If you went to the C2C festival last year you will have known that there was only one name on everybody’s lips and that was Drake Milligan. The Texas country artist became the hottest name of the weekend with performances at the Indigo, All Bar One and on the Spotlight stage. It’s safe to say he won over a legion of fans on this side of the pond during his visit and it was no surprise to see him promoted to the main stage for this year’s festival and to see him go down like a storm too. With new EP ‘Jukebox Songs' under his belt and his thoughts beginning to turn to his second full length album he wrapped up his UK tour in Glasgow in some style – and we were there!
With support artist, Leeds-based musician Luke Flear having warmed up the crowd well with a mixture of his own Country / Rock songs and covers of Bon Jovi and Keith Urban songs, Drake Milligan exploded onto the stage in Glasgow with a double-whammy hit of covers from Elvis Presley and George Strait, something of a ballsy move and a statement of intent too. From the off it was clear that Milligan possessed all the moves, the confidence and the skill to entertain an eager and rowdy Scottish crowd.
‘Howdy Scotland,' Milligan exclaimed after a raucous ‘Tipping Point,' ‘Y'all feeling Country?' as a run of songs from ‘Over Drinkin' Under Thinkin' to ‘Jukebox Songs and Barstool Beers' took the crowd on a journey of hip-shaking, soul-smashing, finger-pointing, leg-kicking, honky-tonking Texan-fuelled joy. ‘I Got a Problem' was probably the pinnacle of the the early part of the set as Milligan held an impossibly long note in the intro to the song before the crowd joined him in an uplifting singalong.
Milligan's set was structured cleverly around sections of cover versions, his own songs, new songs and a Buck Owens medley about halfway through. The covers he chose to play were pitched perfectly in terms of knowing which songs, like George Strait's ‘The Fireman' or Roy Orbison's ‘Oh, Pretty Woman,' would appeal to both the older demographic of fans and the youngsters in the crowd raised on Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll and their parents' vinyl collections.
An earlyish airing of two new songs was an intriguing glimpse at what the follow up to Milligan's debut ‘Dallas, Fort Worth' is going to sound like. ‘Slow Dancin' to a Fast Song' was a retro-themed honky tonker until the time change in the chorus altered it to more of a George Strait-esque love song before it picked up the pace again in verse 2 whilst ‘How Much Beer,' which Milligan introduced as an attempt at him trying to write something new for his next album, “I know it's a stretch,' he said, “me and a beer drinking song,” followed soon after. A fiddle solo, modulation and more time changes meant that ‘How Much Beer,' alongside ‘Slow Dancin' to a Fast Song,' showed a subtle yet clever evolution in Milligan's sound. Without losing his core USP there was a little experimentation, a little expansion of what Drake Milligan is superb at doing quietly on display on for those in the crowd able to bring their fists down from the skies and stop their feet from moving: something almost impossible to do given the feeling and atmosphere in the room! Album number two is going to be just as good, if not even better than ‘Dallas, Forth Worth' was – you heard it here first!
A rare pause in intensity brought the delightful melodies of ‘Don't Look Down,' into play. This song has to be one of the strongest songs in Milligan's armoury and it was delivered with some aplomb in Glasgow. Similarly, ‘Don't Leave Me Loving You,' with its insane chorus, found the crowd in fine voice, singing along underneath Milligan's lead vocals like seventh member of the band. “I like Glasgow,” Milligan declared before the start of this song, simply and with real meaning. “I'm gonna come here more often.” Mention must be given to Milligan's aforementioned band who played with style, passion and verve all the way through this one hour forty five minute set. They joined in with the synchronised moments, the Elvis Presley-style play acting and the supposedly improvised song extensions were seamlessly delivered with smiles and faux surprise. A tight unit, Milligan's players added to the intensity and enjoyment of the evening alongside his own charm and charisma.
‘Dance of a Lifetime' was dedicated to the Glaswegian crowd, in anticipation of the relationship to come. The mobile phone lights went up, the crowd sang along and a budding love affair between Texas and Scotland was cemented in one fell swoop. ‘We've had a lot of requests for this song,' Milligan said next before playing ‘Cowgirl for Christmas,' to the absolute delight of the people around me who got to celebrate Christmas early before an elongated ‘Long Haul,' with it's band introduction and solos brought the set to a frenetic and intense climax, allowing Milligan just two more songs to take us on home and leave this sweaty and shattered crowd to make its weary way home from a gig that shouldn't have been this good!
Drake Milligan came to Scotland and stole Glaswegian hearts in a way that no foreign invader has ever done. The intensity and ferocity of his set (the Elvis cover of ‘Burnin' Love' was almost exhausting to watch, heaven knows how Milligan must have felt after delivering it?) was perfectly tempered by quieter moments of smooth, retro Texan emotion and snippets of Western Swing. It was a perfect mix, expertly delivered by an artist on the rise holding lightning in a bottle right now. It was impossible to look away from the stage for an hour and three quarters in case you missed something uplifting, funny, heartfelt or plain old fun and Milligan stood proudly in centre of the maelstrom, orchestrating proceedings like Presley re-born. He came, he saw, he shook his hips and he conquered.
Setlist: 1. Blue Suede Shoes 2. The Fireman 3. Bad Day to be a Beer 4. Tipping Point 5. Over Drinkin Under Thinkin 6. I Got a Problem 7. Hating Everything She Tries on 8. Jukebox Songs and Barstool Beers 9. Slow Dancin to a Fast Song 10. How Much Beer 11. Don't Look Down 12. Buck Owens Medley 13. Don't Leave Me Loving You 14. Goin Down Swingin 15. What I Couldn't Forget 16. Burning Love 17. Dance of a Lifetime 18. She 19. Cowgirl For Christmas 20. If Love Ever Comes My Way Again 21. Oh, Pretty Woman 22. Folsom Prison Blues 23. Long Haul 24. Kiss Goodbye All Night 25. Sounds Like Something I'd Do Venue: SWG3 Galvanisers, Glasgow Date: 22nd July
