A first visit to the tiny Betsey Trotwood – a charming old-school pub a short, scenic walk from King’s Cross – felt like the perfect setting for an intimate evening of americana. Somehow, they have fitted three rooms for music into this tiny space, not much bigger than my living room, but for this event, the entertainment was all in the main drinking bar on the ground floor. The night began pleasingly low-key, with both artists mingling easily with fans and friends before the show, and the headliners’ children being sent out to sell merch and sign the attendees up to mailing lists.
Opening proceedings were Steady Habits, on this occasion, frontman Sean C. Duggan flying solo with just an acoustic guitar. Drawing heavily from the outstanding debut album Deviate, the stripped-back format gave the songs space to slow down and breathe. Each tale of outsiders searching for belonging and identity landed squarely with the attentive room. Duggan’s writing has been labelled heartland rock, ’90s throwback, and country rock; his set touched on all of it. Sharp political asides, including a pointed swipe at the current leader of the free world and the climate of division that inspired many of these songs, added bite to the warmth. If you don’t yet own Deviate, that’s easily remedied.
Headliner Maggie May Treanor, winner of AUK’s latest Twang Factor, took the stage accompanied by guitarist Rich Jevons and backing vocalist Katy Ryan. With only a few songs publicly released so far, it was almost a blank canvas to start the night. Opening with Medicine, which she joked she’d love to see (and financially benefit from), Chris Stapleton covering, Treanor immediately set the emotional tone. Minor keys rule, and no set list has ever been the worse for that. She has said in the past that she writes sad songs so others can heal, and that is pretty much the perfect description for her songs; tales that unfold patiently, enriched by Ryan’s harmonies and Jevons’ clear, precise guitar work.
With friends filling the room, she performed the single Just Because alongside guest pianist Ben Essen. Its gorgeous melody provided the first real hush-the-room moment of the night. That was swiftly followed by This Time Emily, the song that won the Twang Factor, inspired by a young man she met on a trip to the United States who belongs to the Rainbow Children, living largely outside conventional American society. She had changed his sex and some of the details to protect his identity, although she joked that the chances of him ever actually hearing the song were pretty low.
The set was cleverly paced; Duggan returned to duet on You Taught Me How to Sing, a heartfelt tribute to Treanor’s father, himself a country singer. Chicken Thighs injected welcome humour and tempo, before a contemplative Whiskey Makes Me Cry, backed solely by piano, brought the main set to a close. Each showcased Treanor’s vocals, able to switch between purer country with a soulful edge, making the sound bigger than you had any right to expect from such a small band.
For the encore, there was Dear Jason, an imagined conversation with Jason Isbell after she had chickened out of actually talking to him, and a beautifully delivered cover of Wichita Lineman, duetted with Jevons, that lifted the whole room. Yes, it’s hard to botch a song that good, but this was stunning.
Treanor has the songs and the vocal presence to travel far beyond the dear old Betsey. An album is slated for release later this year – consider this your early notice.
