THE FRONT ROW

Tucked into the cosy heart of York’s music scene, Forty Five Vinyl Café & Listening Room once again proved why it’s one of the most treasured live spaces in the city last night, hosting a soul-stirring country double-bill that had both boots tapping and eyes welling up.

Opening the evening was Lancashire’s Amy Jo – a rising name in the folk-Americana sphere and a real one-to-watch ahead of her 2025 debut release. Hailing from Morecambe and bringing northern charm in spades, Amy Jo delivered a confident and emotionally resonant set, joined by guitarist Callum who added warmth and depth to her acoustic-driven songs. There’s a delicate power to her songwriting – tracks like Caught Me On a Bad Day and Shoulder Pads stood out as honest reflections on heartbreak, self-image, and navigating modern womanhood.

Yet it was the new material that hinted at something even more exciting on the horizon. Still unreleased, these songs felt bolder, more rhythmically diverse, and showcased a clear evolution in her craft. Amy Jo’s voice, rich with lived experience and delivered with a disarming softness, makes you stop and really listen. For an opener, she set the bar high and had the room utterly silent – in the best possible way.

Then came the main event: Diamonds and Whiskey, albeit in a stripped-back, three-piece formation, took to the intimate Forty Five stage like seasoned pros adjusting with ease. Frontwoman Jennifer Lauren, every bit the charismatic Southern storyteller, transformed the venue into a Nashville dive bar for the night – whiskey-soaked vocals, tales of personal pain and perseverance, and a whole lot of grit.

Accompanied by the legendary “Big Sexy” – who somehow managed to play both bass and guitar on a hybrid instrument with wild skill – and a makeshift drum setup that looked like it had been assembled from a pub’s lost property, the band leaned into the chaos with humour and heart. If anything, the lo-fi staging only amplified the intimacy.

From the start, it was clear this was going to be more than just a country gig. Jennifer’s storytelling wove through the set like thread through denim – whether she was talking about her upbringing in North Carolina or sharing her battles with cancer and Lyme disease since the age of 12, she had the audience hanging on every word. Hero and Warrior were absolute gut-punches in the best way: raw, emotional, and inspiring without slipping into sentimentality. You could feel the room collectively exhale after each one.

But it wasn’t all tears and tales – Blonde Ambition brought a swaggering rock and roll edge to the set, with a raucous energy that defied the stripped-down setup. The trio even threw in a few well-chosen covers for good measure: a haunting take on The Cranberries’ Zombie and a swagger-laced version of Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ that had the crowd grinning ear to ear.

Diamonds and Whiskey proved they don’t need the full five-piece firepower to deliver a show. This was storytelling at its finest – human, humorous, heart-wrenching – and all delivered with the raw edge that country music, at its core, is all about.

York, you were treated to something special. Let’s hope they come back soon – and that Amy Jo’s debut headline isn’t too far off.