Nashville Meets London wasn’t just all about US stars this weekend. The event also showcased some homegrown talent and on Saturday Scottish singer-songwriter Kevin McGuire, who is picking up quite the buzz, was one of the performers. Before he arrived on stage, it was announced that up until that morning McGuire hadn’t been able to speak after losing his voice. Intense steam inhalation helped him regain his voice and he trooped on through his performance proving to be a real professional.
Even with his voice issues, and some dodgy sound problems from the festival’s setup, McGuire managed to shine brightly during his Nashville Meets London set. Opening with See You On The Weekend, McGuire instantly connected with the audience. His sound is very contemporary Country, think somewhere between Rascal Flatts, Hunter Hayes and Sam Hunt, and if you didn’t know where he hailed from you’d likely think he was from Nashville.
One of the first highlights of the set came on the superb Late. McGuire integrates an R&B vocal delivery into the song and it’s one of many signs that he’d fit in well on Country radio in the US. His newer material, including recent single 3AM leans towards the more pop-influenced is dominating the genre at the moment. For those that have been fans of McGuire’s for a while, he did dig deeper into his catalogue with older material such as the punchy Runnin’ Back, the riff-laden Dreamin’ and the more pop/rock of Hometown Girl.
Towards the end of the set McGuire performed a cover of Rascal Flatt’s What Hurts the Most and it’s clear the trio have had a lasting impression on him. He did the song justice and put his own stamp on.
McGuire brought his set to a close with current single Alright, Tonight. It was the perfect end to a set that was thoroughly entertaining and showed a lot of promise for the rising star. You could tell the progression from his earlier material to the newer songs and he could well be one of the first UK Country artists to authentically capture the modern Nashville sound. I’ll be keeping my eye on McGuire and look forward to seeing him in a more intimate surrounding when his voice is back to its full power.
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Set list: 1. See You On The Weekend 2. Everything 3. All Torn Up 4. The Sound 5. Late 6. Dreamin’ 7. Rain Falls High 8. Just Ain’t The Same 9. What Hurts The Most 10. 3AM 11. Runnin’ Back 12. Hometown Girl 13. Alright, Tonight Performance date: 22nd July 2017
