Last night, Shania Twain, one of the biggest-selling artists in music history, played one of East London’s most beloved pub venues, bringing the house down at the Shacklewell Arms in Dalston.
The Grammy-winning country pop icon took to the stage at the 200-capacity venue, marking her most intimate gig in decades. For anyone lucky enough to have a ticket, it’s the kind of night they’ll be talking about for years.
One fan with a ticket said: “We thought we might have been scammed when we saw the ticket announcement,” said Jack, 28, who came with his sister Amy. “Why would she do a pub this small?”
The show was tied to the upcoming release of her new record. Twain’s seventh studio album, ‘Little Miss Twain’, is due for release on the 24th of July, and the Shacklewell Arms set gave fans a first taste of what’s coming. She blended her greatest hits with material from the new album, meaning her classics were met with brand new songs in a setlist that covered everything Shania fans could wish for.
Decades before she sold over 100 million albums and won five Grammys, a young Shania would perform on the late night bar circuit in her hometown of Timmins, Ontario where she started at just eight years old. Those early experiences are said to have directly shaped the album ‘Little Miss Twain’, with the album drawing on memories of that time and the roots of her childhood. Coming back to a bar stage, then, felt necessary and meaningful to Twain and for early fans. She had opened and welcomed fans at the pub with: to [her] very first time in a small bar since [she] was a child”. “When I was a kid, I started on stages just like this,” said Twain. “They would say, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the stage Little Miss Twain.’ And I would get up there and sing my country songs.”
Tickets were priced at just £25 and limited to two per person, with spots allocated through a ballot, which is why demand was completely off the charts from the moment it was announced. Particularly, the small venue was attractive to many fans, as the occurence is rare in seeing your favourite artist in such close proximity.
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Shania Twain is set to open for Harry Styles on his record-breaking 12-night Wembley Stadium run next month, so last night was very much a calmness before the storm that is the massive arenas and huge seat and standing capacities. For the few hundred people packed into the Shacklewell Arms it was a special and memorable night that may just have been once in a lifetime.
