Carly Pearce (with support by Wade Bowen) - O2 Academy, Glasgow Tuesday 25th February 2025

With country artists regularly selling out venues up and down the UK in the last decade and the venues getting bigger with each subsequent tour, country is fast becoming the new rock n roll! Kentucky-born singer Carly Pearce is one artist keen to capitalise on the UK’s love of the genre and has played in Glasgow previously, at Oran Mor in 2022 and as part of the Country 2 Country (C2C) lineup last year. Returning to the city on a cold February evening as part of her Hummingbird European/UK Tour, Pearce sold out the 2500 capacity O2 Academy. Despite suffering from flu-like symptoms for a few days, the determined singer refused to even consider cancelling the remaining concerts on the tour, doping up on medication and taking lots of rest in her hotel to ensure she was up to the task.

Texas-based singer and guitarist Wade Bowen has been supporting Pearce throughout the European and UK run of shows, arriving onstage resplendent in a white Stetson and accompanied by another guitarist and a bassist. It was a wonderfully simple support slot, with no loud electric guitars or even a drumbeat, giving the audience an opportunity to enjoy his music in its starkest, most honest state. With a set made up of songs from throughout his career, including latest album Flyin, Bowen seemed to enjoy the enthusiasm of the Glasgow audience, even if he was somewhat bemused by some hard to understand, guttural Scots voices shouting encouragement to him! From opener ‘Rainin’ on Me’ and ‘Mary Jane’ (a song about his wife… who I’m sure he said was actually called Shelby?) to ‘Saturday Night’ and set closer ‘Fell in Love on Whiskey’, Bowen ably displayed his country music chops. Of course, there was a classic country moment in ‘Til It Does’, with the entertainingly memorable lyric “it don’t happen… ‘til it does’). True that!! It was an enjoyable performance of pure Texan-inspired country music by a consummate professional who undoubtedly won some new fans in Glasgow.

With the sold-out crowd packed into the venue, there wasn’t much room to move. Wide-brimmed cowboy hats whacked my face as their wearers walked past and I’m pretty sure a woman with a particularly vicious heel on her cowgirl boot almost pierced my very non-country-like Vans! Include the over exuberant guy behind who constantly shouted “Yee-Haw” at the top of his voice near to my ear for no apparent reason (it was funny the first time and maybe even the second… but tiresome for the whole performance after that!) and the stage was set for a great country music show. As Pearce’s band took to the stage and started the show, quickly followed by the star of the show’s arrival, the crowd bopped and rocked to catchy opener ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ from the Hummingbird album, followed by the wonderful ‘Next Girl’ and ‘Country Made Me Do It’. There was no hint of vocal issues in Pearce’s voice, with the medication doing the trick to ward off the flu-symptoms that had plagued her for a few days. Her band, consisting of guitar, bass, drums and a talented fiddler (is that what you call it?) who also played keyboards, was on fire and it was possibly the best sound that I’ve heard at the O2 Academy for a long time.

Next was a triple-whammy of songs from latest album Hummingbird, with ‘Truck on Fire’, ‘My Place’ and a quite stunning rendition of tearful ballad ‘We Don’t Fight Anymore’. On the recorded version, Pearce is joined by country superstar Chris Stapleton and I was unsure how the song would sound solo. But kudos to Pearce’s guitarist, who ably filled in for Stapleton, which is no mean feat! ‘Every Little Thing’ from the 2017 album of the same name and the classic country sound of ‘Still Blue’ led to Wade Bowen returning to the stage to duet on a foot-stomping, barn-storming cover of ‘Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man’, the kind of country song that makes me happy as it evokes images of golden fields, haybales and blue skies. Basically, the complete opposite of the weather and sights outside in Glasgow!

Pearce, who wasn’t even distracted by a slipping right knee-high boot and who seemed to be loving the vibe of the Glasgow crowd, lovingly connected with a child in the upstairs balcony; a beautiful moment to be cherished whilst “Yee-Haw” guy continued to fight for attention in the near silence. I sincerely hope his throat was as sore as my ears the next morning… but I digress! Pearce was in a more introspective mood for the next two songs, the plaintive ‘29’ in which she spoke of the embarrassment she felt at marrying and divorcing at… well… the age of 29, whilst her voice truly soared in ‘Things I Didn’t Chase’. It was a truly beautiful performance and you could’ve heard a pin drop as her faultless voice soared through the venue. One woman near to me was quite understandably moved to tears, even if what I assume was her part looked a tad confused next to her, considering the lyrical content! It was a special connection between Pearce and the audience.

Pearce thanked her band for quickly learning the songs in a new, lower key to allow for her flu-symptoms, showing that the talent behind the main event is just as vital in any genre of music. ‘No Rain’, a brand new song that was originally written for a new album but is instead going to be the perfect bookend of the Hummingbird album in a soon-to-released deluxe version, impressed whilst the bar room feel of ‘Hide the Wine’ (played as Mrs Griffiths supped a white wine next to me!). Pearce ended the main set with ‘I Hope You’re Happy Now’, a brilliant mid-tempo ballad-like romp that first introduced me to her music, with her guitarist once again ably filling in on vocals for Lee Brice’s voice, who plays on the original performance. An encore (of sorts) of ‘Oklahoma’ and ‘What He Didn’t Do’, with the band continuing to play as Pearce took her bow and left the stage (I love that about country concerts!) to end a perfect night of country music.

Carly Pearce is a true talent. Her faultless voice and undeniable songwriting skills have a knack of burrowing into the souls of her audience. Why? Because she sings about real life and things people can relate to. Breakups, heartbreak, shame, alcohol, trucks and good fun. It’s what country music should be like and it was a privilege to witness such a special performance. When Pearce returns to Glasgow, I wouldn’t be surprised if the venue is bigger once again, with her fanbase sure to continue growing as her music continues to be exposed on UK radio. It’s what she deserves.

“Yee-Haw” indeed!

Carly Pearce continues the Hummingbird Tour in North America from March through to May. Hummingbird Deluxe Edition is due for release on 14th March.