Morgan Wade / Karley Scott Collins / Sammy Harrison - O2 Academy, Glasgow 30th March 2025
Reviewed by Iain McArthur • 1 April 2025
I’ve been watching a lot of Married at First Sight Australia on TV recently and I know that me and Morgan Wade would never be matched together by the experts on that show. I’m a boring old Scottish grandad that’s into melodic rock and old-school metal, while she’s a young, kick-ass, talented nu-country girl that’s tattooed, out-and-proud and into power-lifting. But we both like Elvis and the other thing we have in common is authentic, powerful and evocative alt-country music with crossover appeal; she writes it and sings it and I like listening to it, so tonight we’re on our first live date, along with about 2,000 other people in the East End of Glasgow.
This was a very short UK Tour (with one date in Ireland and one in The Netherlands) in advance of Morgan going on tour in the USA with Shinedown for most of this year. The stage was set up with an Obsessed-themed curtain / carpet, plus stools and guitars, so it was clear that this would be an entirely acoustic evening. I usually prefer my music and my chairs to be electric and, like Muse’s Baby, I think things are generally better plugged in, but Morgan is predominantly an acoustic writer and performer and this suits her just fine. The whole evening was unplugged but with an increasing number of musicians and instruments involved as we progressed through a 3-act bill there was nothing lacking.
First up on the carpet was a young English chap called Sammy Harrison, who was all on his own busker-style with just a guitar and a baseball cap for back-up. Formerly performing as ‘Rising Fever’ he delivered a short folky set with country undertones, of which the highlight was a brand-new track called ‘Shining Boy’. Sammy is a likeable character with a nice line in chat and he clearly enjoyed being on the big stage and touring with Nashville royalty, and he also had family in the crowd who will have enjoyed it too.
Karley Scott Collins used to be a child actor in TV and movies (and some TV movies) but recently she’s been making a name for herself as a country writer and performer and was a CMT ‘Next Women of Country’ honoree in 2024. She certainly looked and sounded the part and made a big impression on this Scottish audience.
After draping her long limbs over a stool and sweeping her hair out of her eyes, Karley blew everyone away with her opening number: a gloriously harmonic “driving away from heartbreak” song called ‘Hands on the Wheel’ that really grabbed the attention.
On the cover of her brand-new single, Karley presents a perter version of the Bruce ‘Born in the USA’ art-work pose and the song references the great man in its lyrics; “Damn, if he didn’t make me a believer, like the first time Springsteen on the speakers”. The song itself is exceptionally lush and sounds like a love letter to Levi-wearing, sleeve-tattooed, motorcycle-riding American bad boys in general rather than one specific one, but it is top quality and warmed up an already balmy Scottish Spring evening.
Karley’s songs tell her own story. ‘Runner’ is a “first cut is the deepest” broken heart tale, ‘Quit You’ is about addiction, ‘Heavy Metal’ refers to an old friend who’s wedding ring is weighing her down and ‘Marlboro Reds’ recounts some of the stuff she learned from her Nana during smoke breaks.
With all of this contemporary song-writing goodness on offer, it was almost a shame to include a cover, even if it was ‘The House of the Rising Sun’, but it did allow Karley’s “Plus One” to show his guitar skills (sadly, I did not catch his name). It sounded like the lady had enjoyed her day in Glasgow too, with visits to the Necropolis and Scotia Bar, which were good choices. Karley will be on tour with Keith Urban in the USA for a good chunk of 2025 and that should win her even more admirers.
There is much to savour from Karley Scott Collins and she is well-worth checking out. You might initially come for the blonde hair and long legs, but y’all will want to stay for the warm country tones and a collection of mighty-fine songs. Haste ye back.
Morgan Wade has built a passionate following in this country through previous visits and the large crowd were clearly emotionally invested in her from the start. ‘Phantom Feelings’ was a great opener and allowed Morgan to introduce the band; that’s Clint Wells on guitar and Tyler James on keyboards and guitar, although the latter also whipped out a trumpet during ‘Deconstruction’.
Most of the set was drawn from ‘Obsession’ and 2021’s ‘Reckless’ but a brand-new track ‘East Coast’ was an early winner. Like most of her impressive catalogue, it is a beautifully observed and relatable story laced with poignancy and feeling. The original features a nuanced electric solo but this version also hits the spot without it.
A long-sleeved top and jeans covered most of Morgan’s body art but she still wears her heart on her sleeve and some of her songs can really rip a hole in your chest, not least the raw and lonesome ‘Left Me Behind’ and a plaintive rendition of ‘Crossing State Lines’ which really hit the spot. There was no ‘Stand by Your Man’ bullshit on display here and this is not your granny’s country & western.
Seated throughout, Morgan was an understated presence on-stage but she engaged warmly with her people between the songs with a bit of “y’all” chat and the crowd were hanging on her every word. There was good banter between the players too, culminating in a surprise ‘Happy Birthday’ serenade for Tyler, who really added something to the performance on the night.
The real show-stopper in the set was the lascivious emotional longing of ‘Take Me Away’ from the ‘Reckless’ album – a slow-burning classic that built up to an intense crowd sing-along and you could just tell that everyone there wanted to feel something too. If this song does not become the soundtrack to a big love scene between Beth Dutton and Rip then the producers of Yellowstone have truly missed a trick.
A few more different emotions get twanged with songs like ‘Psychopath’ and ‘2AM in London’ and a rendition of ‘Total Control’ was apparently the first time that track had been played in an acoustic format. It worked.
The show ended in the only way it could, with ‘Wilder Days’ – a breakthrough song with broad crossover appeal that the audience loudly enjoyed singing back. At least three of my gnarly rock veteran colleagues on the Rockfiend staff are believers in Ms Wade and her work. It’s probably for the best that her own truly wild days are behind her, with booze replaced by fitness, strength work and song-writing, but she has stories to tell and a great way of sharing them.
At the next MAFS commitment ceremony, I’m definitely going to be voting ‘stay’ and whenever Ms Wade returns to our shores, I’ll be turning up to share a second date, and I think there will be even more folks along for the ride with us. Get on board the Wade train while you can.
