‘So rogue’: Country star Shania Twain turns London bar into a salon | Shania Twain

IAt the Shacklewell Arms in east London, the usual crowd of hipsters and indie music fans has been replaced by a crowd wearing cheetah print, double-breasted jeans and cowboy hats to honor the night’s headliner: Shania Twain.

Jack, 28, who came with his sister Amy, said: “We thought we might have been scammed when we saw the ticket advert.” “Why would you set up a bar that small?”

There was a collective feeling of disbelief among the 200 lucky ticket holders that they were about to see the best-selling country artist perform in a dingy back room. Friends Emma, ​​26, and Ava, 28, thought it was “very rogue” to see Twain in a pub that used to be their local haunt.

The Shacklewell Arms was transformed into an old-school saloon for the night to honor Twain, with a wall of cowboy hats and complimentary bandanas. Fans traveled from all over the UK to attend the once-in-a-lifetime gig. Nathan, 35, from Scotland, covered in vintage goods, was here to see it for the eighth time. “Why are you doing this? I don’t care. I usually only see her at big parties. So it’s special to see her up close and personal.”

Just minutes later, Twain came on stage and announced: “Shacklewell Arms! Here we go. Are you ready?” She then released her new single, Dirty Rosie.

Once the song was finished, Twain, wearing a tight black suit with matching shoes, welcomed the audience. [her] First time in a bistro since [she] “He was a child.” “When I was a kid, I started out in stages like this,” Twain said. “They would say, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the stage Little Miss Twain.’ “I would go up there and sing my country’s songs.”

For one hour, Twain was back to being a bar singer in a cramped, sweaty room. Each song was interspersed with a quick anecdote. “No One Needs to Know” was written in the room at the golf resort where she worked. Come On Over was “a very weak album title”, but it represented the “inclusive and welcoming” feeling she wanted. Pat Benatar’s Hit Me with the Best You Got influenced Twain to write This Doesn’t Impress Me Much.

The relaxed atmosphere prompted Twain to ask about the UK fans’ favorite songs. The audience responded unanimously with When, a top 20 hit from Come On Over. So Twain treated the fans sincerely with a snippet of the chorus, followed by “You’ve Won My Love,” “Don’t Be Stupid,” and “From This Moment On.”

Twain’s intimate performance at the bar is part of the rollout of her seventh studio album Little Miss Twain, which will be released on July 24. As Twain told the young audience: “This album is about the stages of my life before I got my recording contract. I was playing in bars from the time I was eight until I was in my late twenties. Little Miss Twain was just trying to become a recording artist.”

The show also served as a warm-up for Twain as she prepares to play Wembley Stadium for the first time in her career, supporting Harry Styles’ 12-night mini-residency.

Three decades into her recording career, Twain’s star shows no signs of abating. Her enduring status as a cultural icon is due in part to her intelligent musical efforts to always expand her fan base.

“It’s a brilliant show,” said Al-Amin Abdel Mahmoud, a Canadian cultural writer and host of Commotion. “It takes a certain kind of mind to say, ‘Country music is basically what I am, but that doesn’t mean I have to sacrifice the ambition of pop music.'” At some point, she was picking up the entire genre and carrying it on her back. Not to mention that for many “millennial kids” like Nathan, Twain was the soundtrack to my childhood and at the same time “brought me new music to enjoy as an adult.”

At the Shacklewell Arms, Twain felt “complete” as she returned to the pub stage after 52 years. Although the same can’t be said for some fans who were expecting the guy! I feel like a woman! to be the show’s closing song and instead got a cover of Cotton Eye Joe. Sure enough, Twain heard chants of “one more song” as she exited the bar.