Six years ago, Ashley McBryde graced the stage at the O2 Institute for a Birmingham debut opening for Luke Combs. She may even have expressed a desire to return one day to headline with her own band. If so, fulfilment on one front is now achieved having wooed a near sold out venue with an assured display exuding all the craft and confidence making her one of the most important artists strutting out from the clutches of the major label Nashville country scene. Three albums have followed on from her 2018 breakthrough release, each one projecting the stature of this Arkansas native. An overriding feature of her music has been the triumph of substance over style and a knack of writing melody driven songs constantly refreshing a trusted template.
On record, McBryde cuts a mean operator; on stage, she channels the part of acute entertainer. A fired up backing band added all the rudimentary requirements to lavishly perform a bunch of songs wholly representative of what we have heard on record. It did cross the mind why so many backing bands are male dominated. The ceiling is being breached upfront, but seemingly not so in those key roles that help illuminate a live performance. The ease at which she flourished from her band's input enabled the show to effortlessly roll along. Whether joining the guitar contingent on acoustic and electric or occasionally freeing herself up for sole vocals, everything about McBryde's performance was primed to package her music on the terms of the artist, while retaining a popularity from an inclusive audience. The present set up is serving Ashley McBryde well, but you feel there is much to offer if the urge to breakout and head down an independent path proved a lure or necessity. On the instrument side, keys, guitars and drums were briefly joined by fiddle, mandolin and bouzouki. There is not really a roots side to the music of Ashley McBryde, but the live show would benefit enormously by the presence of pedal steel.
There was a cautious start to the set when the band entered the stage at 9:20. The scene of all electric guitars and drums powering through 'Blackout Betty' heeded an unwarranted warning that a rock fuelled sound may become the defining landscape of the evening. Quickly, one guitarist settled on the keyboards and what unravelled was a near-perfect accompaniment as they adapted to the intended mood of each song. Three numbers in, McBryde echoed the phrase country music in her intro and duly delivered with 'Brenda Put Your Bra On' from the enigmatically curated concept album WELCOME TO LINDEVILLE. Sadly that was the only song from the record to make the setlist this evening. 'Bonfire at Tina's' featured at earlier shows but not tonight.
An asset this evening for Ashley McBryde and her band was the impeccable acoustics of the Institute, a traditional ornate venue in Birmingham's Digbeth area long before its current corporate incarnation. A sweet sound is an audience dream and something cherished by the main act and the two supports on the evening Harper O'Neill and Corey Kent. Both introduced themselves as from Texas, and set out in a brief outing to showcase a personal-tinged approach to country music. The backstory appeared prominent and both found allied minds in an audience packed in well before proceedings began at eight o'clock.
From a twenty-plus long setlist, countless highlights surfaced. The iconic moment came towards the end in the guise of signature song 'A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega'. A lengthy background intro set the scene with an addendum fitted in before the finale when fans vociferously filled an invited chorus gap. Two upbeat numbers heralding the sound at its thumping best were the Springsteen-esque 'El Dorado' and a surprise addition from previous tracked shows of the rousing 'Martha Divine' in the sole encore slot. 'Whiskey and Country Music' and 'Women Ain't Whiskey' both wear the essence of their title in strikingly good songs, while multi-sided emotion runs deep in 'The First Thing I Reach For'. The career propelling evocative personalised ballad 'Girl Going Nowhere' had an interesting airing when its required silence was breached by an altercation in the crowd. Two men were quickly berated by dozens of women. In a flash, order was restored and the song rang true in its desired environment.
The stormy weather blighted gig arrival and departure times, but nothing could dampen the stellar show given by the hugely impressive Ashley McBryde. Her music has been massively enjoyed since getting the big break, and if you delve back an album further, the mini effort JALOPIES & EXPENSIVE GUITARS is a riveting listen. By nailing the present, the future is there to be grabbed on an artist's own terms. Hopefully, it won't be another six years before a Birmingham return. This show was an outstanding success and it surely can only be replicated or even built on with slanted improvements over time.
