Warren Zeiders w/ Bellah Mae @ O2 Academy Bristol - 15/10/26
Warren Zeiders rides into Bristol promoting latest album ‘No Brakes’ albeit not firing on all cylinders
Tonight, the O2 Academy in Bristol welcomes back Warren Zeiders to a sold-out night for the UK leg of his 2026 World Tour on the back of his 5th and latest album, No Brakes. Warren was last here in February 2025 as part of his debut European tour.
The support act for tonight is Bellah Mae, a British pop and country-infused singer-songwriter, originally from Solihull but currently based in Nashville since signing with Sony Music Nashville. Tonight’s performance is sold-out and there is a healthy number of audience who have rocked up in denim miniskirts, cowboy boots, trucker caps and Stetsons galore! Bellah Mae makes her entrance and to some of the audience, she is no stranger – after all, she does appear on ‘Overrated’ – one of Warren’s songs from his latest album as well as being in the music video for the song.
Bellah blends modern country with punchy pop melodies, witty lyrics and the occasional sting of heartbreak. Her music thrives on contrasts; one moment she is delivering a cheeky, upbeat anthem about romantic disappointment; the next, she is exploring the bruising aftermath of a relationship with surprising emotional depth. Her songwriting draws on country music's long tradition of turning personal experiences into compelling stories, but the arrangements frequently lean towards polished pop. The combination feels natural, giving her songs the accessibility of contemporary radio pop without abandoning the narrative detail that makes country music so enduring. Bellah Mae is more than a promising country-pop newcomer. She is a charismatic storyteller with a sharp sense of humour and an increasingly confident live presence. If she continues to build on those strengths, there is every reason to expect her audience to grow.
And now, the moment that everyone has been waiting for, only for that moment to be interrupted by blue and red flashing lights accompanied by a backing track that sounds like a police chase. Warren Zeiders opens with ‘Intoxicated’, followed by ‘Up To No Good’ and ‘Betrayal’ – 3 solid songs to get the night going. Zeiders is an artist who understands the power of a rough edge. In an era when country music increasingly flirts with pop polish and radio-friendly production, the Pennsylvania-born singer brings something a little more unruly to the party. His gravel-soaked vocals, tales of troubled romance and rebellious streak place him somewhere between contemporary country heartthrob and Southern rock troublemaker.
Zeiders' greatest weapon is undoubtedly his voice. There is a natural rasp to his delivery that gives even his more melodic material a sense of grit, while his ability to shift from restrained vulnerability to full-throated intensity provides the emotional contrast his songs need. His stage persona fits the music, too. He has the rugged image and confident presence expected of a modern country-rock performer, but his strongest moments come when the performance feels less like a carefully constructed image and more like an artist throwing himself into a song. We are treated to the fan favourites as well – tracks like ‘Heartbreaker’, ‘Dark Night’, ‘Burn It Down’ and ‘Sin So Sweet’ remind us of the storytelling instincts of a country singer but the vocal roughness and attitude of a rock frontman. That crossover gives his music a broader appeal than its genre label might suggest.
Bellah Mae returns to the stage for ‘Overrated’ and both Warren and Bellah pretty much recreate the music video in a live setting. Elsewhere, songs such as ‘Drinking Game’ and ‘Relapse’ explore familiar territory: heartbreak, temptation, regret and the destructive habits that can accompany them. These are hardly unexplored subjects, but Zeiders understands that country music has never depended on novelty alone. Sometimes a convincing voice, a strong melody and a lyric that strikes a nerve are enough and tonight, these are present in copious amounts. Few tracks capture Zeiders' appeal better than ‘Pretty Little Poison’ – dark, melodic and steeped in the complications of attraction, it showcases his knack for turning messy emotions into an instantly memorable chorus. It is the kind of song that can bring a crowd together, with its combination of accessible melody and a slightly dangerous undertow. No wonder it has surpassed 1 billion streams, a point which he reiterates as he introduces the track.
For the encore, now with his t-shirt off and resembling WWE legend Shawn Michaels, stating “ask and you shall receive”, Zeiders delivers ‘Ride the Lightning’, offering a different side of his musical personality. With its harder-edged attitude and sense of forward momentum, it underlines the rock influence running through his catalogue. It's a natural fit for a live performance, where the music can take on a more physical, full-bodied character; maybe a topless one at that too. Warren Zeiders has the raw materials to become an increasingly compelling live act. His distinctive voice separates him from the crowd, his strongest songs have genuine staying power, and his blend of country storytelling and rock attitude gives him room to appeal to audiences beyond the genre's traditional boundaries.
There is work to do in making that combination consistently distinctive across a full set, particularly when familiar lyrical themes threaten to become repetitive. But when the hooks land and the grit comes through, Zeiders makes a persuasive case for country music with its boots planted firmly in the dirt and its eyes fixed on the rock stage.
