Kelsea Ballerini - O2 Institute, Birmingham - 24th February 2023

First thing I’ve got to say is I am not a fan of O2 venues and I try to avoid them as much as I can. Sadly a lot of the country music artists that visit the UK, especially the more commercially minded, inevitably end up at a selection of them. So it was with Kelsea Ballerini. But you gotta do what you gotta do when you want to catch Kelsea on her first visit to the UK since 2019.

That in itself feels weird, I’ve not been a huge fan or anything but it feels like I’ve seen Kelsea an inordinate amount of times; this is my third time. From supporting Lady Antebellum in 2017, the main stage at C2C in London in 2019, to 2023 and her headline UK tour. Apart from the big singles (‘XO’, ‘Peter Pan’, ‘Miss Me More’, etc) the Ballerini hasn’t really been on my radar but that changed in 2020’s lockdown with Kelsea which felt like a move to another level. Following by 2022’s Subject To Change it felt like there was a shift in her songwriting, and that was before her unflinching recent EP, Rolling Up The Welcome Mat.

And so to a Friday night in Birmingham, with an opening set from talented hitmaker in the making, Georgia Webster - a mix of singalongs and heartbreakers - and a crowd that seemed up for a good night, the scene was set. Obviously with a new album you expect it to be new song heavy but it was a brave set from the Knoxville native, with four of the first five songs from Subject To Change. The choices were strong though with the title track and ;The Little Things’ kicking it all off, the single ‘Love Is A Cowboy’ following soon after, and then the almighty singalongs ‘If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)’ and ‘You’re Drunk, Go Home’ making the most of the Brum crowds energy.

It’s a confident performer that throws away ‘Love Me Like You Mean It’, ‘Dibs’ and ‘Yeah Boy’ out in a medley within the first ten minutes and doesn’t bother with ‘XO’ at all. Dropping a lovely version of ‘homecoming queen’, duetting with Georgia Webster, halfway through is a nice move, as is tackling just one song from her very personal EP.

The energy in the room was the best I’ve seen for a long time, and the new songs lend themselves to being played live, with vibrancy. At times it was hard to hear Kelsea sing so loud was the crowd singing along, surprisingly so on newer songs, including ‘Penthouse’, which has been out all of about ten days.

So, a cracking show from an artist who’s growing as a performer and as a songwriter in her own right. I can’t wait for the fourth time, it’s gonna be a charm.