Brian Kelley may be best known to UK country fans as one half of Florida Georgia Line, the phenomenally successful duo who’ve racked up four number one albums, 18 Billboard top 5 hits and and a slew of award wins and nominations to boot. However, now he’s carving his own musical path as a solo artist, releasing his debut album, ‘Sunshine State Of Mind’, back in 2021. He signed with Big Machine Records in 2022 and is now working on a brand new project that includes current songs like ‘Trucks, Ducks, Bucks and Beer’ and ‘Feels Right (I Love It)’.
Kelley appeared at the NFL themed ‘Jags Festival’ at Wembley Arena last year and was a popular inclusion on the bill at this year’s C2C festival across London, Belfast and Glasgow. The Beach Cowboy took the stage with all the confidence and swagger of what being the Florida half of Florida Georgia Line has taught him and proceeded to play a slick, engaging and fun set of songs pitched somewhere between the coast and the woods. The elephant in the room is whether or not we would hear ‘Baby, you a song……..’ or any other of the FGL songs but we didn’t, although you have to admire Kelley for steering away from that part of his career and standing by the quality of his new solo releases.
Opening with ‘How We’re Livin’ it was clear from the off that this was going to be an engaging set from an assured performer. 2024 BK is giving us younger Alan Jackson vibes with the denim, the hat and the hair and his music isn’t a million miles away from AJ’s either. There was an umph and a power behind the opening part of the set that worked fantastically in an arena setting. Big drums, rich, meaty guitars and Kelley’s surprisingly strong vocals soon erased any lingering doubts you might have had as to his role in FGL – this guy is a more-than-capable solo artist with a bright future ahead of him.
With a new album on the way later in the year, Kelley took the opportunity to road-test some unheard songs as he begins the transition from Buffett to Brantley. ‘Acres’ is a powerful song with a close, personal connection to Kelley and his wife whilst ‘King Rancher’ was a raucous rock song with a heavy bottom end that sounded so good booming from the O2 arena speakers. ‘I’ll be the conduit,’ Kelley told the crowd after asking them if we had F150 trucks over here!
Channeling that small town, rural spirit Kelley played songs like ‘Dirt Cheap’ and ‘Trucks, Bucks, Ducks and Beer.’ The former really highlighted the strength and the quality of Kelley’s vocals whilst the latter is a mid-tempo southern song about the outdoors life that was superbly augmented by the video screens and visual images. Both songs were played with Kelley front-and-centre behind an acoustic guitar and this changed the focus of the show a little in terms of the energy levels – to these eyes Kelley is a stronger, more vibrant performer when he’s freed from this constraint and given free license to roam the stage.
A cracking version of Jason Aldean’s ‘Burnin It Down’ (which Kelley co-wrote) got the crowd up and dancing whilst the weighty ‘Kiss My Boots’ was delivered with a fire and a passion that only leans in to the rumours on online about the inspirations behind the song. This one clearly means something important to Brian Kelley and we could feel the middle-finger vibe throughout. New song ‘Barefeet or Boots’ gave us more Aldean vibes. A funky anthem with a big chorus that, if Kelley is listening to recommendations on which songs to send to radio in this next phase of his career, would be our one.
Songs like ‘Party on the Beach, ‘Boat Names’ and ‘Beach Cowboy’ tipped a nod the hat towards Kelley’s 2021 Buffett-inpsired album and brought a sense of Florida to this cold, dreary English arena. ‘Beach Cowboy,’ in particular, is a clever mix of Alan Jackson, Jimmy Buffett and FGL and is a cool and engaging song to have as your signature.
Stepping out the shadows of Florida Georgia Line was never going to be a simple task but Brian Kelley is making that whole process look easy now. Taking what he’s learned from those years, this once Bro-Country king is evolving into something much more mature, more organic and it’s a great look on him. His vocals were top-notch, his charisma palpable and the charm and warmth flowing down from the stage made this set an engaging and enjoyable one to be a part of. He’s building something really interesting as a solo artist and you know what they say, right? If you build it – they will come.
Tracklist: 1. How We’re Livin’ 2. Acres 3. King Rancher 4. Trucks, Ducks, Bucks and Beer 5. Dirt Cheap 6. Burnin’ It Down 7. Kiss My Boots 8. Party on the Beach 9. Boat Names 10. Barefeet or Boots 11. Beach Cowboy 12. See You Next Summer Venue: O2 Arena, London Date: March 9th 2024
