While many of the crowds will have only flocked to the headliners for Country Music Week, the daytime hubs that were a fixture throughout the weekend offered some of the most special moments from the week. Here we run down our highlights from the hubs…
Saturday
Keywest
Sarah Darling
Lainey Wilson
Jake Morrell
Kicking off the hubs in style was Jake Morrell – accompanied by full band – with his rousing, energetic performance of ‘Heading for Heartache.’ Seeing Morrell in this light with full band really lifted his set up a notch and made it easy to see how he could be headlining bigger stages in the near future. This track is a catchy number, and despite the earlier hour, still managed to get the crowd energised. Morrell’s set allowed him to show off his humour in his anecdotal references to the stories behind his songs, and his versatility in taking the pace down a notch. The highlight for many will have been Morrell’s resiliently popular ‘Wire and Thorns,’ however ‘Kindness’ and ‘Long Way Round’ (co-wrote with Emily Faye) deserve special mention.
Next to grace The Borderline stage was Lainey Wilson. Her performance was just as memorable as that at Bush Hall on the Tuesday – quipping with the crowd and getting them firmly on her side from the start. Despite being up on the stage alone with her guitar, her sassiness was enough to comprise the characters of several bands over, getting the crowd singing and laughing along in equal measure.
Hear the interview with Lainey Wilson on the podcast here.
Taking the tempo down a few notches was Sarah Darling’s set. Darling is a fixture on the UK country scene – with fans captivated by her hauntingly powerful vocals. She sang many of the songs that will be released as part of her ‘Wonderland’ project – due to be released next year – alongside the more familiar tracks from ‘Dream Country,’ including ‘Hailey’s Comet,’ and ‘Where Cowboys Ride.’ An incredibly expressive performer, Darling has that rare ability to make audiences feel every note of every song she sings.
Rounding out the first of the daytime hubs was the Irish band Keywest, who had performed over in London earlier this year both for C2C and Nashville Meets London. They have that kind of swaggering, easy-going stage presence that makes them instantly likeable – joking easily around with the crowd before launching into their performance. This was a much rockier performance than many of the country fans will be used to, with a heavy percussion section that could have been taken down several notches – despite its calibre. The crowd loved them right up till the end when the band divided the audience into two to harmonise. The set, like the band was great fun – they are certainly ones to watch in the coming years.
Sunday
Cassadee Pope
Kerri Watt
Fairground Saints
Foreign Affairs
The Sunday Daytime Hub had as well-balanced and crafted a line-up as the Saturday, drawing perhaps a bigger crowd owing to the fan favourite Cassadee Pope’s headline slot that caused many to brave the rain.
First up were Foreign Affairs, who led out with a beautiful Sunday morning set, followed by Fairground Saints – fresh off their performance at the same venue on Friday night, with a similarly mesmerising performance.
Kerri Watt brought an injection of Scotland to the London rain. Watt has those kind of enchanting vocals that stick with you and feel every note to your core – a powerful voice and songwriting that will definitely prove a lethal combination in the years to come.
Rounding out the daytime hubs was Cassadee Pope, who was thrust into the limelight after her stint on The Voice US. Like Lainey Wilson, Pope has that enviably easy stage presence, appearing so relaxed on the stage and in her own skin. It is no surprise that Pope has earned such a fan base, playing songs from her old album ‘Frame by Frame,’ alongside her new singles ‘One More Red Light,’ and ‘Take Me Home’ and a cover of ‘This One’s For the Girls.’ Perhaps the most beautiful moment of her setlist was ‘Eleven,’ requested by a fan in the audience. All in all the set allowed Pope to show off those vocals that allowed her to win the voice – and they were as magical live as they are in recording.