Margo Price at Islington Assembly Hall

 

Margo Price
Jeremy Ivey
Islington Assembly Hall, 19 January 2017

Margo Price is such a country queen. It actually boggles my mind that she missed out on a nomination at the CMAs for her debut album Midwest Farmer's Daughter, which I think was easily one of last year's best albums of any genre. Clearly plenty in London agree because tonight's show is sold out and nicely, quite diverse too.
Margo emerges like a star, after her band the Price Tags has warmed up the crowd, running on stage in a black lace dress, thigh length boots and her hair in glamorous curls. Not long before the show I watched an interview with Price where she said she was told she wasn't pretty enough and needed a nose job to become successful but I think she looks fantastic. It's crazy that anyone could dismiss a talent like hers just become she didn't fit a certain mold.

None of this shows in Price's performance tonight. She seems confident and thrilled at the reception she receives and gives us a hell of a show in response, beginning, of course with some of the more foot-stomping numbers from her album, About To Find Out and Tennessee Song. Many of the best moments though come from her more autobiographical tales, such as the time she spent a couple of days in jail for drunk-driving in Weekender and her masterpiece, Hands Of Time, which pretty much sums up every tragic thing in her life that has brought her here (I think it's up there with some of the best loved country classics, like Coal Miner's Daughter etc). 

This show was also jam-packed with covers, starting with a little tribute to Dolly Parton and Janis Joplin, whose birthday it just happened to be. Price and her husband Jeremy Ivey gave us a lovely acoustic Jolene and then the bluesy swagger of Joplin's Mercedes Benz. On top of this we get tributes to two more legends who passed away last year, with Leonard Cohen's Passing Through and Merle Haggard's Red Bandana, as well as songs by Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Rodney Crowell and Kris Kristofferson (another tribute to one of her biggest heroes Joplin). All proved that Price is a skilled interpreter and has a voice that can sing just about everything.

Whether or not the amount of covers was too much could be debated, although I enjoyed it all, but it was great to hear a couple of new songs too, a soulful number called Paper Cowboys (which I think she also performed at the Scala last year) and a brand new tune called You Told Me With Your Eyes, a rather sad but lovely acoustic lament. 

Most of the show though was upbeat and it was great to see Margo rocking her acoustic guitar since last time she couldn't play due to hurting her hand in a car door (she did come out from behind it a couple of times though as the above photo shows and she looked great owning the stage and coming down to the edge to sing directly to the crowd).

Price's songs are in that great country tradition of overcoming adversity, something much needed on the eve of the Trump inauguration. "The only reason I wish I was there is so I could protest," she admits, "but I guess music is its own protest". I imagine there will be a lot of protest songs during the Trump presidency and if tonight proved anything music like Margo Price's still celebrates strength and integrity, in the best way possible.

Supporting Margo tonight was her husband, Jeremy Ivey. Last time he was part of the band due to Price hurting her hand and being unable to play guitar (he does join them on stage a few times tonight also), but he opens the show with a selection of his own country-folk songs, mostly played alone on his acoustic guitar. Ivey was generally enjoyable enough if nothing special but his set was greatly improved when his wife joined him on stage for two numbers, one an instrumental, another a duet, proving it definitely helps being married to Margo Price.