Margo Price + Andrew Combs concert

[Moshe]

Margo Price's UK tour reached London last night with an outstanding performance at The Scala in King's Cross.
Opening act was Andrew Combs who did a short acoustic solo set, accompanying himself on guitar. He couldn't be more different from the big strutting male country stars we usually see combing out of Nashville these days. His low key performance was pleasing & he left me intent on checking out more of his songs.
Margo Price took the stage shortly after 9 with a muscular, rocking band and delivered an outstanding high energy performance. Her delivery owes a lot to country pioneers like Loretta Lynn, while her songs are thoroughly contemporary- and totally country.
Mixing songs from her outstanding debut album "Midwest Farmer's Daughter", with covers such as George Jones' "Heartaches and Hangovers" and Loretta Lynn's "Rated X". She rounded off her enthusiastically received set with a spirited rendition of Gram Parson's "Ooh, Las Vegas". Earlier, she introduced her brilliant song "This Town Gets Around" as her giving the Nashville establishment the finger, which she reflected, they gave right back to her when the CMA Nominees were announced Wednesday & Margo's name did not appear once. Of the ballads, the outstanding "Hands of Time" stood out. While her bunch of drinking songs, including the outstanding "Hurtin' (on the bottle" gives the lie to Dierks Bentley's current anodyne song "Different for girls" where he claims that females can't go out and drink whiskey to drown the hurt of a breakup like guys can. Yes they can, & they do. Margo was "drinking whiskey like it's water" in the "Hurtin' " song, just as I have shared drinks with other women post-breakup. Yep, girls get drunk & have one night stands just like us boys to get over heartache!

Anyway, a superb evening and a spirited performance from Margo and her band.

[livewirer]

Margo Price's UK tour reached London last night with an outstanding performance at The Scala in King's Cross.
Opening act was Andrew Combs who did a short acoustic solo set, accompanying himself on guitar. He couldn't be more different from the big strutting male country stars we usually see combing out of Nashville these days. His low key performance was pleasing & he left me intent on checking out more of his songs.

Nice write up, good you enjoyed the night.
I have liked and downloaded 1/2 of Margo Price's album some time back. Not many tracks suitable for radio because of the swearing.
Brandy Clark, Ashley Monroe and Margo all failing to make the final CMA nominations. Wonder if any of them appeared on the early ballot rounds.
Maren Morris has some great tracks on her EP then album HERO but its NEVER a country album. What with Keith Urban's RIPCORD and Eric Church on the Album of the Year CMA nominees this category is a complete JOKE!

Andrew Combs I picked up on in 2014 and have bought tracks from his 3 albums.
An inspired choice by the C2C to put him on the bill. Probably had a lot with Bob Harris. Combs appearing at Harris' revamped Under The Apple Tree Festival in London.
On Radio 2 Country live stream Andrew Combs came out the best and someone in the arena said the sound for him was perfect, highly listenable and NOT crazy loud like it was for other acts across the weekend.

I remember you had the chance to see Andrew Combs at C2C but choose not to enjoying the glasses of red wine outside the arena before going in:
Facebook convo
Countryroutesblog The re-admission ended at 7pm. If I'd paid a lot of money for arena acts I think I'd be obliged to check them out.
Clive Marcus That is absurd. "obliged to check them out"? Shelling out £70 gives me the right to go in & out of the Arena as I choose & watch whichever acts I want to.
Countryroutesblog Friend came out early in Sam Hunt's set. Was told could go out but had to return by 7pm at the latest otherwise not let back in! As you've pointed out after 7 means you have to pay huge hike up for food & drink. Yes it's horses for courses. You could see 4 acts for £70 or 2./1/2 acts for the same price. It depends on how you value money and the cost of the weekend.
Clive Marcus What are you on about??
Countryroutesblog You could see all the main stage acts for £70 or pick and mix for £70. You pays your money and makes your choice.
Clive Marcus Nonsense!

[Moshe]

Thanks Livewirer

I really enjoyed the show and she got a great reception.

Marren Morris picked up a lot of nominations. Maybe she hasn't ruffled as many feathers as Margo!
I will check out Andrew Combs on Spotify.

[livewirer]

Marren Morris picked up a lot of nominations. Maybe she hasn't ruffled as many feathers as Margo!
I will check out Andrew Combs on Spotify.

Maren Morris I knew of back from 2006 when she played Festivals in the UK as a 16-year old.
Little would I think that 10 years on she would have 5 CMA Nominations. Yes, some might think she was an overnight success!
I'm not sure exactly what happened over those years, would love to know her struggle as an Inde artist.
I picked up on her music last year when her music blew up on Spotify. Immediately bought the EP tracks when they released.
Radio Soooooooo slow to react over here until they took notice when the gospel according to C2C preaches to them, same happened with Brandy Clark
When Maren's Spotify tracks got millions of streams Columbia Nashville signed her up. This has made the big difference and the money backing to promote.
It's crazy that "My Church" only peaked at #9 on Country Radio before the label pulled it after pushing it as hard as they could. During that time some total dross got to #1. Kacey's "Follow Your Arrow" didn't go Top 40 on Hot Country Songs yet won CMA Song Of The Year so you never know.

For what it's worth these are my Andrew Combs fav tracks
Album: All These Dreams - Strange Bird, In the Name of You, Suwannee County (fantastic), Rainy Day Song, Long Gone Lately
Emily (Single)
You judge yourself
As a radio presenter recently said that they "took NO notice of the reviews" in the UK country press but just used their own ears to decide
Why the mags like Country Music People & Maverick fill 1/3 of their publications with them I just don't know! They may be great for publicists but do readers really want to read reviews by a load of substandard unknowns. Less than a handful of CMPs 200+ 2016 reviews I've actually thought we're any good.
The hours I've spent listening to them hoping might find something that's actually great.
The best albums I've come across in 2016 haven't even appeared in either of those publications. Your better off finding the music yourself.
Or you can believe everything C2C tell you to buy and follow the crowd like sheep!

[PeterJD]

Watched Andrew Combs at C2C and thought he was just OK. I have since listened to his album and enjoyed it a lot. Margo Price, I thought her album wasnt anything special.

[Moshe]

Watched Andrew Combs at C2C and thought he was just OK. I have since listened to his album and enjoyed it a lot. Margo Price, I thought her album wasnt anything special.

I'm surprised, Peter. To me Margo Prices' album is one of the best this year, but different strokes ect.
I am not sure how Andrew Combs would have come over at an arena. Even the Scala seemed a bit too rowdy for him, but I did like his songs and his self-effacing presentation. I think a folk club or somewhere like that would be the ideal place to hear him perform.