Holy shit. That was a bit good.
We had the absolute pleasure of heading down to the beautiful Ritz in Manchester to catch the amazing Drake Milligan during his first ever, sold out run of UK headline shows. We got there half an hour before doors and were already queuing around the block, signalling just how big of a name the guy is going to be moving forward. But how was the show? Well, outside of the statement above, we’re here to tell you all about it!
Firstly, opening for Drake on this run is the amazing Luke Flear. I’d never heard of the Leeds lad before Saturday night but damn, he didn’t half impress me! Obvious Bon Jovi comparisons aside (the hair, the voice, the fact that he played ‘Dead or Alive’…) Luke has an incredibly interesting sound and style for a UK artist. Country is still in its infancy stages with a lot of artists out here, so to see someone so comfortably writing excellent country songs is amazing to see. Personal highlights for me were ‘Looks Country to Me’ and the beautiful piano ballad, ‘Red Vodka’. However, for just one man on a big stage by himself, he has such a fantastic presence that more than filled it out. And he had the crowd on his side throughout the entire set too, not something easily achieved when you’re the sole opener for a sold out, big name. If you ever get the chance to see him live, I would highly recommend it,as he put on one hell of a show. Hopefully next time I see him, he can have a band backing him, as the songs pop off even more on track!
After a short break, we were then hit by one of the best shows I think I’ve ever seen. I’d heard how good Drake and his band were across the three nights they did Islington, but I somehow still wasn’t quite prepared for what I witnessed. This was an absolute masterclass of life country music, both traditional and modern.
Opening on a phenomenal cover of ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, right out of the gate it showcases not only Drakes talent for playing, vocals and performance, but also immediately highlights every other member of the band, too. Then, whether it was Dallas/Forth Worth powerhouses like ‘Bad Day to Be a Beer’ and ‘Over Drinkin’ Under Thinkin’’, or Jukebox EP tracks like ‘I Got a Problem’ or the title track, the early set was already a huge, loud, crowd singalong. Heck, he even managed to get the crowd singing to two so-far unreleased tracks, both of which are fantastic. So, by the time we got to ‘What I Couldn’t Forget’, ‘Dance of a Lifetime’ and ‘Kiss Goodbye All Night’, I’m shocked the crowd had any voices left at all! Then we still had awesome covers like ‘Burning Love’, ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ (sped up, heavied up and awesome) and of course the epic, raucous closer ‘Sounds Like Something I’d Do’. We got nearly two hours worth of a set, over 20 tracks, and it was sadly over in a flash still. Heck, we even got Drake’s breakout Christmas track, much to the love of the crowd!
And, just as good as the songs that were played, was the show each and every performer put on. I don’t think I’ve quite seen someone as born to be a showman as Drake Milligan is. He’s the perfect blend of Elvis and George Strait, holding the crowd in the palm of his hand from the very first note to the very last. His vocals are just as insanely impressive as they are on track; while I honestly don’t know how anyone has that much energy to move/shake around so much, as well as have that level of charisma, for such a long set. However, the rest of the band also put on one hell of a show, too. Whether it was interacting with Drake or with each other, they were just as energetic, and looked like they were having a blast on stage. Everyone complimented each other perfectly, and are all also criminally underrated players. Their solos at the end all showed just how amazing they are, and was another huge highlight moment of the night for me.
Overall, it was one of the best gigs I think I’ve ever been to, honestly. Luke was amazing, but Drake Milligan and his band are just on another level. I’ve seen plenty of bands in my day, be it country or otherwise, and very few are anywhere close to the show I witnessed on Saturday night. Everything from the performance to the songs to the sound to just Drake’s endearingly cocky personality just worked so well together. I’ve honestly never heard 1500 people get so loud, either. I cannot recommend Drake enough, on track but especially live. He’s well on his way to becoming a massive name in country, and I don’t think he’s ever going to be playing venues this small over here again. It was a party through and through, and the crowd made it just as good as everything else. It’s been a fantastic year for live music here at Overtone, but goddamn, I think Drake Milligan just took the cake!