Courtney Hadwin Rocks the Room at The Anvil, Bournemouth
Touring her debut album, Little Miss Jagged, modern rock singer Courtney Hadwin made the journey to The Anvil in Bournemouth this past Saturday.
Hadwin first entered the music scene at just 13 years old with her spellbinding, powerful audition for America’s Got Talent that captured the attention of many across the globe. Since then, she has been working hard at her sound, refusing to conform to certain expectations of her. After breaking out on her own and becoming an independent artist two years ago, she has been steadily releasing her gritty, blues-rock tracks and has now finally released her impressive debut album.
At the Bournemouth show, no time was wasted with Hadwin’s band set up and ready to go ahead of time, noting that they may be missing someone key. Weaving her way through the crowd, Hadwin took to the stage, launching into a performance of Steady rock steady. Her stage presence was immediate, with her commanding voice and energetic movements rendering it impossible to look away.
Finishing up the track, she introduced the next by teasing, “We’re gonna get a bit dirty for this song”. Dirty is the second track from her album and is just one example on the record of her unique sound, combining old school blues and modern rock. Live, her tracks lean more into the rock aspect, feeling heavier, more powerful and making for a dynamic performance.
Next up on the setlist was JAGGED, a single that Hadwin noted as inspiring and influencing her album, despite not making the track list. The song explores the idea of being imperfect, and embracing that individuality, a theme which loops throughout many of the album tracks.
Before taking the audience on a mesmerising performance of Sixteen, she told the story of its inception. Having signed to record labels at a young age off the back of America’s Got Talent, she was often encouraged to pursue a style that just didn’t fit who she was. Labels struggled to place her sound, pushing her to do writing session after writing session to figure it out. On Sixteen, she sings, “no one here is even listening”, perhaps speaking of those higher-ups that failed to recognise her uniqueness.
Later in the set, she performed Different kinda pretty, a song that encourages the listener to be authentic to themselves, as Hadwin has learnt to do. Following that up, she played Call me back, one of the first tracks released after she became an independent artist. It was a perfect and natural transition in the set, symbolizing the moment she started her own journey to authenticity as an artist.
After her time on America’s Got Talent, Hadwin launched her official music career with the track, Breakable. As the first song she ever released, it is one that she now always makes sure to include in her live shows, explaining that she wouldn’t be here without it. The song carries a much softer, pop sound compared to her more recent work but she still manages to bring her gritty, powerhouse vocals to the live rendition.
Monsters is a thunderous song that explores battles with so-called ‘monsters’, whether these be inner demons or external struggles. Alternatively, if you’re the man from her Newcastle crowd, it’s about your ex as Hadwin she recounted the amusing moment a crowd member confidently exclaimed that the song she had written was in fact about his ex. It wasn’t the only time that Hadwin provided some light-hearted realness, also having a good rapport with Bournemouth’s crowd, dealing with harmless drunken attendees in a humorous yet sweet manner.
Die and stay pretty is what Hadwin claims as her most personal song ever written. It is also another track she can’t not play, as given how many people have personally told her that they relate to this song, and what it means to them. This was shortly followed by the seemingly last track, Timeless, a rock-ballad where Hadwin’s soaring vocals filled the room, carrying an emotional weight behind every word.
Of course, it wasn’t quite the last as she jokingly asked the audience if they even wanted another one, since they didn’t seem enthusiastic enough. She closed out with Pretty Little Thing, an unreleased track that was the original song she auditioned with for America’s Got Talent all the way back in 2018. It was a circular way to end the gig, reminding audiences of the stellar vocals and electric performance that kickstarted her career.
