Gig Review: Nashville Sounds in the Round - Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space, Symphony Hall, Birmingham. Saturday 17 January 2026

The most poignant moment of the show came in the second half when the Jaywalkers switched the next choice in their song turn to an instrumental tune, Thus allowing time for reflection in the wake of four successive songs awash with sobering sentiment from their fellow artists. Living with dementia, living a lie and homage to parents in difficult times are not your usual Saturday lunchtime fare but when you give the floor to a posse of songwriters not averse to writing the odd sad song, all themes are on the table. Of course, audiences schooled in the truthful nuances of country music expect nothing less, and you always know a lighter shade is around the corner.

Traditionally, rounds like this are frequented by solo performers equipped with just a guitar. Two guests conformed to this convention with Rhiannon Paige making the trip up from the Bristol area and Georgia Nevada enduring a longer journey from the Cambridgeshire Fens. Essex is the home for Jack Browning and when you have a pedal steel guitarist available, why not bring him to add some twang. Duo was also the format for the event’s resident hosts Gasoline and Matches and two became three when Jaywalkers are added to the mix where not everyday you hear mandolin, fiddle and stand up bass in a songwriter round.

Jack Browning

Nashville Sounds in the Round began life several years ago at the Kitchen Garden in Birmingham’s Kings Heath suburb but have now migrated to the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space in the city centre-located Symphony Hall. This spacious adapted location is situated on the first floor of the lavish venue overlooking Centenary Square. Additional viewing is provided from a second floor balcony. Promoted events under the banner combine conventional 7:30 start times with the more unusual Saturday 11:30 gatherings. A healthy turnout showed the lunchtime popularity alongside the usual experience of sampling multiple artists you may not be aware of in a showcase setting. The linear arrangement of nine musicians was plenty for the eye to scan and twenty songs plus refreshing a classic for a collaborative finale kept the ears busy for a couple of hours.

Jaywalkers supplied diversity on many fronts, not just in format and the inclusion of an instrumental. The bluegrass style fits a variety of tagged events from folk to country and they were certainly at home in a setting with ‘Nashville’ in the title given that city’s rich roots music heritage. The trio from Chester last visited the Midlands in November 2025 when playing the Kitchen Garden and announced an intention to return to the venue later in the year during their four song stint in the spotlight.

Georgia Nevada

Jack Browning is soaked to the core in country music trappings. He courts a more traditional sound and his songs are born for the pedal steel accompaniment. His Stateside ventures help form the act and nods to artists like Tyler Childers indicate a more earthy stance deep in the engine room away from the brash pseudo exterior. On a lunchtime when original songs ruled the roost, he broke the mould with a genuine version of Neil Young’s ‘Thrasher’. He is also eying a Birmingham show with his band later in the year. 

Georgia Nevada made a recent visit to Birmingham last summer when opening for Britnee Kellogg at the Kitchen Garden. Songs and stories from that night continue to flavour this singer-songwriter’s act and a sparse Fenland location possibly plants seeds for many a country song. Her career is in the midst of a major boost with the imminent release of a debut album, mind you a few early copies appeared on the merch table. She has a good grasp of where to draw songs from and the measure to deliver them in an engaging way. 

Rhiannon Paige

Rhiannon Paige is not quite at the recording stage of her fellow solo performer on the bill but is forging a niche as a forceful artist on the UK country scene. A powerful voice is built for those moments when you need to be heard and she definitely has something signifiant to say in her songs. Adaption will come with experience and a charismatic appeal lays a connective foundation with audiences. She was right at the heart of the show’s comradeship and abundant positivity, bursting with pride to share both serious and light hearted songs.

Gasoline and Matches are a long established Birmingham-based country music duo with no shortage of local boosterism to what their home city can offer. They expertly bring their guests into play extending Brummie support and hospitality. As musicians themselves, the opportunity to share songs is not to be missed and a new write nestled among their chosen quartet showing a quest to make music still in full flow. 

Nashville Sounds in the Round will always have connotations of the Bluebird Cafe. My only visit there in 2016 revealed a true round with the artists playing in the middle of the room. Give me a linear arrangement any day when you can face all the performers. No such problem in the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space where five acts portrayed the breadth and depth of what inspires them to make music in a convivial environment conducive to the shared experience.