Riley Green O2 Kentish Town
Riley Green’s sold out run of shows across the UK kicked off this week at O2 Kentish Town and with one night already under his belt, we headed down amidst a classic week of London Tube strikes to see what the “duck calling” country superstar had to offer.
The strikes clearly didn’t stop people seeing their favourite country act however, with a queue round the block in full force an hour before doors opening.
To take you back to just an hour before Green took the stage though, fans were treated to not one, but two support acts (both of whom would come out to sing with Green later on in the show).
Singer songwriter Erik Dylan kicked things off and if you’ve never heard of him but are a Riley Green fan, you’ve definitely heard some of his songs. Dylan’s writing credits include hits such as Green’s own “There Was This Girl” and from his latest album, the rocking “Change my Mind”.
Dylan was followed up by the more established Hannah McFarland. Hannah got some of the biggest singalongs of the night when she fed in covers to her brief set including Taylor Swift’s “Our Song” and Calum Scott’s “Dancing On my Own” - her effortless vocals made her a great addition to the setlist.
The strikes clearly didn’t stop people seeing their favourite country act however, with a queue round the block in full force an hour before doors opening.
To take you back to just an hour before Green took the stage though, fans were treated to not one, but two support acts (both of whom would come out to sing with Green later on in the show).
Singer songwriter Erik Dylan kicked things off and if you’ve never heard of him but are a Riley Green fan, you’ve definitely heard some of his songs. Dylan’s writing credits include hits such as Green’s own “There Was This Girl” and from his latest album, the rocking “Change my Mind”.
Dylan was followed up by the more established Hannah McFarland. Hannah got some of the biggest singalongs of the night when she fed in covers to her brief set including Taylor Swift’s “Our Song” and Calum Scott’s “Dancing On my Own” - her effortless vocals made her a great addition to the setlist.
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It was then time for the main show to kick off and Riley Green took to the stage, walking out after a minute long video of his dog Carl flirting with a group of women - a bizarre and brilliant start that instantly got the crowd whooping and ready for the show.
After his customary duck call, Green kicked off with “Different Round Here” a song that features on his first two albums - sadly there was no guest appearance from Luke Combs!
For an act who has recently released the deluxe version of an album, the first half of his set only featured one song from the newest LP, but nevertheless the fans lapped it up, whether it was the Thomas Rhett collaboration “Half of Me” or Green’s own “Damn Good Day to Leave”.
Nothing had really gripped me until this point however - the Alabama native was slick and well rehearsed but you didn’t really feel like you had an understanding of his stories with the first eight songs of his set almost blending into one.
It would be fitting however that nine songs in, Green would welcome out UK country singer and reality star Megan McKenna for a rendition of the ACM 2025 Single of the Year “You Look Like You Love Me”, and the gig would take a turn, with Green’s honest and authentic sound coming to the fore.
And yes, although McKenna is no Ella Langley, her British accent in the largely spoken song got people smiling and the on stage chemistry with Green was the catalyst to a change in fortunes for the gig.
After his customary duck call, Green kicked off with “Different Round Here” a song that features on his first two albums - sadly there was no guest appearance from Luke Combs!
For an act who has recently released the deluxe version of an album, the first half of his set only featured one song from the newest LP, but nevertheless the fans lapped it up, whether it was the Thomas Rhett collaboration “Half of Me” or Green’s own “Damn Good Day to Leave”.
Nothing had really gripped me until this point however - the Alabama native was slick and well rehearsed but you didn’t really feel like you had an understanding of his stories with the first eight songs of his set almost blending into one.
It would be fitting however that nine songs in, Green would welcome out UK country singer and reality star Megan McKenna for a rendition of the ACM 2025 Single of the Year “You Look Like You Love Me”, and the gig would take a turn, with Green’s honest and authentic sound coming to the fore.
And yes, although McKenna is no Ella Langley, her British accent in the largely spoken song got people smiling and the on stage chemistry with Green was the catalyst to a change in fortunes for the gig.
As many acts do these days, Green bid adieu to his band for a few songs in the middle of the show and this was truly where you began to see why he has become the megastar that he is.
In my recent review of his latest album, “Don’t Mind If I Do”, I mentioned that the best song by far is “Jesus Saves”, and alone on stage, adorned with a black cowboy hat, Green commanded that the whole crowd listened, telling the powerful story of the homeless man he meets on the streets of Nashville.
It was like something suddenly had clicked as after bringing out Hannah McFarland, the duo then sang the title track, “Don’t Mind If I do”. McFarland here showcased her excellent singing ability and you didn’t outwardly notice that Ella Langley’s iconic vocals were amiss.
With the full band back out, Green finished his set with two of his biggest hits - “Change my Mind” and “Worst Way”, a song which became Green’s fifth no.1 on the Billboard Country airplay charts. It was slightly odd seeing Green’s quite intense music video on the stage at the same time, but it didn’t take away from one of the best love songs written by a country act in recent years.
Despite this, although the set picked up, it did feel short at under an hour and a half including his two encore tracks (whether that was because of the tube strike and helping fans get home I don’t know). Overall Green endeared himself to his fans with a solid show, but it wasn’t one that would necessarily be making fans bay for his return.
In my recent review of his latest album, “Don’t Mind If I Do”, I mentioned that the best song by far is “Jesus Saves”, and alone on stage, adorned with a black cowboy hat, Green commanded that the whole crowd listened, telling the powerful story of the homeless man he meets on the streets of Nashville.
It was like something suddenly had clicked as after bringing out Hannah McFarland, the duo then sang the title track, “Don’t Mind If I do”. McFarland here showcased her excellent singing ability and you didn’t outwardly notice that Ella Langley’s iconic vocals were amiss.
With the full band back out, Green finished his set with two of his biggest hits - “Change my Mind” and “Worst Way”, a song which became Green’s fifth no.1 on the Billboard Country airplay charts. It was slightly odd seeing Green’s quite intense music video on the stage at the same time, but it didn’t take away from one of the best love songs written by a country act in recent years.
Despite this, although the set picked up, it did feel short at under an hour and a half including his two encore tracks (whether that was because of the tube strike and helping fans get home I don’t know). Overall Green endeared himself to his fans with a solid show, but it wasn’t one that would necessarily be making fans bay for his return.
