EURO-COUNTRY BY THE COAST: “SEA-MAT” TAKES SCARBADOS
CMAT (TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Press)
LIVE REVIEW | CMAT | TK MAXX PRESENTS SCARBOROUGH OPEN AIR THEATRE | 18th July 2026 by Isobel O’Mahony
Who can say they’ve been at a gig where paddleboat’s, TK Maxx bum bags and passionate “Yorkshire” chants have been important parts of the show? Well, those in attendance for pop country star CMAT’s Scarborough show can. On tour with latest record EURO-COUNTRY, and supported by stunning artist Katy J Pearson, previous TK Maxx employee Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson absolutely smashed Scarbados’ Open Air Theatre on Saturday night. Alongside infinite hijinks banter with the crowd, CMAT and her incredible sexy band performed hits old and new.
As someone who’s been at many CMAT shows this year, I feel experienced enough to tell you the perfection of the setlist. The stage exploded into mad tune ‘The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station’, swirling energy throughout the crowd before the first taste of trademark country in old favourite ‘I Don’t Really Care For You’. ‘When a Good Man Cries’, from the new album, was recently covered by Olivia Rodrigo and the bridge specifically, judging by the sheer power and volume of the audience, has been given its time of day.
Although EURO-COUNTRY really blew our Dunboyne Diana out of the water, her earlier tracks really stand the test of time live with ‘2 Wrecked 2 Care’ and ‘Aw, Shoot!’ played back to back.
In the request section of the show, despite visceral shouts in the pit behind me for “SINEAD O’ CONNOR! SINEAD! NOTHING COMPARED 2 U! OR KATE BUSH! WUTHERING HEIGHTS!” (volume like you cannot believe), fans at the front went deep, asking fir the artists second ever single ‘Rodney’. It was a special moment, equipped with #justiceforrodney t-shirts, and was a humble reminder of this star’s talented beginnings.
Hearing favourites off the latest record was a treat (justice for ‘Iceberg’ please); ‘Running/Planning’ and fan request ‘Coronation Street’ were big hits, and of course viral hit ‘Take A Sexy Picture of Me’. The chemistry in the Very Sexy CMAT Band is an integral part of the show. When the bridge shifts to a more solemn tone – reminding you of the track’s serious nature despite its upbeat energy – CMAT and violinist Holly Carpenter join hands and take over the stage. It connects all the women in the audience to them and to each other, no matter how far you are from the stage there’s a small journey of empowerment ending up on screaming: “But here’s a message to the party girls/Dragged out by their ankles/ I’m here if you need me, deep in your afters”.
On the band, the beautiful duet between CMAT and high energy pianist Colm Conlan on ‘Where Are Your Kids Tonight?’ (originally sung with John Grant) shrunk the venue. Suddenly the same place you shook your hands and danced to ‘Have Fun!’ has become a piano bar of some sort, and everyone found themselves captivated by the intimacy and stunning vocals. Scarborough was then left alone with CMAT as she acoustically performed ‘Such A Miranda’ alone, and half of devastating 2023 track ‘Rent’ before the band ran back on for the final songs.
Young fan Monty was invited on stage to play guitar on ‘EURO-COUNTRY’ after holding up a sign throughout the show. Now this boy knew what he was doing, and was seriously focused on not messing up his moment, much to a rallying crowd’s applause and the band’s delight. There was a huge spectacle in the following two-step to ‘I Wanna Be A Cowboy Baby!’, but I’ve never experienced a ‘Stay For Something’ live performance like this. Maybe it was the sea air or smell of chips, but something felt different, almost spiritual throughout the audience. People were clinging to each other, screaming the words and letting go into the song’s brilliance. Waving goodbye and walking out to Carly Simon‘s ‘You’re So Vain’, because why not, you could feel the buzz off of old fans, and a bigger buzz off of beaming new fans.
An encore is obsolete at a CMAT show, because it’s bigger than just a gig. You might have ‘concert’ written on the calendar, but really you’re seeing a glitter filled, tights ripping, pop/western musical opera of some sort. That makes it sound almost hallucinogenic, but really you’re more grounded in the music than ever. Performing on an open-air stage gave the artist more influence and power over the audience than ever, and the carefully choreographed set, movements and messages still felt so personal and natural. CMAT, and her incredible family of musicians, are true stars live and I still doubt this will be the last time I try to catch them this year.
TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre will continue to bring world class acts to the Yorkshire coast over the next few weeks. With shows from Tom Jones,The Streets, Scissor Sisters, Nile Rodgers & Chic plus many more on the line-up, Scarbados’ is the place to be this summer!
