Rising country star Warren Zeiders strolled onto the O2 stage tonight with an air of confidence, boosted by a nearly sold-out venue. There can’t have been many tickets left, which speaks volumes not only for the state of country music in the UK but also for Zeiders’ career, which, like the genre itself, is only growing. You can see why: he is a bundle of country-rock energy, striding around the stage with the crowd in his hand. They were loving it and needed little encouragement to join in.

‘No Brakes’, his fifth album, sees the continuation of the high-quality songwriting that has earned him several Gold and Platinum albums. The newer material fits in really well with the older stuff in a live setting, with songs like ‘Heartbreaker’, ‘Drinking Game’ and ‘Leaving Looks Good on You’, alongside the No.1 hit ‘Pretty Little Poison’ and new single ‘Overrated’, during which he was joined on stage by Bella Mae. He kept the crowd in a very loud mood, and rightly so. With his gravelly, soul-tinged country delivery, he had them loving every minute. We all were.

On this form, the future looks very bright for this charismatic, natural live performer, and we, along with everyone here tonight, can’t wait for a return visit from this rising star.

Photos by Geoff Griffe
Review by Jenny Griffe.