as ever, and the acoustic ‘Loner’ was a fantastic blend of sweetness and yearning. I also loved her heartfelt, touching take on Tom Petty’s ‘Have Love Will Travel’, with a spin that made it feel all her own.
After an incredible powerhouse performance of ‘Burn Whatever’s Left’, during which she disappeared midway through to get changed into a sparkly fringed number before getting back behind the drum kit, Prince closed the main part of her set with the punchy, swinging ‘Don’t Say It’ and a medley of her own ‘Hurtin’ (On The Bottle)’ with the classics ‘I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink’ and ‘Whiskey River’. It absolutely took us to honky-tonk church and got the whole crowd clapping along before Price delivered a stunning acapella finish. As she handed out flowers to the crowd afterwards, I was left wondering what on earth she’d do for an encore – until AMA UK CEO Charlie Pierce stepped on stage to present her with the International Song of the Year Award for ‘Radio’. Price thanked the audience before giving a shimmering, sultry performance of the track, complete with anthemic chorus, then leapt down into the crowd for a solo version of Janis Joplin’s ‘Mercedes Benz’. As someone who seems to channel the spirit of those artists from days gone by, it felt like the perfect choice for her to end the night on, and judging from the crowd reaction as she left the stage blowing kisses you felt like you’d watched a very special show indeed.
Overall Margo Price showed why she’s become one of the biggest Americana stars of the last decade. She gave a completely mesmerising performance that blended fire and tenderness, as well as some fantastic lyrics and an entertainment level that was so engaging and held the crowd in the palm of her hand throughout. My only criticism was that the set tended to blend together a little musically, particularly in the middle, but she absolutely delivered on her stage presence to make up for it and seemed much more suited to the intimacy of KOKO than when I’ve seen her at festivals previously. Make sure you see her next time she’s back here – I promise you won’t regret it!
Set list: 1. Been To The Mountain 2. Letting Me Down 3. Four Years Of Chances 4. Closer I Get 5. Change Of Heart 6. County Road 7. All American Made 8. Loner 9. Tennessee Song 10. Have Love Will Travel (Tom Petty cover) 11. Shelter Me 12. Burn Whatever’s Left 13. Don’t Say It 14. Hurtin’ (On The Bottle) / I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink (Merle Haggard cover) / Whiskey River (Willie Nelson cover) Encore: 15. Radio 16. Mercedes Benz (Janis Joplin cover) Performance date: 30th January 2024
