Catherine McGrath at Bush Hall, London – Review by Megan Roberts

If rising country star Catherine McGrath wasn’t the Talk of this Town before her performance at Bush Hall on Wednesday night, she certainly is now.

Catherine has recently broke through into the country music industry, with her first EP One released in 2016. Since then, she has toured with well-known country acts Dan + Shay and The Shires, gaining a large following along the way.

After a positive response to her sold out show at Camden Assembly early in March, the Northern Irish singer-songwriter filled the four-hundred capacity hall with excited fans.

After attending her Camden show, I was eager to grab some last minute tickets to this gig a week before. Being a fan of Catherine since I discovered her cover videos on Youtube in 2013, I was very excited to see her play her biggest headline show yet.

Newcastle native SONNY impressed the audience with his original songs, including Princess and Calm Down. I really liked his acoustic set and can’t wait to hear his upcoming EP when it becomes available.

To the excitable roar of the audience, Catherine kicked off her set with Just in Case. The energy in the room was infectious and soon enough everyone was dancing along to the tune.

After pre-ordering the upcoming album Talk of This Town last month, we were ecstatic to hear some of the new tracks on the album throughout the night. Treated to unreleased songs Enough for you, Lost in The Middle and Good at Love. It’s clear the highly anticipated record is going to be a success.

Her three-man band then had a rest whilst Catherine covered Rascal Flatts’ Ellsworth, and it’s safe to say that there were more than a few watery eyes in the room. The songstress explained that this was the song that made her “fall in love” with the country genre, and I could clearly hear why. Her voice when unsupported by the band became raw and emotive, a distinctive trait that this talented artist has.

The band then came back to life for the self-described classic Hell would have to freeze over, with the upbeat atmosphere in the hall taking over. The crowd wasn’t just singing but chanting the catchy song back to her.

 

Wild has been a fan favourite since it was first performed. Now it is the artist’s latest release, with the music video released just over a fortnight ago. One of my favourite memories of the night was watching fans put their hands up to the line ‘forty-thousand people with their hands in the sky’, to which Catherine’s face would instantly light up.

The show then wrapped up in the best way possible, with Catherine playing my personal favourite Talk of This Town. The song speaks about the struggles of becoming a signed artist, and how everyone seemed to doubt your ambitions. The audience then carried on singing the chorus to her, making her very emotional. If Wednesday night made anything clear, it is that Catherine McGrath is just at the beginning of a highly successful career that’s Starting from Now.

Tickets for Catherine McGrath’s Talk of Your Town tour are now on general sale, and you can pre-order Talk of This Town from iTunes and her store.

Review written by Megan Roberts (twitter.com/retrocatswift)