2018 has seen the Midland brand exported across the pond, with this Austin Texas-based combo featuring on the main bill of the Country-2-Country Festival and returning several months later to a headline tour, parading sold out signs around provincial venues. Oh, the power of marketing. This included a full house in the 600-capacity second room of the O2 Academy in Birmingham.
It would
take a hardened country music fan’s soul to perpetuate denial that ON THE ROCKS
did not contain redeeming credentials, which at least flavoured a record with a lacing of honky
tonk flair. Whether a studio
on a mission led the drive or a band following their dream will likely reveal
in good time, but more immediate analysis lies in Midland’s capability to
deliver a live show to match the lofty status of their early commercial success.
Any chance
that the widely used pedal steel in the album recording would make the trip
sunk at the outset, and this evening’s show cemented the view that you might as
well just tour the UK with a four-prong guitar attack joining the beating drum.
On more than one occasion rock ‘n’ roll took root and as the balance of
originals cascaded into a multitude of covers, the Stones, Springsteen, The
Band, Allman Brothers, ZZ Top and a parting shot of Chris Isaak reverberated around
a venue struggling to match the best in the sound department. From a lengthy
menu of covers, a version of Jerry Reed’s ‘East
Bound and Down’ was the best delivered.
Inevitably,
it was the songs from ON THE ROCKS that both drew the crowd and the most positive
response from the floor. Understandably, ‘Drinkin’
Problem’, in its anticipated encore slot, created the biggest wave on the
evening, both metaphorically and literally. Elsewhere from the record, ‘Make a Little’, ‘Out of Sight’ and ‘Altitude
Adjustment’ made the strongest impression. This was in contrast to the
opening trio of ‘Check Cashin’ Country’,
‘Burn Out’ and ‘Electric Rodeo’, which accumulated into a rather limp start to the
set.
Comments
from the opening shows on the tour ranged from implying ‘a quality band’ to
an ‘awful vocal experience sidelining any remnants of a tune’. Trying to tread
the middle ground can require expectation adjustment. Evidence forging either
opinion can be sourced from a perspective alongside an observation that the majority present
were content to buy into a concept of a band pitching their stock on audience
interactivity.
Regardless of where you move next with Midland, the legacy of ON THE ROCKS is intact. Whatever the future brings will no doubt fuel further debate. Regardless of the outcome, their progression will be subject to whether this band can create a niche and maintain an audience, one though possibly driven by trend. From a personal perspective, the Midland journey ended on December 4 2018, but it was one of few regrets, just confirmation that there is better out there.
