Kacey Musgraves

Photo credit: Spin

Kacey Musgraves is only getting better and better, returning to the UK in October for her first England tour in 3 years. Since then, she has won a Grammy for her sophomore album Pageant Material, released the critically acclaimed Golden Hour, and had a high profile tour with Harry Styles. Her tour, titled the ‘Oh, What a World Tour’, is named after the song on Golden Hour, and is sure to feature many other songs from the album, including the disco High Horse and hits Butterflies and Slow Burn.

Musgraves remains one of the few country singers to break into the pop mainstream, and while she is no Taylor Swift or Shania Twain, she rejects the misogynistic, cliched lyrics of country music, instead opting for an openness regarding drug usage, religion and most importantly, sexuality, turning her into a sort of queer icon. Undoubtedly, her shows will be an all-inclusive safe space for people.

While Musgraves has received acclaim for her fusion of pop and country, fans of her older music should not be worried as songs like Follow Your Arrow and Merry Go ’Round are sure staples of her setlist – with only three albums out, there isn’t too much room for variation.

And for those planning to arrive at the Bristol Hippodrome late, don’t! It’s especially worth skipping on the pre-gig drinks to see opening act Soccer Mommy, who is one of the prominent women of this year’s female-fronted indie rock explosion. Don’t let her name fool you, she released her debut album Clean this year, mixing the sorrow and angst of teenage heartbreak skilfully. Though Musgraves and Soccer Mommy seem to have little in common, they both deliver a honesty that many pop songs lack, and represent the rising of women in traditionally male-dominated genres.