Alice Merton whips Nashville into an absolute frenzy

The year was 2016 and I was sipping an espresso in a small Italian cafe. There wasn’t anything particularly special about this establishment: the food was basic and unassuming, the coffee was okay. Suddenly, over the mediocre sound system came a song that immediately made me panic to find the shazam button on my iPhone. The song was “No Roots” and the artist was Alice Merton — a name I had never heard of.

It was rhythmic, hypnotic, and, for days after, I couldn’t get the chorus out of my head.

Over the next eight years, she toured the world, opening a massive tour for UK legends Bastille. I would secretly find myself hoping beyond hope that she would book a tour date in Nashville, but much to my dismay, that wouldn’t happen until Monday, May 13th. 

The Basement East was filled to about half capacity when I walked in during the first few songs of Dallas native Juliana Madrid. Her one-woman show consisted of a healthy mix of folk and indie acoustic pop. Her songs were pleasant and vibey and I wondered to myself what they would sound like with the full power of a band behind her. Standout songs from her set included “Dreams”, “Just Enough”, and “Pretend”. I highly recommend her music if you enjoy singer/songwriter types similar to Kacey Musgraves. 

Alice Merton took the stage like a rocket exploding into space!

She wasted absolutely no time getting the crowd’s blood flowing with her insanely catchy song “Run Away Girl”. For the next hour or so, she would be bouncing all over the stage while the audience went absolutely insane. At one moment, Alice burst out laughing uncontrollably because a fan was screaming her songs back at her in such a frenzy that it seemed to take her by surprise. She stopped to call the fan out and thank him for knowing the lyrics to every single song, even the ones from her brand new EP, Heron.

Alice Merton is the type of artist that not only knows how to put on an amazing show, but she actually cares about her fans. In all the shows I have attended in the past two years, she was the first headliner to make sure to spend an extra hour at the venue meeting fans, signing merch, and taking photos. In my opinion, there isn’t a lot of that happening much these days at shows and it highlights a true commitment to her fans. Alice Merton’s show at The Basement East is currently the frontrunner for best shows I have seen this year and, going forward, I will travel almost anywhere in the US to see her again! 10/10 

Photography by Derek Jones

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