If there’s one thing we can say about the state of British country music, it’s definitely that the female artists are the dominant force. Racking up critical acclaim, sold-out headline tours and sackfuls of awards between them, Kezia Gill, Jess Thristan, Demi Marriner and Jade Helliwell have all become leading lights in the genre here. Last year the quartet embarked on their first ever Girls Night In The Round headline tour, and now they’re back on the road for a second go at it, kicking off last night at a packed Bush Hall in London.
After walking on to (what else?) ‘Man! I Feel Like A Woman’, the four artists – dressed in a riot of sequins and stars – kicked off their first acoustic set with an original introductory song that included a call-out for “who’ll be the loudest crowd?” before going into a snippet of Kelsea Ballerini’s ‘Hole In The Bottle’. Right from the start the harmonies were absolutely beautiful and their voices all worked so perfectly together. It was a great way to start the show and definitely set the template for what was to come, as they could all be frequently spotted singing along to each others’ songs throughout the evening.
One thing which particularly stood out to me during the set as a whole was the artists’ banter with each other. Frequently going off on tangents in between songs, the four of them bounced off each other all night, with stories and chatter covering everything from the state of their fingernails and picking up Northern accents to the ‘sacrificial bra’ left outside the dressing room on their last tour together and an absolutely hilarious tale from Demi about her experience attending the Arkansas squirrel cookoff. They all also spoke very profoundly about the strength of their friendship and it was a real testament to how close they are all – you genuinely feel like you’d spent the evening laughing with your best girlfriends over Jamshed wine and Tequila Rose shots.
For me some of the highlights of the evening were when the girls sang together, particularly their dark, atmospheric take on Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ which featured a stunning acapella opening from Jess and earned them a standing ovation. I also loved Kezia and Jade’s collaboration on ‘How Long Have You Known’, a raw, yearning ballad that gave Jade in particular the chance to show off the belt in her voice with a huge final note that drew a “wow!” from an audience member nearby. Elsewhere, the ‘cry in your wine’ round was a very strong section which saw the group play some of their most touching songs, including Kezia’s heartfelt tribute to her dad ‘Local Man’s Star’, Jess’ moving performance of ‘Things We Remember’ (which made me shed a couple of tears myself) written for a schoolfriend’s late mum, ‘Telephone’ which Jade wrote for her grandparents and Demi’s sweet yet optimistic take on the assignment, ‘Lonely’.
However, there was still plenty to enjoy from each artist individually as well. Kezia kicked things off with her newly crowned BCMA Song of the Year winner, ‘Whiskey Over Ice’, a sultry, rocky number that showed off the richness and slight edge to her vocal and featured a big belting note. She followed that with ‘Mr Cash’, her homage to the legendary Man In Black, with its smart lyrical references and catchy driving rhythm, and the warm, affectionate ode to female friendship ‘Ride Or Die’ which she performed with Jade. That said, it wasn’t all slow numbers either – she also found time for the rollicking honky-tonk of ‘Country Song’ and her self-described “party banger with a killer solo” Money In The Bank, an unreleased song with a sharp, punchy energy and plenty of swagger that got the crowd clapping along.
Jess, on the other hand, took the heartstring-tugging approach to begin with. Opening her round with ‘The Old Me’ (one of my favourite ever songs), a bittersweet, introspective number about wanting to get back to her old self, she continued the theme with the emotional ‘Worse Than Me’ which saw her looking at the mean things we say to ourselves but wouldn’t dream of saying to others. That said, she also found space to show off other sides of herself on the sultry ‘Nothing But The Radio On’, the female empowerment anthem ‘Woman Up’ and ‘Future Tripping’, a playful, poppy tune which showed off the sweet and smooth tones in her vocals.
For Demi, the focus was initially on songs from her recent debut album, ‘Things We Didn’t Say’. Opening number ‘Sins’ had an expansive, dramatic feeling about it and some great storytelling that balanced the slight huskiness of her voice, whilst the swinging ‘Distorted Desires’ told a defiant tale of a same-sex romance battling against the odds. Meanwhile, ‘Miss You When You’re Here’ was full of heartache, with her softer delivery highlighting the song’s quiet power, the feisty ‘Good Guy Act’ saw her take down a deceitful ex, and ‘Think Of Me’ paired an uptempo melody with a clever lyrical twist on the breakup song.
Not to be outdone, Jade showed off her soulfulness and vocal depth in her choice of songs, whether that was the soaring, confident ‘Woman I Am’, the quick delivery of ‘Undercover’ or ‘Heroes And Heroines’, an anthemic, uplifting track full of gratitude to the everyday heroes in our lives. She rounded off her songs – and the main portion of the set – with new song ‘Bad Habits’, a rock-influenced kiss-off number warning potential partners not to tell her what to do, with a biting chorus and her trademark sass in spades.
To close the show, all four artists came together one final time for their take on ‘If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)’. After their declarations of how important they’d all been in supporting each other through difficult times, it felt like the perfect choice for them and emphasised how well their voices worked with each other. The audience clapped and danced along throughout and burst into enormous cheers as they finished the song, wrapping their arms around each other as they did so. Their joy was absolutely infectious and it was just utterly lovely to see how much they’re enjoying their time on tour together.
Overall Kezia, Jess, Demi and Jade delivered an absolute belter of a show that took you on an emotional rollercoaster whilst also highlighting their skills as performers and songwriters and the connection they all have with each other. Although they’re all fantastic artists in their own right, with the four of them in a room together something magic happens and you come away feeling like the state of British country music is in very good hands indeed. If I had one small criticism, it would be that I’d have liked them to sing more together, but they all came together to pull off a brilliant evening of music. I can’t wait for next year’s tour already!
Set list: Part 1 – 1. Intro Song / Hole In The Bottle (Kelsea Ballerini cover) (performed by Kezia Gill, Jess Thristan, Demi Marriner and Jade Helliwell) 2. Whiskey Over Ice (performed by Kezia Gill) 3. The Old Me (performed by Jess Thristan) 4. Sins (performed by Demi Marriner) 5. Woman I Am (performed by Jade Helliwell) 6. Mr Cash (performed by Kezia Gill) 7. Worse Than Me (performed by Jess Thristan) 8. Distorted Desires (performed by Demi Marriner) 9. Undercover (performed by Jade Helliwell) 10. Ride Or Die (performed by Kezia Gill) 11. Nothing But The Radio On (performed by Jess Thristan) 12. Miss You When You’re Here (performed by Demi Marriner) 13. How Long Have You Known (performed by Jade Helliwell and Kezia Gill) 14. Jolene (Dolly Parton cover) (performed by Kezia Gill, Jess Thristan, Demi Marriner and Jade Helliwell Part 2 – 1. Local Man’s Star (performed by Kezia Gill) 2. Things We Remember (performed by Jess Thristan) 3. Lonely (performed by Demi Marriner) 4. Telephone (performed by Jade Helliwell) 5. Country Song (performed by Kezia Gill) 6. Woman Up (performed by Jess Thristan) 7. Good Guy Act (performed by Demi Marriner) 8. Heroes And Heroines (performed by Jade Helliwell) 9. Money In The Bank (performed by Kezia Gill) 10. Future Tripping (performed by Jess Thristan) 11. Think Of Me (performed by Demi Marriner) 12. Bad Habits (performed by Jade Helliwell) 13. If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too) (Kelsea Ballerini/Carly Pearce/Kelly Clarkson cover) (performed by Kezia Gill, Jess Thristan, Demi Marriner and Jade Helliwell) Performance date: 12th February 2024
See the Girls Night In The Round tour live across the UK this February:
Tuesday 13th February – Birmingham, Symphony Hall (Jennifer Blackwell space)
Wednesday 14th February – Liverpool, Philharmonic Music Room
Thursday 15th February – Glasgow, St Lukes
Friday 16th February – Gateshead, Glass House Sage2
Saturday 17th February – Leeds, The Venue (Conservatoire)
