This was the 1st night for The Company you Keep at Gullivers, Manchester
There was a slight change to the line up as Emilia Quinn was ill so Finola stepped in at the last minute. Finola joined Jess Tristan, Gary Quinn and Jade Helliwell.
All the artists spoke very openly about how their songs came to fruition. Many of the songs carried a lot of raw emotion, revealing the very their vulnerable sides. One of the key points of this new evening that Luke made reference to was that they wanted to create a family vibe with these evenings where the artists can explain about their songs. Often the best songs come from very emotional situations that many of us are more than happy to forget but song writers use these times as therapy.
Luke made a couple of humorous digs at Yorkshire where Finola and Jade originate before Finola started her set.
Finola sang with beautifully bright clear vocals. One of her stand out songs was ‘Better off Without You’ about finding the positives after coming out of a relationship; this song had a cheerful melody to it. She is definitely one to watch; although relatively new to the country music scene she is going places!
Next up was Jess Tristan, Jess and Jade have written a number of songs together. One of Jess’ stand out songs for me was ‘Your Turn’. This was a great gentle ballad which is describing being young and partying but sooner or later you need to be sensible! She did a brilliant cover of Tenille Townes ‘Jersey on the Wall’ which went down a treat with the audience.
Gary is a crowd favourite and brought his distinctive vocals to the evening. One of which was ‘He Don’t Show her Anymore’ this is a gentle ballad with a sad story which Gary sung with sincerity. Nobody Somebody is fabulous upbeat song about making someone feel worthwhile. He closed with arguably his biggest hit ‘On Your Way Out’.
Jade was the final act of the evening, she brought her sensational vocals. Luke and Jade’s on stage banter was received with hilarity from the audience. Jade brought a combination of ballads such as Stormchaser, a brand new single along with the slightly older hits such as Boom Boom Tick. She sang a cover of Danielle Bradbery’s (The Voice UK) hit ‘Hello Summer’
There will be more evenings of live country music from The Company You Keep so keep an eye on social media for announcements.