Carly Pearce (with support by Tigirlily Gold) - SEC Armadillo, Glasgow Monday 18th May 2026

As I cruise through my mid-40s and find that I’m now closer to 50 (albeit just!), I’m delighted to say that I’m still excited and enthralled to hear the crunch of power chords in heavy metal, the shredding guitar solos in hard rock and of course, the sentimental highs elicited from a worthy rock power ballad! Writing for Rockfiend, it would be worrying if I was straying from the genres that make up most of the soundtrack to my life! But there is definitely a mellower side to me in middle age and musically, I find that the soothing tones of country music is increasingly becoming my guilty pleasure. Perhaps it’s being brought up in a house full of Glen Campbell, John Denver and Bobby Goldsboro records. It could be that Mrs Griffiths loves the music and as a dutiful husband I have to indulge her likes and passions on occasion. Or maybe it’s because country really is the new rock n roll!



Judging by the almost sold-out crowd at Glasgow’s SEC Armadillo on a Monday night to see country star Carly Pearce on her Inside the Dream tour, Scotland continues its tradition as being a country mad…er… country! Hordes of ticket holder were truly into the spirit of the event with the venue awash with Stetsons, tassels and cowgirl boots. Even Mrs Griffiths wore her cowgirl boots whilst I dug out a denim jacket to keep up the western theme! This was the second time I had seen Carly Pearce live having seen her in Glasgow last year. I was back for more, this time in a bigger venue which can often take the edge away from an artist, so I was interested to see how the night of music next to the River Clyde would pan out.

Before the main act, the support slot was filled by sister duo Tigirlily Gold (apparently pronounced Tie-Girl-Lilly), playing an acoustic set to the Glasgow audience. With an album already under their rhinestone adorned belts, as well as having previously played in the city at the nearby Hydro Arena at Country 2 Country in 2024, many in the crowd were already aware of their music and stood up clapping and singing along throughout. It was a half hour set of radio-friendly polished country-pop that brought a real feel-good vibe to proceedings and as well as their own songs, included an innovative part where the audience could help to pick a cover song from a choice of three by voting via the Set.Live website. I believe the winner was a song by The Chicks. I fear that may have been the only person who voted for ‘Hold On’ by Wilson Phillips! I’m sure this won’t be the last time that the sisters will appear in Glasgow and they’ll see a decent crowd if they ever tour here as a headliner. Plus… I now know who Leroy is and why he’s a bad, bad man!

Kentucky-born Carly Pearce arrived on stage to a rapturous welcome that was akin to a homecoming! Well… there is a Glasgow in Kentucky, so it kind of is! With a minimalist stage set of seven large spotlight lamps and country fair-style bulb string lights above, she started the set with a brand-new song, ‘How Long’. With a sludgy, swampy guitar riff, you could almost smell the Cumberland River in country’s Tennessee heartland, with a driving-rock vibe that is perhaps a tad heavier than some of the singer’s more established songs. This hard rock and metal writer was immediately hooked and if the yet unreleased new album sounds anything like this, we’re in for a treat! The catchy ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ from the Hummingbird album and the wonderful ‘Next Girl’ followed and by that point, Pearce had the audience in the palm of hands.

The laidback sound of ‘Should’ve Known Better’, the oh-so-wonderful yet heartbreakingly sad ‘We Don’t Fight Anymore’ (originally recorded with Chris Stapleton after Pearce messaged his wife on Instagram to persuade him!) and the melodic beauty of the chorus to ‘Never Wanted to be that Girl’ completed a trio of top country ballads that led to a surprise cover of the Fleetwood Mac song ‘Dreams’, with the Glasgow choir in full voice at the chorus.

‘Fault Line’ led to a… well… fault, when the sound died midway through. Unfazed, the Glasgow choir reassembled to help Pearce finish the song before a flurry of activity by the stage crew as they desperately tried to work out what had gone wrong. Being a consummate professional, the singer chose not to leave the stage, instead taking time to speak to some young fans from the edge of the stage. But of course, that turned into an impromptu meet and greet with half of Glasgow for around 15 minutes. Bravo, Carly! Bravo! It’s great to see someone who appreciates their fans. To loud applause, the show started again with a piano-led rendition of ‘Every Little Thing’ and another tearful country ballad, ‘If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay’, a recently released track with Riley Green.

Before playing ‘Church Girl’, there was an immensely profound moment where Peace proclaimed her faith and expressed her thanks to God for her career, explaining that she genuinely believes that Jesus Christ is there for each and every one of us. I’ve never been a fan of mixing politics or religion with music or when artists virtue signal from the stage, even though I have my own faith. But when it is expressed in such a stark and honest manner, without preaching or forcing beliefs onto others, it can have a very strong impact. It was pleasing to hear a few claps of support and no moans or groans from those who don’t share her beliefs. It was a simple moment of sharing something intimate with fans, whilst pushing the point that some religious people (and non-religious people) can be incredibly judgemental and that it’s important to rise above the noise and be who you are. It’s pretty much the lyrical message of ‘Church Girl’ and an important life lesson, irrespective of beliefs.

‘Truck on Fire’ raised the tempo, with women of all ages on their feet dancing around whilst another new track, ‘Same Circus’, was a take on Pearce’s own past experiences of relationships. ‘You Can Have Him’ and another newbie, ‘Dream Come True’ led to main set closer ‘I Hope You’re Happy Now’, with the whole venue standing and singing along. An encore of ‘Happy for Myself’ and the brilliant ‘What He Didn’t Do’ brought the evening to a close, with Pearce taking a well-deserved bow with her band of “four big brothers”. What an evening it was!

Carly Pearce is a true talent in country music. Her faultless voice and undeniable songwriting skills have a knack of burrowing into the souls of her audience because she sings about real life and things people can relate to. Pearce herself noted that every time she returns to Glasgow, the venues get bigger, so perhaps she’ll be moving a few hundred yards to the Hydro Arena the next time she’s in town! It was special night of songs about breakups, heartbreak, shame, alcohol, trucks, fun times and God and Jesus thrown in for good measure! It’s what country music should be like and it was a privilege to witness such a special performance.

Carly Pearce completes her UK Tour with dates in Belfast and Dublin (I know… it’s Ireland!) before heading back to United States for dates throughout the summer.