LIVE REVIEW: RiverTown Festival @ St George's Bristol

Last night July 23rd) RiverTown Festival continued in Bristol with a headline show from Nashville TV star Sam Palladio AKA Gunnar Scott. Palladio was supported on the night by UK country quartet The Wandering Hearts, and US sensation Sarah Darling.

The night in the stifling hot St George’s Venue started with stunning harmonies and barnstorming country/folk from The Wandering Hearts who received a great reception as they belted out hits such as ‘Wild Silence’ and debut single ‘Wish I Could’.

They also brought rapturous applause by singing one track completey away from the microphones and totally enchanted the capacity crowd with their soaring voices. They have no doubt gained a whole new fan base.

After a short interval it was time for honoury Brit Sarah Darling to take to the stage. She kicked off her stellar set with old favorite ‘Home To Me’, before belting out newer hits such as: Halley’s Comet’, ‘Montmarte’ and ‘Where Cowboys Ride’.

With her easy charm and effortless stage presence combined with her honey sweet vocals, Darling had the crowd in the palm of her hand as she premiered a brand new track for the very first time.

The stunning ballad is titled Shine and was a real highlight in the set. It’s a gorgeous song about finding true love and will no doubt be a massive fan favourite on her next studio album due for release in 2019.

Another new track was ‘Time Lapse’ which is an outstanding song that has been inspired by Sarah’s time in London, Nashville and native Iowa, along with C2C favourite Shimmer and Gold which is an instant classic.

Halfway through her 40 minute set, Sarah brought the house down by bringing on Sam Palladio for a spine tingling performance of Anchor. Their voices were just superb in such an intimate venue.

Sarah ended her slot with newest single ‘Diamonds’ which has become a massive fan favourite since its release earlier this year.

After another short break, it was time for the main act: Sam Palladio. He arrived on stage to rapturous applause and kicked off with ‘ ‘Hello HeartBreak Blues’ which won the crowd over instantly.

His set was a mix of old and new as he performed hit songs off Nashville including cult classic ‘Fade Into You’, rock infused ‘Gun For A Mouth’ and the stunning original ‘Wake Me Up In Nashville’ which has been a fan favourite for some years now.

Palladio had an easy charm and was definitely in his element in what was his first headline show. He had the crowd with him all the way with his funny actedotes and stunning vocals.

He also performed some new tracks which will feature on his debut studio album which is set for release next year, with him heading into the recording studio this month.

For his encore, Sam brought The Wandering Hearts’ AJ Dean Back on stage for a stunning rendition of ‘Dock Of The Bay.

All in all this latest RiverTown Festival date was a huge success and despite the heat in the room, it was a fun filled evening with great music and a relaxed atmosphere that is synonymous with Country gigs.

RATING: 5/5

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