Kacey Musgraves Banquet Records Review
Ahhh Banquet Records - you do know how to run a gig.
Maybe it's the fact that most of the crowd are forced to buy a CD or vinyl with their purchase that means the only people in attendance are true and passionate fans, but if acts need to do that to ensure THAT quality of crowd, I'm here for it.
No talking, no one obnoxiously drunk, just a sell-out crowd listening intently to both new songs and old from the marvellous Kacey Musgraves.
The country superstar played two identical shows within a couple of hours at Circuit Kingston, around 45 mins each, ahead of the release of her highly anticipated new album, "Middle of Nowhere".
We attended the 8pm show and were treated to a whistle-stop tour of songs in a much more intimate setting than Musgraves' last gig - the Mojave Tent at Coachella.
Kicking off with the title track of her new album, "Middle of Nowhere" already felt effortless for Kacey and her band. If anything though, the first song made me feel a little nervous about the gig, with Musgraves looking a touch disinterested and maybe just going through the motions.
Those fears were almost instantly quashed as she settled into her set, performing songs from her back catalogue that had the crowd singing along - "justified"and "High Horse" to name a couple.
And while the sound of Kacey Musgraves hasn't really changed since the excellent 2018 "Golden Hour", the topic shift in "Middle of Nowhere" is perhaps a signal to the ever-increasing representation of sex in what we listen to.
We got to listen to the brand new, never heard before track, "Mexico Honey" - and let's just say that for those concerned that Musgraves was still going through the dry spell she's been actively publicising, your fears have been eased.
Catchy and full of innuendos, "Mexico Honey" is truly a standout song, made even better by the fact the whole crowd listened intently, phones down, trying to learn the lyrics so they could join in for the final chorus.
"Uncertain, TX", another new track, is much more of a throwback Kacey Musgraves song in its sound - wonderfully classic country.. A story influenced by the smallest place that Musgraves has ever come across, a 30 person town in Texas, she ponders whether or not all the men in the town are as indecisive as their name suggests.
Maybe it's the fact that most of the crowd are forced to buy a CD or vinyl with their purchase that means the only people in attendance are true and passionate fans, but if acts need to do that to ensure THAT quality of crowd, I'm here for it.
No talking, no one obnoxiously drunk, just a sell-out crowd listening intently to both new songs and old from the marvellous Kacey Musgraves.
The country superstar played two identical shows within a couple of hours at Circuit Kingston, around 45 mins each, ahead of the release of her highly anticipated new album, "Middle of Nowhere".
We attended the 8pm show and were treated to a whistle-stop tour of songs in a much more intimate setting than Musgraves' last gig - the Mojave Tent at Coachella.
Kicking off with the title track of her new album, "Middle of Nowhere" already felt effortless for Kacey and her band. If anything though, the first song made me feel a little nervous about the gig, with Musgraves looking a touch disinterested and maybe just going through the motions.
Those fears were almost instantly quashed as she settled into her set, performing songs from her back catalogue that had the crowd singing along - "justified"and "High Horse" to name a couple.
And while the sound of Kacey Musgraves hasn't really changed since the excellent 2018 "Golden Hour", the topic shift in "Middle of Nowhere" is perhaps a signal to the ever-increasing representation of sex in what we listen to.
We got to listen to the brand new, never heard before track, "Mexico Honey" - and let's just say that for those concerned that Musgraves was still going through the dry spell she's been actively publicising, your fears have been eased.
Catchy and full of innuendos, "Mexico Honey" is truly a standout song, made even better by the fact the whole crowd listened intently, phones down, trying to learn the lyrics so they could join in for the final chorus.
"Uncertain, TX", another new track, is much more of a throwback Kacey Musgraves song in its sound - wonderfully classic country.. A story influenced by the smallest place that Musgraves has ever come across, a 30 person town in Texas, she ponders whether or not all the men in the town are as indecisive as their name suggests.
Even though the gig was only 45 minutes, the multi-award winning country singer also managed to get in some crowd interaction, taking photos of a man's SIXTEEN Kacey Musgraves tattoos (soon to be 17 with the new album release).
But it wasn't just about new things, as Musgraves said that many of her fans had been around for a long time and so she wanted to treat them.
Just as I was ready to listen to some of my favourites from the 2013 release "Same Trailer Different Park", or the 2015 "Pageant Material", it felt fitting that Musgraves acknowledged that most of her fans over in the UK came with the release of her 2018 global smash hit "Golden Hour", one of the first country albums I remember getting heavily publicised over here. "Butterflies", "Slow Burn" and "Golden Hour" were all brilliant, even if the guy behind me couldn't quite hit all the notes while singing along.
And as the clock hit 9.15, a brilliant time for a gig to finish, Musgraves finished her set with her newest big hit - "Dry Spell". In what was arguably the funniest moment of the show, Musgraves asked fans to raise their fans if they were going through a dry spell, at which a handful of people were brave enough to reveal it publicly to everyone else at the gig.
With a promise to be back, Kacey Musgraves cemented herself as a UK favourite - and Banquet Records showed again how they continue to attract some of the biggest acts and put on some of the best shows out there.
But it wasn't just about new things, as Musgraves said that many of her fans had been around for a long time and so she wanted to treat them.
Just as I was ready to listen to some of my favourites from the 2013 release "Same Trailer Different Park", or the 2015 "Pageant Material", it felt fitting that Musgraves acknowledged that most of her fans over in the UK came with the release of her 2018 global smash hit "Golden Hour", one of the first country albums I remember getting heavily publicised over here. "Butterflies", "Slow Burn" and "Golden Hour" were all brilliant, even if the guy behind me couldn't quite hit all the notes while singing along.
And as the clock hit 9.15, a brilliant time for a gig to finish, Musgraves finished her set with her newest big hit - "Dry Spell". In what was arguably the funniest moment of the show, Musgraves asked fans to raise their fans if they were going through a dry spell, at which a handful of people were brave enough to reveal it publicly to everyone else at the gig.
With a promise to be back, Kacey Musgraves cemented herself as a UK favourite - and Banquet Records showed again how they continue to attract some of the biggest acts and put on some of the best shows out there.
