Billy Driscoll

In front of a small Teatro Lounge audience, in Clevedon, singer-songwriter Billy Driscoll opened his sing-along covers gig with the same electrifying energy and heartfelt vulnerability that he’s become renowned for.

Back from recording his new EP in Nashville, Billy was in playful mood and encouraged the audience to shout out requests and he would try and play, even if he did not know the songs.

Wasting no time, he immediately captured the crowd’s attention with Bruce Springsteen’s rocking crowd-pleaser “Dancing in the Dark”, setting the tone for the rest of an enjoyable evening.

This was followed by US singer Alex Warren’s smash hit “Ordinary”, which has notched up 12 weeks at number one in the UK – the longest chart reign since Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” in 2017 but more of Ed later.

We were off and running and what followed was an eclectic mix of country-rock, Americana, chart toppers, and audience favourites.

He kept the excitement alive as he launched into “You Should Probably Leave" by American

singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton, the third single from his fourth studio album “Starting Over”. It describes a story of an on-again, off-again couple who cannot seem to keep themselves from coming back to one another, even though they know their story will not end well.

Billy brought his more thoughtful vocal to this one, closely followed by “Something I’d Do” by Bruce Milligan and the Who classic, “Behind Blue Eyes” from Pete Townsend’s “Tommy” rock musical.

Another country classic “When It Rains It Pours” by Luke Combs, about a man gaining a streak of luck after his girlfriend left him, something that Combs himself had similarly gone through that acted as the basis for the song's creation, was followed by “Ho Hey", a song by American folk-rock band The Lumineers.

Next up, Billy got rocking with one of two Mumford and Sons songs he was to perform, “I Will Wait” with a strong vocal and harmony, in which he beat the hell out of the chorus.

A change of pace soon came with a stripped-back rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, and then the infectious hook and lively energy of “A Bar Song” by Shaoozey.

Perhaps the most memorable moment of the night came next when Billy performed his

self-penned country ballad “Only I” which he has recently recorded in Nashville and will be officially released in November.

Next up was my request, Luke Combs’ “Where the Wild Things Are” and then another audience request - “Perfect” by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran from his third album.

A banging cover of Bruce’s “Glory Days”, another of my asks, bookended “I Had Some Help”, the first collaboration between Post Malone and Morgan Wallon which deals with how partners can equally influence the end of their bond. The song reminds listeners of the shared responsibilities that contribute to the success or failure of human connections.

On the same theme, “Human” by Rag’n’Bone Man followed and is a song expressing the angst of the human condition and the inability of humans to be perfect or even fix many of the real problems in life.

The daughter of one of our friends who had come to watch Billy, was thrilled when he pitched into "Bad Guy" a song from her favourite singer American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish. This was the fifth single from her first studio album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”.

With more than a smile, Billy then responded to a shout-out from the crowd and played “I Wanna Be Like You”, the monkey song sung by Louis Prima and Phil Harris in Walt Disney ‘s 1967 movie “The Jungle Book”. The song was written by songwriters Robert and Richard Sherman, and was performed by Prima as King Louie, with Phil Harris providing additional vocals as Baloo the bear.

Then Billy surprised the audience with a cover of Tracey Chapman’s “Fast Car”, offering a fresh take on the viral track which tells the story of a working woman trying to escape the cycle of poverty.

Returning to Mumford and Sons, Billy ended the night with “Little Lion Man” featured on their 2009 album, “Sigh No More”. The song is about the difficulties that people experience as they emotionally grow and mature. The damage that they bring upon themselves and their relationships through their own pride and stubbornness. An enjoyable night all round.