Amanda Shires at Omeara

Amanda Shires

Jarrod Dickenson 

Omeara, 22 June 2023

I'm not going to deny, after the mind-blowing, emotional experience of seeing The Mars Volta again on Sunday, I wondered if I would be able to get back into the right headspace to appreciate the far more gentle Americana sounds of Amanda Shires just a few days after. But I need not have worried: she was absolutely thrilling in her own unique way and fulfilled all my hopes of seeing her live finally.

This was my third time at Omeara and what a special, intimate venue it is. After managing to secure a spot near the front of the stage, I took a look around and was bemused to see that a good part of the audience, particularly in the front row, were older, white guys and it seemed a shame to me that such an awesome female role model didn't have a row of similarly awesome ladies up front. Maybe next time but interesting in contrast to the more balanced audience make-up of The Mars Volta, which I would have expected to be more testosterone-fuelled. That said, Shires wearing a revealing catsuit may have played a part, but more of that later.

First the support act was a fine young gentleman from Waco, Texas called Jarrod Dickenson. who took to the stage with a sparkly 1956 Gretch guitar called Bobby (he introduced it to us) and his lovely Irish wife, Claire.

Dickenson looked every inch of a country singer, complete with beard and cowboy hat, and had a deep, honeyed voice that sounded like he had been singing heartbreaking country songs all his life. A songwriter himself, it was clear he was a talented storyteller, giving us introductions to many of the tracks about what inspired them (one was a scathing and amusing attack on Trump, written during the time he was President), and ranged from rocking, bluesy stomps to yearning country ballads. Dickenson himself was hugely charismatic and it was lovely to see the chemistry between him and his wife. Definitely a fitting and very entertaining opening act and the crowd, not surprisingly, loved him.

Given how small the Omeara is, Shires introduction was more dramatic than I expected. First, the whole of the Leonard Cohen song You Want It Darker was played building anticipation for her arrival and if that wasn't enough, then each member of her band took to the stage individually, each beginning to play, as the instrumental into built and built more fully until finally the goddess herself finally arrived (quite some time later it felt!) complete with her fiddle and the visually arresting sight of her in a see-through lace catsuit and huge platform heels. I mean she looked incredible but it did feel kind of strange to basically have her in her underwear right in front of me and, of course, all those middle-aged dudes. I don't want to be a prude because if anyone could pull it off, it was Shires, but I did wonder if it was a stage outfit better suited to a bigger stage where she wasn't so close to her audience. But, as I said, Shires is a stunning lady and it certainly made for some striking photos.

It turns out the elongated intro was to one of my favourite Shires songs, Parking Lot Pirouette, the sole song played tonight from her excellent album To The Sunset (the one that made me a fan). As she sang, it was clear to me that there was something different and unique about Shires. She speaks in a southern twang, like many country legends, and sings like a natural successor to Dolly Parton, but it's also clear there is an edge to Shires that makes her stand out and gives her songs a little grit and twist. I think it's very telling that on a recent album by her husband Jason Isbell, Shires sang a Cat Power cover, Cross Bones Style (she's not the first country artist to cover Cat Powers, Allison Moorer already did that, but Cross Bones Style is certainly the more left-field choice of songs). I did feel like I was witnessing something very special but it also made me wonder if that slightly alternative edge, is what keeps Shires from enjoying more mainstream success of some of her contemporaries. 

The rest of the set focused on her new album, Take It Like A Man, with songs like My Own Galaxy starting things off on a pumping groove and showcasing her band to brilliant effect, while the stunning opening tracks from the new album, Hawk For A Dove and Take It Like A Man, built in an emotional and moving way, and showed off Shires' voice in a way that pretty much floored me. Being so close to the power of her voice and hearing it in the flesh, and not just through a microphone, made me appreciate just what an amazing singer she really is.

And then of course, what a fantastic musician she is too. She rarely put down her fiddle, bending and swaying with her instrument, adding melodic and sometimes unsettling musical interludes to her songs and occasionally dueling with the other instruments in the most entertaining way. It was a joy to see her play and one time she even beamed the most beautiful smile at me (maybe as the only girl in front of her!) as she played her fiddle and I must say, it made me feel very special. 

Shires is definitely a hugely charismatic performer and she also comes across as very warm and sweet, talking to the audience and telling stories, and warning us that when she gets going she can talk all night (she wrote down notes for one introduction so she wouldn't end up talking for hours).

A very moving moment came when she explained the genesis of the band the Highwomen (her band with Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Maren Morris). It came from listening to country radio and realising how little female artists were being played and so she was inspired to put together a supergroup of women like the Highwaymen ("I thought, what would Waylon Jennings do") who would be an undeniable force. She then sang their version of Highwaymen, with the rewritten lyrics to tell the stories of women through the ages, and, even without her compatriots in the band, it proved a powerful and beautiful moment.

The main set finished with one of the few tracks not from the new record, Look Like A Bird from her 2013 album Down Fell The Doves, which provided a stomping, upbeat finale, allowing Shires to shine on her fiddle, even dropping to her knees to play, and every member of her band to get their own solo. 

This proved too good not to get the crowd roaring for more and Shires and her band did indeed emerge once more, this time to give us a couple of tracks from Shires' brand new album, Loving You, that she recorded with Willie Nelson's legendary piano-playing sister Bobbie Nelson, before she died. It started with Shires wanting to work with Bobbie on one song and turning up to Bobbie telling her they would be recording an album together. I'm not surprised she didn't refuse and we got a preview of two of the tracks, Always On My Mind (which I never tire of hearing and Shires sounded magnificent singing) and the old Gershwin standard, Summertime, which was bluesy and atmosphere, with a stunning smokey and sensual vocal performance from Shires.

What a treat to see this amazing lady live at long last and how incredible to see her in such a tiny, intimate venue! I shall never forget it and I even got to buy some merchandise from Shires own mother at the end! Why this wonder woman isn't already a superstar is a complete mystery to me but I'm grateful she is a well-kept secret. For now anyway.