Gig Review: Lucinda Williams - Town Hall, Birmingham. Thursday 29th January 2026

Clad in black leather, a socially sharp mind and forever anchored where the spirit meets the bone. Lucinda Williams unites the poetry of folk, the  depth of the blues, the meaning of soul and the verve of rock. The stage presence has been re-invented in recent years and the elaborated drawl is still rinsed in east of the Red River sensibility. An icon schooled in the annals of the classic band, settling as a legend who has never abandoned the roots of righteousness. The band and its leader is a mighty entity. She tapped her heart in praise of Brady Blade’s drumming and passively admired the shredding of Marc Ford. The longstanding relationship with Doug Pettibone is sealed when he played pedal steel while she whimsically dreamt of driving an El Camino with a Texan friend around Lake Charles. David Sutton’s adaptable bass playing kept her ear on track. The ills of the world are given the therapy of Lucinda Williams 2026: refreshed, revitalised, recording and still ‘Rocking in the Free world’. 

For just a few minutes short of an incredible two hours, Birmingham Town Hall is served a compendium of definitive songs, mildly scrubbed leaving a slightly soiled sheen. These are sounds of the Delta wrapped in a literary package, some borrowed from the good and great, reinterpreted and mixed with the riches of the new. 28 years from releasing a seminal album, another stellar effort pops out to move the bar a little higher. Lucinda Williams is all about the moment, few artists posses the aura to capture the essence of American music. She has explored darkness using its concept to breathe life into positivity. Ultimately, a connection is made and muddy waters clear enough to heal any wounds. 

Opening for Lucinda Williams is both an incredible opportunity and a daunting comparative experience. Ben De La Cour has the poetic chops to put an array of dark chapters into the immersive medium of the acoustic song. The Town Hall’s elegant trappings may not be his usual domain but why waste the moment wondering. 30 minutes of what he does best should reap the rewards when he returns to the city to play the Kitchen Garden in April. 

Momentum defines this optimal performance. ‘The World’s Gone Wrong’ poses the problem  from the start to which Neil Young has the final answer. ‘Can’t Let Go’ quickly ups the tempo, ‘Honey Bee’ and ‘Joy’ take it to an encore crescendo. You can’t help but instantly join in with the infectious newbie ‘How Much Did You Get For Your Soul’ and wonder what did she lose in ‘I Lost It’. A great night in 2019 celebrating a great album comes to the fore when the band turned to ‘Car Wheels on a Gravel Road’. The same space seven years later is blessed with something visually different though equally compelling. 

‘Stolen Moments’ gets the Tom Petty love, ‘Black Tears’ evokes the Civil Rights pursuit. ‘Freedom Speaks’ challenges currently trajectory, ‘You Can’t Rule Me’ plants defiant feet. She covers Marley effortlessly (‘So Much Trouble in the World’) and The Beatles respectfully (‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’). ‘Low Life’ is as Lucinda Williams as you get, jukebox inspired, languidly staged and a mark that magnificent songs can still surface 46 years after your debut album. When the dust settles ‘Lake Charles’ is the sound of Lucinda for me. 

Birmingham is braced for double Lucinda Williams this year. The place to be is Moseley Park on the first Sunday in September. It will be different on one scale but oh so similar on another. She departed as humble as a novice getting their first ovation. We departed in awe of a momentously curated night and a calling card fixed in the mind to begin to answer the interminable question, what is Americana?