Ahead of her upcoming release, “Hard Headed Woman”, Margo Price took a pre-emptive victory lap in Europe last week and ushered in her new era of rhinestone-studded classic country. Heralded by her single, ‘Don’t Let The Bastards Get You Down’, a wonderful nod to the legendary Kris Kristofferson, Price has effectively turned her back on the clout-chasing industry goons and looked to the music scene’s past for inspiration.
I had the immense fortune to attend her private listening party the day before the Scala gig, at 26 Curtain Road, a cosy Shoreditch bar and record shop, where Price played several of her upcoming songs. ‘Don’t Wake Me Up’ is a stream of consciousness, imagining all the places she could dream while American politics are caving in on themselves. Other songs took a more personal turn, with ‘Losing Streak’ a saga of Price’s past struggles to make it in the industry and ‘Love Me Like You Used To’ a nostalgia-inducing country duet with Tyler Childers that’ll put you in mind of Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette.
Being afloat in the tides of change, especially in the United States, is a feeling at the forefront of Price’s mind. During the Q&A at the listening party, Price was asked about her perception of country’s resurgence in popularity, and observed that it was a “double-edged sword” and, in many ways, a sign of the times as the US careens towards fascism. (N.B. This event took place shortly before us Yanks received the glimmer of hope that was socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the primaries for mayor of New York). “I definitely feel like an outsider”, Price said of living in Nashville these days. “They’re on their side of the river, we’re on ours,” she laughed.
The solitude of a progressive in country music is nothing new. Margo Price reflected on icons like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, who mustered their strength and remained dissident amidst the traditional conservative atmosphere of the industry. “I relate to folks like Willie because he wasn’t accepted” in the larger scene, she explained. “I like people who do things their own way”.
And indeed they did. Nelson co-founded Farm Aid and played a benefit concert in support of Native American activist Leonard Peltier. Cash famously performed for incarcerated men at Folsom and San Quentin prisons and released “Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian”, prompting backlash from the public and his own record label. Kristofferson dedicated songs to Black Panthers and campaigned with Cesar Chavez for the United Farm Workers. Going against the grain has been the very heartbeat of outlaw country, and it’s clear Price is ready for its comeback.
Price’s inspirations and her personal tributes to love in the time of fascism, the cultural stagnation of home in the Midwest, and the courage to keep on dreaming culminated in a fresh and excellent set at Scala, which mostly consisted of upcoming songs. Her touching ballad ‘Close to You’ perhaps captures the essence of “Hard Headed Woman”, which is set for release in August. “Talked about Heaven and talked about Hell / We played the jukebox while democracy fell”.
In addition to the trailblazing of left-leaning cowboys, Price also borrows from the back catalogues of her forebears. Her cover of Waylon Jennings’ ‘Kissing You Goodbye’ was bestowed to her by his widow, Jessi Colter, while she and Price were collaborating on Colter’s 2023 album “Edge of Forever”, and makes for a fantastic resurrection of the classic drunkard country that Jennings and so many others perfected. As for George Jones, his absolutely bonkers lore has become something of a fascination for Price, and led her to cover ‘I Just Don’t Give A Damn’ for the encore at Scala. London singer-songwriter Maya Lane was also a fantastic opener, and her debut album “Diary Of An Overthinker” is certainly worth a listen.
“She should’ve played more of her old songs!” I heard one disgruntled man complain as the crowd filed out after the encore. But the times they are a-changin’ and Margo Price is braced for it, in a spectacular sparkly dress, black cowboy boots, and nerves of steel.
