FEVERISH ENERGY AND EXCITEMENT, THE AIR HEADY AND ROMANTIC. PEOPLE WERE WAITING TO SEE THEIR BELOVED, THEIR BELOVED IS MORGAN WADE AND MORGAN WADE HAS A STORY TO TELLâŠ
Wade has seemingly fast forwarded through life. Surely the pills and booze should come after the fame and fortune, yes?
At a still tender age, Morgan Wade carries an old soul that doesnât just navigate lifeâs rough edgesâit sandpapers them down, turning scars into stories and pain into power. Others might take a lifetime of hiccups and heartbreaks to experience what she has already poured into her music. The story is out there for all to see. Morgan Wade has stared down her demons, wrestled them into the backseat of a rocket-ship Cadillac, and now, sheâs got both hands on the wheel, pedal flat to the floor.
Sheâs not like any other country artist. She doesnât have the country look, sheâs covered in tattoos- sheâs inclusive, her own style and thatâs a rare thing. She doesnât cover anything up- on her body or in her soul. She lets it all show and includes us in the experienceâ
It was Wilder Days that sent a splintering karate kick at the creaky old doors of country musicâdoors that sometimes crack open, only to slam shut again. Lyrically and musically, it had that magnetic pull, the kind that makes you stop in your tracks, tilt your head, and think, âWait⊠who is this?â
Monday night at The Garage, Islington, the queue stretches out. In it, we find Kylie, whoâs flown in from Texas. She first heard Morgan Wade over the airwaves, where she was being hailed as âa hot new artist.â But Kylie sees something biggerâsomething seismic.
“Sheâs not like any other country artist. She doesnât have the country look, sheâs covered in tattoosâsheâs inclusive, her own style and thatâs a rare thing. She doesnât cover anything upâon her body or in her soul. She lets it all show and includes us in the experience.”
Fans in the line echo the sentiment. Joanne and Mark first heard Wilder Days on Radio 2 back in December. âI bought her album straight away,â Mark admits.
Penny caught her at C2C Festival and was hooked: âShe reminded me of Reba McEntire. Then I saw she was playing here. Sheâs very unique, very specialâshe is more than just music.â
David brought his grown-up kids after stumbling upon her on YouTube. Chris and Sara were tipped off six months ago by Bob Harrisâ radio show. Chris nods, âSheâs excellentâI saw her at C2C and wanted to hear more, see more. She has a different voice.â
Further down the queue, Sophie proudly shows off her custom t-shirtâher favorite Morgan Wade photo printed especially for the night.
a defiance of genre"
Inside, The Garage is packedâLeah Blevins has warmed up the room, and now the space is taut with anticipation. The band walks out, tuning up. Then, unassuming and effortlessly cool, Morgan Wade steps forward. Diminutive in jeans and a t-shirt, her dirty blonde waves held back by kirby grips, she looks out over the crowd and asks, almost nervouslyâ
“Are you coming tomorrow night too?”
The roar of YES! that comes back leaves no doubt.
With a warm intensity, she picks up her red guitar and kicks off with Reckless, the title track from her debut solo album. That unmistakable voiceâhoneyed, raw, unwaveringâwraps around the crowd. Then, Last Cigarette and Donât Crycrash in, a heavy rock pulse merging with vintage warmth, defying genre, building something new from the wreckage of old rules.
The tempo shiftsâBad Karma (Miley Cyrus cover) and Mend hit, and for the first time, Morgan cracks a smile. The crowdâs energy is impossible to ignore, and she shares a little moment with us, talking about the bandâs trip to Stonehengeâwhere they never actually got past the gift shop.
Thatâs what Morgan Wade is about. Honest, unfiltered, real. Looking your demons in the eye and still choosing to move forward.
The mood changes againâdeep into Reckless, she delivers Dirt Settles, Take Me Away, Matches, and Carry Me Home. The crowd knows every lyric, every inflection. When strangers from across the ocean are singing your words back to you, word for wordâthatâs when you know you’ve made it.
Then, a shiftâher take on Suspicious Minds (Elvis, again) is raw, intense, electric. More stories unfoldâNorthern Air, Run, a mash-up of Your Love and Jessieâs Girl, and The Night, where her guitarists take center stage for blistering solos, tossing picks to the lucky.
As the set winds down, the energy softensâMorgan alone on stage, just her and a guitar. Phantom Feelings and a new track, Psychopath, pull every last drop of emotion from the room. The chords are melancholic, the lyrics gut-punching. Vulnerable, wistful, utterly exposed.
The final chapterâanother nod to The King with Met You before closing on the song that started it all: Wilder Days. The air crackles. Strangers smile at each other. Couples dance. Thereâs euphoria, catharsisâa kind of magic only music can conjure.
Morgan Wade has a story to tell, and she tells it in a way that grips you by the collar and wonât let go. Tonightâs chapter ends, but for everyone lucky enough to be there, itâs a story that will linger long after the lights go down.
Morgan Wade played The Garage, Islington on 20th June 2022
Support from Leah Blevins
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