In just a few short years, Highways has become a fixture of the UK country music calendar. Fans flock to the Royal Albert Hall in London from all over the UK and beyond to experience a huge range of talent, whether that’s global superstars or those just breaking through, as well as outside events such as songwriters’ rounds, ‘Country For Kids’ and late night parties.
This year, the festival has expanded to three nights for the first time, with headliners including Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce and Emmylou Harris (on her European farewell tour). We were lucky enough to be there last night to watch the first three sets kicking off this weekend’s event before Jon Pardi took the stage… (writes Laura Cooney)
Songwriters’ Round – Bec O’Malley, Dave Lofts and Alyssa Bonagura
Due to the absence of Randall King for personal reasons, we were treated to our first ever Highways songwriters’ round on the Royal Albert Hall stage. Manchester’s own Bec O’Malley (who’s also supporting Jon Pardi on his UK tour this month) kicked things off with his song ‘Two People Talking’, a midtempo number about not getting one’s romantic hopes up too soon. He then showed his sweet side on the tender ‘Closer’ before finishing up with new single ‘Let Me Go’, a dark brooding number about his girlfriend’s former stalker. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on him for the future!
I particularly enjoyed Jack Lofts, whose songs such as ‘All Yours’ and ‘Closer’ drew heavily on religious imagery and showed off the depth and quality of his vocals. He also delivered the song of the set for me, the sparse, raw ‘Just A Man’, which touched on his experience of mental health issues and saw him pull off a huge sustained note that had the audience whooping and applauding.
Lastly, UK country scene regular Alyssa Bonagura delivered a compact set including her own take on ‘Circles’ (which was made famous by Jana Kramer), as well as the upbeat ‘Make My Own Sunshine’ which saw her encouraging the audience to sing along with her. I particularly loved her storytelling in ‘Hippies and Gypsies’, a narrative about finding a special guitar in a pawn shop and a reminder to enjoy the journey of life. She also did a great job of peppering the set with stories, whether that was her experience at university in Liverpool or growing up on the road.
Jack Van Cleaf
One of the newest rising stars in country music, Jack Van Cleaf arrived on stage accompanied by his two-piece band, before delivering a set of yearning, folk-influenced tunes. Whether that was ‘Alaska’, his tribute to the 49th state, or the wistful ‘Using You’, his songs had plenty of clever writing and his delivery truly came from the heart. I particularly enjoyed ‘Aine Greene’, a detailed portrait of an Irish girl living in Spain who wins and breaks hearts wherever she goes, as well as his whistling on the sweet ‘Birdie’. He closed the set with ‘Rattlesnake’ – his breakthrough song as discovered by Zac Bryan – which lifted the performance with its energy and sharp, biting lyrics. He’s certainly one to watch and I’ll be intrigued to see where his career goes from here.
Kaitlin Butts
Oklahoma native Kaitlin Butts has been winning over fans in the UK over the last several years, including appearances at The Long Road and C2C, and stopped by Highways as part of her headlining UK tour. Arriving on stage to a blend of ‘Oh What A Beautiful Morning’ and ‘Tulsa Time’, she kicked off her set with a rendition of Nancy Sinatra’s ‘Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)’ before shifting into her own song ‘White River’, a dramatic murder ballad. That set the tone for the rest of her set, a mix of playfulness – such as the sweet yet cheeky ballad ‘Come Rest Your Head On My Pillow’, ‘Wild Juanita’s Cactus Juice’ and the pointed ‘Hunt You Down’ – and power. The latter came from the likes of ‘Blood’, a bittersweet tale of dealing with challenging family members, and the dark, vengeful ‘In The Pines’. However, for me the standout song of her performance was the soon-to-be-released ‘Never Really Mine’, which felt like an answer song to the likes of ‘Jolene’ and included plenty of her trademark humour as well as raw honesty. She closed things out with her viral hit ‘You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead To Me)’, which had the audience singing along and drew her a standing ovation! Her set was a real highlight of the evening and I hope she’ll be back on the Royal Albert Hall stage soon.
Review written by Laura Cooney
If you want to see a review of headliner Jon Pardi's set at the Highways festival he has his own dedicated review you can read right here
