Gig Review: Margo Cilker - The Jericho Tavern, Oxford. Sunday 27th April 2025

www.margocilkermusic.com

Margo Cilker is an exceptional songwriter residing on a higher plane than her peers. She possesses the ability to shape a craft binding words and melodies in a relatable way. In one sense her music embodies the diversity of Americana. There is a strong undercurrent of country, yet through a different prism the eyes and outlook of a folk singer prevail. Many of the songs feel at home with the rock accompaniment of guitars, keys, bass and drums. Strip away all the layers and at the core is a simple singer-songwriter. It's a treat that the artist has an international radar and that influential folks, namely Loose Music, scour scenes such as Portland Oregon to package for UK fans. The latest venture is an overdue extensive tour and a stop off at The Jericho Tavern in Oxford. 

Many West Midlands music fans were smitten with Margo Cilker's wonderful main stage solo performance at Moseley Folk Festival in 2022. Sadly, the area wasn't able to host a tour show this time with Oxford and Nottingham vying for reasonable travelling distance. The slightly worn and road tested upstairs room at The Jericho Tavern won the toss up here with Cilker describing the packed venue as a 'loft'. The stage format has proved fluid in earlier dates but Oxford had the quartet. Her guitarist husband Forrest Van Tuyl made the trek across the pond joining up with UK-based bass player Tom Bailey. There is a definite Loose connection with Joana Serrat opening most shows and the Catalan musician added the fourth dimension on keyboard and supplementary guitar. 

For a competitive and modest outlay, music fans from Oxford and further afield had the pleasure of an absorbing opening set from Joana Serrat of which you were cordially invited to join her on an emotive journey. There was an alluring element to her poise and style threading through the vocals, guitar playing and song themes. Despite a decade long exposure in the UK, a real breakthrough has proved elusive. From a a few feet away, all the attributes are in place to rectify this. A lasting memory from this solo performance was proof you don't always need the lyrics in English to savour a Bruce Springsteen song. 

Margo Cilker took the helm after a short break and chose to share her gifts from three song sources. Debut album POHORYLLE and its follow up VALLEY OF HEART'S DELIGHT launched her recording career with a stylish impact. Key tracks 'Tehachapi', 'Barbed Wire (Belly Crawl)','That River', 'Kevin Johnson'  and 'Flood Plain' highlighted the eminence of the debut. The first of this list was a show peak, while the penultimate one opened a lengthy segment of Margo Cilker solo. The final song was also the encore and maybe a little low key. 

The night's headline set got off to a storming start with 'Lowland Trail', which also opens the latest album, now two year's old. Maybe this track could have been better placed in the final stages as its feel good singalong credentials have a trait to bond with an audience. Therein lies a room for development from a Margo Cilker show. Song placement, enhanced presentation and leaving an audience with a parting gift from its final phase will all launch her onto a higher performing plane. 

'Keep it on a Burner', 'Santa Rosa', and 'Steelhead Trout' all represented the second record with panache. Alas 'I Remember Carolina' didn't make the cut. A shame as that is primed to be a show staple and be the gift regularly implanted in dedicated and casual fans' minds. In his autobiography, Willie Nelson  implied the change of song ownership once out in the wider world. Artists that can cultivate songs for sharing leave a lasting impression.

Five non-Margo Cilker originals seemed a lot on the surface for a seventy-five minute set from someone with an extraordinary writing pedigree. However, they were smart and not invasive. 'Rose of Nowhere' is close at home as from the pen of her husband. Similarly, 'Lady Bug' was an original from her producer Sera Cahoone. During the solo part of the set, she turned her hand to a Pete Fields song 'Invisible Stars' and extolled a love for Neil Young with a version of 'Comes a Time'. Perhaps the pick of the borrowed songs was Fred Eaglesmith's 'Trucker Speed', where the band was in full flow and the moment where Cilker  embraced the audience. 

You can't go wrong with a country waltz and the excellent solo segment unveiled a super song titled 'Pauline'. The background to this song is unknown but it sounded great and seals the country part of Margo Cilker's music identity. Rounding up the Oxford setlist were 'Sound and Fury' and 'Easy to Love You'. A fitting selection to showcase an artist still finding their feet as a touring act in the UK.

The most enticing aspect of Margo Cilker is the space to spectacularly evolve. The songwriting and delivery facet is locked in. Fine adjustments to the overall live experience and bigger places await. Oxford is usually a winning destination for US artists. The upstairs 'loft' of The Jericho Tavern extended the welcome from the dreaming spires and rampant presence of academia.