On the sixth gig of their 22-date UK tour, newlyweds SaraBeth and Glen Mitchell returned to a venue I’d seen them play on their 2019 visit. Now a duo rather than a trio, they provided over 90 minutes of nonstop entertainment which showcased their command of both their eclectic material and a crowd.
For this London show, Alan Finlan came up from Lee-on-the-Solent near Portsmouth to play a generous helping of country. Covers of Hurricane by Luke Combs and Come Over by Kenny Chesney, written by and sung more like Sam Hunt, came among originals which varied from the high-octane Passenger Seat, Cowboy Truth and No Money By Monday to the wistful Whiskey Eyes and This Drink Is Like Having You Home. He plays Country on the Coast in front of a home crowd this weekend, and is becoming a pivotal part of the UK scene. The between-song banter is top notch too.
As for Royal South, they head to Manchester and Liverpool for gigs seven and eight of the tour, and will be trying to shift more of the dozens of t-shirts piled at the back of the venue. At the end of the month they will be in Essex, where Glen came of age before he went to Nashville and enjoyed what he calls a very lucky life. His words of wisdom included anecdotes about record company treatment, radio tours and his preference for Key West over Nashville.
Last year the duo’s London show fell on Easter Sunday when I couldn’t get into town. On a Thursday night, Water Rats deserved to be far more full than it was, especially because there was so much talent and love in the pair’s performance. Much of their original material is excellent, even though some has not been recorded yet. As per SaraBeth’s request, the sooner we can hear Holy Guacamole the better!
Feet reminded me of the proverb ‘Don’t let the sun go down on your anger’, and I loved the melancholic tunefulness of You Weren’t Made For Me. Shh (Don’t Say A Thing) was written by RaeLynn and was performed with panache by SaraBeth, who gave good shaker throughout the evening. Glen, an accomplished picker who has played with some big Nashville names, limited himself to one scintillating solo on his acoustic guitar but seemed more keen to showcase his wife’s talent; maybe that was in the wedding contract.
Alongside a tender reading of One Man Band by Old Dominion, four other covers gave people some evergreens to sing along with: I’m Alright, Friends in Low Places (ft. Alan Finlan), Jackson and a final song I won’t spoil but if you have ever been at a country gig the chances are you will have heard it. It rounded off a memorable evening which, like the best gigs, felt like a salon or house concert.
Indeed, SaraBeth was taking names on the door, welcoming folk to the show. Performing, manning the merch table, checking the tickets: this is what country music should be, without barriers and welcoming everyone into the fold.
For a full list of tour dates, head here
A Country Way of Life 