Jordan Davis at Wembley Arena

Taking to the stage for his biggest ever headline show to date, Jordan Davis lit up Wembley Arena on Saturday evening, proving just why contemporary country music is taking the UK by storm and shows no signs of stopping. Packed out front to back by an audience adorned with the usual uniform of cowboy hats and boots, the venue radiated with the communal joy only experienced when seeing your favourite artist live. This admiration was soon reciprocated by Davis and his band, who kicked off with a handful of the strongest tracks from his most recent album project, Learn The Hard Way.

Powering through buoyant singles Ain’t Enough Road, Turn This Truck Around, and Bar None, the setlist felt perfectly curated to showcase the artist’s extensive and impressive catalogue, consisting in equal measure of poignant ballads such as Next Thing You Know and bright, hopeful numbers like Almost Maybes, A Little Lime and Singles You Up. Complete with a covers section performed collectively by Davis, band members and the opening acts, Avery Anna and Solon Holt, the night also included a smattering of British hits, namely Man I Need and Mr Brightside, the latter of which in particular brought the house down.

Reading his crowd perfectly at every turn, Davis kept the momentum of the set high with anecdotal additions between songs; more than anything, his gratitude and earnestness prevailed. The singer’s own jubilation was evident through each track and reached all four corners of a large room, a feat hard to achieve in such a sizable space. His self-assured vocal and instrumental performance throughout unequivocally asserted his position as the most exciting emerging country star to take on the oftentimes hard-to-penetrate UK market.

Ending with the stunning Buy Dirt, the Luke Bryan feature that skyrocketed the performer into the country elite, as well as a spirited rendition of What My World Spins Around, fans were left mesmerised and uplifted as they made their way home. As a solo country headline in a UK arena can still feel like a rarity, it is endlessly impressive for an artist like Davis to fill Wembley so far from home – a testament to his unmistakable talent, which endears him to country lovers internationally.