‘I’m more of a melon myself,’ Angaleena Presley quipped as
she noticed two ladies at the front wearing white tees emblazoned with ‘Tomato
lovers’ in reference to the recent #SaladGate incident. Yet regardless of what
fruit or vegetable the Kentuckian sees herself as, her first stop of her first
UK tour proved that she is way, way, way more than that.
Presley came to the attention of many as a member of the
Pistol Annies, alongside friends Ashley Monroe and Miranda Lambert, in early
2011 and the band released two superb albums before taking a hiatus to allow
the ladies to continue with their own solo careers. Whilst Lambert released her
fifth studio album last year and Monroe just releasing her second album (the
fantastic The Blade which I strongly
recommend you grab a copy of), it was Presley who was first to make the trip
across the pond, following the release of American
Middle Class, an album which I have had on repeat since its October
release.
After being a fan of Presley since the Pistol Annies first
debuted, I had snapped up my ticket very quickly and had been looking forward
to this concert a lot. I’d watched a lot of her live performances online prior
and knew that I was in for a great night. I left Broadcast that evening,
ashamed at myself for underestimating Ms Presley. Because ‘great’ was one hell
of an understatement.
Presley arrived on stage and grabbed her guitar a little
after nine. Noticing no backing band in tow, in struck me as to how special an
evening this was going to be, getting this chance to witness this fine
songwriter treating us to what was essentially a songwriters session,
reminiscent of an evening in the famous Bluebird Café in Nashville. This
evening was a privledge and a very, very special one too.
Strangely enough, Presley seemed somewhat nervous at first
but warmed up very quickly, thanks to a very welcoming audience and was soon cracking
jokes, telling stories about her upbringing in rural Kentucky and treating us
to her impression of the Scottish accent. ‘Can y’all adopt me?’ She joked
although I suspect there wasn’t a single soul in the small room who wouldn’t
take her up on her offer. She charmed the audience and had us all laughing as
she stumbled over her own lyrics at a few points.
Whilst her chatter between songs had the room captivated, it
was, of course, her set that made the night. She played for an hour and a half,
playing a mix of songs from her album, some new material, a couple of Pistol
Annies songs and a couple of covers. It was a fantastic set and a fantastic
range of songs from the humorous ‘If Big Bird Said The F Word’ to the brilliantly
written ‘Grocery Store’. Her voice really is special and sounds even better
live. She closed with ‘Lemon Drop’, speaking about before how the Pistol Annies
came to be and as she spoke, it was clear how thankful she was for the band
that gave her the break that she fully deserves.
She stayed behind after the show to meet everyone. It was a
pleasure to meet her as the her music has had a great impact on my life and
spending a few minutes chatting to her was a honour. Not only is she talented,
she is also a great person and lovely to meet. She seemed blown away by the
support she has received from her first few shows over here and I think (and
hope!) she’ll be a frequent visitor to these shores in the coming years.
Support Act: Support for the evening came from local band
Tallahassee Falls, a four piece who were, unfortunately, reduced to a duo for
the night. I say unfortunately as I would have loved to hear these guys in
their entirety as the taste I got from Mike and Rachel left me wanting more.
Their five song set went down very well and they played four original songs,
including a stunning track called ‘Annabel Lee’ that really showed off Rachel’s
vocals before they closed with a cover of ‘Love Hurts’. Its always great to see
local talent and these guys were fantastic.
