A chance to see one of the original Country 2 Country pop up artists and one surely destined to play there soon afforded itself with a well chosen double bill at the Sound Lounge. Ags is currently touring promoting his most recent album "Siempre" while Savannah is working hard across the London circuit raising her profile considerably, Introduced by Paul Sexton as being the "Proper stuff", the evening would prove him to be right on a highly entertaining evening.
Savannah would take to the stage in her eye catching black outfit topped off with white boots, her long blonde hair tumbling down, as she would play her rootsy version of country music, which at times managed to be both classic and modern at the same time. Her opening introduction to "I'm An Outlaw" is spoken as she plays, she stops to say her form of country is "kicking the patriarchy's arse!".
Her voice is rich and deep with an American twang yet having British parents just slightly different from the artists we had spent the previous weekend at C2C watching. As the chorus says she is "Trailblazing her own way" With a subtle soulful quality Savannah immediately grabs and holds the viewers attention.
That soul country groove carried on into the upbeat sound of "Home Again", a smile flitting across her face on the chorus. Dedicated to her "Dreamers" was the bluesy "Lonely Cowgirl" with it's stirring chorus containing the great payoff line "My dreams came long before you", heartbreakingly beautiful and honest.
The song "Wild Fire" would take the image of the contained fires of Montana and apply it's rejuvenating qualities to herself in a classic country chorus that would see Savannah sway as she played it. As both an idea and delivered material this was excellent, the Sound Lounge hanging on every syllable. A fun cover came in the shape of the Hank Williams written, performed by Patsy Cline "Lovesick Blues". It was classic country at it's best yet while listening you could not help but feel there was a distinct link to the sounds of say Amy Winehouse in Savannah's delivery which gave a modern feel to this most classic of tunes.
As we listened to "Heaven Is A Feeling" celebrating the simple joys in life, the more unique sounding Savannah seemed to be, in both outlook and sound. Closing with a little bit of "Honky Tonk" which would be fast paced and would see Savannah stomping while slapping her guitar on the chorus - "I'll Be Missing You" turned into an audience sing and clap along with payoff line of "Tomorrow I'll be free". the audience clap along would continue as Savannah segued into one final song "Dead End Relationship", a storming finale if ever there was one.
Introduced by Paul Sexton as "the most authentic British country" before correcting himself to say "the most authentic country there is full stop" - it was time for Ags Connolly. This was our first chance to hear his new Tex mex album "Siempre" live along with some old faves that we've seen him play from Ascot to Torquay!
Always a master of dead pan humour along with a level of musical knowledge you rarely find this was always going to be a night we would come away from wiser and with a smile on our face.
Playing slightly to the left of stage as we viewed - he immediately launched into "Headed South For A While", it may have lacked the accordion of the recorded version but it was still a compelling listen. The last time we saw Ags he was road testing songs that would form his "Wrong Again " album, and it was one of these "Wrong Again (You Lose a Life) that would be the first of his honky tonk tunes of the night. Quintessential Ags is most definitely "Get Out Of My Mind", still sounding as fresh and powerful as it did the first time we ever heard it - tonight as ever this impassioned delivery would gain huge appreciation.
The quality of the "Siempre" material shone through, "Overwhelmed" played as a bar room waltz or to put it's title into context "Was it true love terror or disbelief that overwhelmed me". From there Ags adopted the Tex Mex guitar style for "Tell Me What You Were Going To Tell Me" choc full of impending drama. completing a trio of songs from the new album was "Change My Mind" for which we were asked to imagine a Flaco Jiminez accordion solo and even give him a cheer!
Ag's tribute to a fellow performer "I Saw James Hand" took on added meaning with the news that James had now passed. This song now effectively a torch guiding people to check out this James's work, keeping his name alive. Ags would then play one of his tunes "My Heart's Benn Cheating On Me", a moving fitting tribute.
Keeping the quality threshold high, Ags dipped into his back catalogue, first for "What Were You Going To Do About It" followed by the excellent "When The Loner Gets Lonely" arguably the performance of the night
A trilogy of songs from the new album, the followed with Ags stating that one fed into the other. It started with "In Love At All", which again had the Mexican feel in the guitar playing, the lyrics etched with a mixture of hope and heartache, The second was "I'd Be Good For You", a slower paced, heart on the sleeve song, that moment of laying all your cards on the line to someone. The final song in the sequence "Turns Out" once sees Ags add many revelations to those two words the most telling being "Love Don't Care In The End".
The closing numbers were a couple of Ags standards, first the audience singalong of "I Hope You Are Unhappy", the strident guitar playing in this simultaneously upbeat sounding downbeat song getting an immediate response. the main set would close with "Slow Burner".
There was time for one encore, "I Trust My Heart These Days" one final emotional song on a night of high emotions.