The contribution made by Australian artists to the Country and Americana music scene worldwide is far too often overlooked, particularly on this side of the pond, yet they have produced some of the finest musicians and singer-songwriters of the genre. This evening was a timely reminder of that fact, with not one, but two of their country’s finest gracing the stage at Lincolnshire’s premier Americana music venue to play what would be one of just four shows in the UK during this current European tour.
To be fair, one of tonight’s artists is a familiar and welcome presence around these parts, with Lachlan Bryan returning to these hallowed boards for no less than the fourth time, having previously visited with his other band, The Wildes, as recently as August of this year. However, his partner in crime this evening, Catherine Britt, was making her first appearance at Town Hall Live, though she can boast a highly successful career in both her native Australia and the United States for over two decades. The two have been friends for many years, but it was only in 2021, during Lockdown, that they came together to form The Pleasure, releasing their eponymous debut album in 2023. Their excellent sophomore album “Enemy Of My Enemy” came out earlier this year, and they are currently coming to the end of a European tour that has taken them through the ice and snow of Norway and Sweden to the torrential rain of the UK, travelling most of the journey in two cars. If that doesn’t sound challenging enough, then add in the fact that Britt gave birth only a matter of weeks ago, and you could forgive any signs of fatigue, and yet, along with the rest of the band, that included Brad Bergen on drums, Katie Bates on bass and Andrew Leahey who as well as supplying keyboards also opened up proceedings, more of which later, they took to the stage and immediately hit the afterburners.
The band opened the first of two sets with ‘Was It Something I Said’, the extended guitar riff of the intro from Bryan’s guitar leading the rhythm section into the song as Britt’s distinctive voice took centre stage, taking the lead on this musical conversation with Bryan joining in on the chorus, before taking over on verse two. Much of how the two write together revolves around presenting alternative versions of the same event, Bryan adding the grit and spice to Britt’s sweetness, creating a heart-to-heart dialogue that often reveals a level of tension and vitriol woven into the narrative. The following number, ‘Where The Money Goes’ maintained all the sinister undercurrent as the recorded version, with the jagged pulse from the rhythm section helping to cement the discord.
The first set included three songs from their debut album with another extended intro from Bryan’s guitar leading into ‘Mutual Friends’ which again advertises the conversational nature of the narrative, each taking it in turn to lead the verse, offering a different point of view to the same situation. Of the other two songs, ‘Paranoid’ was pure rock ‘n’ roll that had the local congregation nodding along approvingly, while ‘You Made Another Woman’ resonated with a country twang that reminded everyone where the heart of our two songwriters truly resides as they conjured up the spirit of Tammy Wynette and George Jones, the juxtaposition between the bitter and the sweet, not just in the narrative, but also the deftness of the vocal delivery, epitomising what The Pleasures are all about. Simply sublime. Two further songs from the most recent album included a gorgeous rendition of ‘We’re All A Little Blue’ before the band left the stage, leaving just Bryan and Britt alone to deliver an achingly beautiful ‘Step Away’. This stripped-back arrangement allowed the vocal delivery to elevate every word within the heartbreaking narrative, magnifying the emotional pull to an almost tangible level. Pure country, pure magic, and the perfect way to close the first set.
The second half got underway after a short interval that saw a hive of activity around the merchandise table, with three songs from the latest album. First up, ‘This Might Hurt A Little Bit’ included some delightful slide guitar from Bryan’s Telecaster before the album’s title track with its lyrical narrative deliberately aimed at ex-partners. As with previous numbers, the caustic narrative is matched by the abrasiveness of the accompaniment that intentionally creates a sense of restlessness. This was followed by the soulful ‘Let’s Go Again’ that shows off Britt’s wonderful vocal range, delivering all the power and emotional tension without ever straying beyond the boundaries of the song.
Another trip back to the debut album for the aptly named ‘Every Story Has Two Sides’ saw Bryan and Britt bouncing lines against each other, competing to be heard, with Bryan delivering a stinging guitar solo in the middle, before the band once again left the stage. This time, the duo performed a track requested by someone in the audience which had not originally been part of the set list, but they were more than happy to play with Bryan taking his place behind the piano for a wonderful rendition of ‘Sad Song’. With the stage arrangement remaining the same, the duo then performed ‘It’s Okay (I Know What You Meant)’, a song from the new album, with a narrative that pulls at the heartstrings, delivered here with just the right amount of pathos to leave hardly a dry eye in the hall.
With the band reunited on the stage, it was time for the last couple of songs with Bryan remaining at the piano while Leahey now took on guitar duties, though not until the hilarious story of how the band came to choose their name had been revealed, resulting in much amusement amongst the audience. The laughter had barely subsided as the band shuffled into ‘I Fell For It’ that swayed with all the swagger of a night on the town, before Bryan and Leahey swapped back instruments for the closing number ‘Homewreckers’, with Bryan again excelling on guitar while Britt struggled on manfully after breaking a string on hers, apparently not for the first time on this tour. Unsurprisingly, an encore was vociferously demanded by the crowd, who were doubly rewarded as firstly Bryan and Britt returned to perform an exquisite rendition of Troy Seals and Eddie Setser’s ‘Seven Spanish Angels’ before the remaining members joined them on stage for a raucous execution of ‘The Beginning Of The End’, which had the audience bouncing in their seats, proving the perfect way to close the show.
As mentioned at the beginning of the review, the evening’s performance began with an excellent support slot from Andrew Leahey. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, he started out as a journalist for such literary tomes as ‘Rolling Stone’, ‘Spin’, AllMusic’ and ‘The Washington Post’, before moving to Nashville in 2011, playing guitar, recording, and touring with numerous artists, including Elizabeth Cook, Rodney Crowell, Drew Holcomb and Will Hoge.
Leahey took to the stage alone, acoustic guitar in hand and played ‘Good At Gone’ that immediately grabbed the attention of the local congregation. His music has often been compared to that of Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, music he grew up listening to, and even without his regular band, the comparison resonated within the structure of the melody and vocal delivery. He then invited Katie Bates on stage to play second guitar, a role she maintained for the remainder of the set before informing the audience that legendary singer-songwriter Todd Snider had passed away earlier that day. Such news could very easily have put a negative spin on the evening, but Leahey immediately lifted the mood with ‘Flyover Country’ one of the best songs from his excellent 2019 album “Airwaves”. Two new numbers followed, with ‘Horizons’, the first single from the new album, and ‘Not Like September’ giving every indication that his latest release will be up there with his best. He closed his set with two older songs, starting with ‘Guilty Man’ before closing with the excellent ‘Stay Awake’. This was undoubtedly an excellent if rather short set, and as understandable as that was, it just whetted the appetite for more. So here’s hoping that Andrew Leahey can return to these shores with his own band, The Homestead, in the not-too-distant future.
That’s an exceptional article. I was able to see Lachlan in York this August, and I wish I could have seen this show.
P.S., Back to Mono in Lincoln rocks!
Hi Fred. Glad you enjoyed the review of what I think was one of just four gigs they played in the UK. They were pretty awesome, so let’s hope the next time round they play more venues.