Kezia Gill, backed by a band of top musicians, realised her dream of playing a headline show at Rock City, in the city where she was born. She performed to an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd, which included all of her family and friends, and plenty of fans...
From early beginnings playing pubs and clubs in and around Nottingham and Derby to receiving some of country music’s top awards and establishing herself as a highly respected musician in Nashville itself, Kezia Gill’s rise to fame cannot be understated. Seemingly unaffected by all this success, she still remains the same bubbly smiling girl that used to accompany her father, Eddie, to gigs in the local area, before playing dates on her own. She went on to develop a style that is uniquely hers, encompassing influences that includes Irish, country, folk, and southern rock. Maverick Magazine, that highly respected mouthpiece of country music, were uncannily accurate with their prediction of Kezia’s future prospects a few years ago when they said, "She is no doubt one of Britain’s finest, soon to be one of the world’s finest.”
Before the show, Kezia told me how she’d been born in Nottingham to a musical family with their roots firmly into Irish and country music, which set a solid foundation for her future career in the music industry. Her family subsequently moved to Long Eaton, before heading further west to Derby, where she could regularly be seen playing various local venues. One of these, and one which became one of her favourite haunts (and indeed one she still visits) was The Flowerpot in Derby.
Speaking about her latest album, All On Red, she told me how she’d put everything into getting the project off the ground. As its name suggests, it was a huge gamble: like a single bet on a roulette wheel, she’d put all her resources on becoming an established recording musician in Nashville. Such is this woman's positivity, she’d backed a winner. The project was a resounding success, with her close friend Alyssa Bonagura becoming her producer for the new album.
As you might have already guessed, the support for this show was Alyssa Bonagura, and she lost no time in warming things up nicely for Kezia. Hailing from the city of Franklin in Tennessee, Alyssa is an established name in her own right in Nashville, and is further confirmation of how highly Kezia is held in esteem in the industry. Citing influences from Sheryl Crow and Joni Mitchell, Alyssa has developed her own style along with the sweetest singing voice combined with a pleasing personality.
Accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, she opened up to much applause with Ain't No Way of Stopping This Train, her Southern voice adding a honeyed layer to the song. This was followed by New Wings, an introspective offering that received a respectful ear from the audience, a song stripped down to just gentle vocals and guitar work in which Alyssa poured out her heart in a quest for new beginnings. One number that went down really well when Alyssa played it in Glasgow a couple of nights previously was Wild Mountain Thyme, a traditional Scottish song inspired by a ballad by Robbie Burns. The song was equally well received by the audience in Nottingham.
Like so many others, I was really excited to hear Alyssa’s latest single Hippies and Gypsies played on Bob Harris’s Country show on Radio 2 the previous night, so I was equally enthused to hear it played live tonight. Alyssa related how the song is a true account of how she’d found a guitar in a South Dakota pawnshop whilst travelling to a gig in Montana with her dad, who prompted her to go in and have a look.
The set finished in fine style with I Make My Own Sunshine, setting the stage for what was to be a phenomenal homecoming for Kezia Gill.
During the break, I ventured downstairs to have a chat with Alyssa at the merch stall where she was signing records and posing for photos with fans. She was really approachable and charming, talking excitedly about her upcoming gig in Nottingham in the summer (she’ll be playing at The Bodega on 19th June).
The big moment had finally arrived, Nottingham was ready to welcome Kezia Gill home, and what happened next was nothing short of spectacular. Amongst all the building drama, loud cheering and whistling, and on a brightly lit stage, Kezia triumphantly appeared in the spotlights to the strains of Viva La Vegas, maybe suggestive of the gambles she had taken in her career - and won. Kezia looked fantastic in a tight red catsuit which coordinated fabulously with her naturally red hair. Kezia has a remarkable onstage presence that singles her out as one of the greats, exuding a certain energy that makes you sit up and take notice.
Continuing on the theme of possible fulfilled prophecies, Kezia opened with the rock-driven Life You Always Dreamed Of with its positive lyrics encouraging taking a risk in order to make your dreams a reality. This song appears to be reflective of Kezia’s journey in her life, which was surely coming to fruition this evening, while Kezia’s band were right on the button, with flawless playing from some top musicians adding to a great live experience.
Kezia seamlessly segued into the next number, Dublin’s Outta Whiskey, which forcibly announced its arrival with a loud lead guitar and heavy drum beats. Kezia pulls no punches on this song dealing with broken relationships stating she’d come back when "Dublin runs out of whisky."
This is a number that definitely sits well in the lexicon of country music, dealing with real life issues and the challenges that people face on a daily basis.
Other tracks from the showcased album All On Red were rapturously received by everyone with the same enthusiasm as those previously played, until the band left the stage, leaving Kezia and just her acoustic guitar.
This was to mark a emotional high point in the night’s performance; Kezia’s family and friends were watching from the balcony as Kezia played Local Man’s Star, written in memory of her father Eddie. Of course, Kezia’s dad was instrumental in starting her off on the journey that would see her on the stage at Rock City tonight, and that sentiment was not lost on Kezia who was visibly moved while playing this, as were many of those watching.
Things became more upbeat after the band returned, with a fun track entitled Money In The Bank. Kezia briefly left the stage to reappear in a fur coat and dark glasses, carrying a machine that showered the crowd with fake 100 dollar bills from the ‘Bank of Kezia Gill.’ Despite the theatrics, the song had a serious side to it, suggesting that wealth isn’t everything but love is something that money can’t buy.
Rock City is famous for its mosh pits, and though you wouldn’t expect that tonight, there was a country version of one when Kezia showed that she had no airs and graces, leaving the stage to join the line dancers who were near the front strutting their stuff to If Heaven Has A Honky Tonk.
Storytelling is a fundamental part of country music, and Kezia related how she’d got together with Alyssa at her house in Franklin, Tennessee and wrote This House Would Sing. While staying there, Kezia recognised that the house was very much like the one she’d grown up in with musical paraphernalia everywhere, and so between them they laid this song down. Supposedly the last number of the evening, Alyssa joined Kezia to play resulting in another emotionally charged number, their voices blending together beautifully.
After Kezia and the band left the stage, there were the inevitable calls for more, whereupon Kezia returned to announce, "Kezia Gill doesn’t do encores!" She then disappeared briefly only to reappear in a jacket with ‘Miss Benidorm’ on the back... so it wasn’t Kezia who delivered the final number, Oh Benidorm, but her alter ego.
This was a memorable performance from a remarkable lady of whom Nottingham should be rightly proud. She seen her career soar into the stratosphere, and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Kezia Gill performed at Rock City on 20th February 2026. Kezia Gill portrait and '100 dollar bill' photo below by Claire Spencer.
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