Concert Review: C2C COUNTRY 2 COUNTRY 2017 (Day 3), London, The O2

March 12^th marked my third and final day at C2C 2017, and as per usual, it started in the Indigo2, where I had front row balcony seats to see Seth Ennis. Although it was early, he’d packed out the venue to capacity, which was pleasant to see considering he’s still a relatively new act. However, it soon became clear to see why so many people had come to see him, as he played songs from his recently released EP Mabelle (which people were already singing the words to) as well as covers of everything from Justin Bieber to Ed Sheeran. My highlight was watching him perform Lauren Alaina’s Three, which I hadn’t known he’d written. It was a song which extended beyond the usual content of many country songs, to discuss the sacrifices artists have to make for “three minutes on the radio.” Thought-provoking, and an excellently penned song.

Next up were some more new additions to the country genre, this time in the form of three-piece Temecula Road. I’d heard a few of their songs recently, including a cover of summer hit Closer by The Chainsmokers, and was really impressed by their performance. Although young, Emma, Dawson & Maddie all have very strong voices, and it’s where these voices combine that you get heavenly harmonies. I’m calling it now – I can see these three becoming the next Little Big Town! They were able to highlight their songwriting abilities with tracks such as Mind On You and Everything Without You, but oh my gosh, I have never seen an audience more engaged than when they began to sing The Eagles’ Desperado. To have an audience respond like that to their first show this side of the pond is something to be proud of. Plus, the group seem like really nice people too – joking with the crowd, taking a mega-selfie at the end, and making sure to shake hands and talk with everyone who came to their signing. Another one to watch.

The trio were followed shortly afterwards by Drake White who appeared to let the audience choose what songs he would sing, hopping around the stage as he performed. His songs are catchy, that’s for sure, with upbeat tracks like Live Some and Livin’ The Dream. I think the audience especially appreciated his made-up-on-the-spot track at the end about his London experience.

It was a lucky thing that I’d been in Indigo2 for most of the morning, as I’m sure a lot of people were turned away at the door before the next act, as I saw the queue snaking far around the side of the building. No surprise, this was for The Shires, without a doubt the UK’s most successful homegrown country act, and it seemed like the most popular act to play the BBC Radio 2 stage judging by the size of the crowd. Whilst enjoyable, and it was undeniable that the crowd were very much into the duo, singing along to all their songs, I worry that The Shires veer away from their UK roots – for instance in the song Daddy’s Little Girl, which although beautifully written, left me confused from the first lines “The smell of Old Spice, a flat cap on the dash,” which to me sounded rather American, and not heralding the UK country the duo represent. Likewise, the same can be said for State Lines, a song which I thoroughly enjoy, but is very US-oriented. Props to the duo for sticking around for almost an hour after their set to sign every autograph in the long queue of fans waiting to meet them.

The final act to play the Radio 2 stage was Cassadee Pope, who was able to get the audience invigorated with catchy songs like Summer and I Wish I Could Break Your Heart. I particularly liked the ballad Kisses At Airports, and the story she told behind it about visiting her UK based relatives and knowing she’d be heading back to the States soon. My highlight however was Me, Myself and Wine – if this is an indication of what we can expect from Cassadee’s next album, there’s a lot to look forward to.

Following a profitable morning in the Indigo2 stage, I headed back to the Press Room for Zac Brown Band’s Press Conference, an interesting experience given that all eight band members were crammed around a few microphones on the table!

It was then time to head into the Main Arena where Brothers Osborne were kicking off the evening. They brought a really rocky vibe with songs like It Ain’t My Fault, again highlighting the variety of country styles we’d seen over the weekend. I didn’t think I was too familiar with the duo, but I found I knew a few of their songs such as 21 Summer and Stay a Little Longer, and enjoyed the rave-like atmosphere they created as everyone rocked along to their songs. A proper party starter for what was set to be an exciting evening.

Drake White was again playing the Yamaha Stage, although this time without his band. He nonetheless managed to stand his own, and gathered a considerable crowd around the stage.

The next act was the one I was most excited for out of the whole C2C line-up. Having been introduced to Maren Morris at C2C last year, when she played the Yamaha stage, and been very impressed by her voice, I made sure to check out her debut album Hero when it was released last year. It’s since become one of my favourite albums, and so I was very much looking forward to Maren performing a full set this year. There’s not a song on her album that I don’t like, and so it was great to let go and sing along to all the songs with personal favourites being How It’s Done and Just Another Thing. Someone sitting near me mentioned that they thought she was the most ‘mainstream’ of all the acts playing the weekend, and that may be true, but her mainstream success is due to her fantastic repertoire. Although not everyone was knew her songs as well as I did, I’d be surprised if not everyone in the Arena stopped to join in on My Church, which made for quite the atmosphere. Without a doubt my favourite act of the weekend.

The Yamaha stage was reserved for Lucie Silvas, who proved that even with a sore throat, she could still capture the entire Arena with her vocals and extremely well-written lyrics.

Marty Stuart was the only act on the headlining bill that I wasn’t aware of. I had assumed that he would be the Vince Gill of this year’s line-up – an artist who had been around before I’d started listening to country, and was perhaps more well-known for his guitar-playing skills. As a result, I wasn’t sure if he would be my cup of tea, but you know what, I actually enjoyed his set quite a lot. Sure, it’s not the music I would listen to on a daily basis, but it’s country as country is known for – mandolins, twangs, and fast-talking lyrics. Not only were his guitar-playing skills obviously very admirable, but I enjoyed a lot of his songs, not least Tempted and Dark Bird, but also those sang by members of his band, which I thought added a very nice touch rather than just focusing solely on the frontman.

The final act on the Yamaha Stage was Jana Kramer, who I was also looking forward to seeing, having been a fan of tracks such as Why You Wanna and I Got The Boy. Jana has a very country voice, and proves she is so much more than ‘that actress from One Tree Hill’. I hope she’ll return to the UK soon.

And finally, to close up the show was none other than Zac Brown Band. One might be mistaken to think that Zac Brown would be the star of the show, but in fact each and every member of the band had their shining moment, each given the opportunity to show off their instrumental skills at one point or another. Again, you couldn’t help but sing along to the band’s songs including Goodbye In Her Eyes, Toes, Free, and Colder Weather. An added bonus was found in the band’s rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, which even those who wouldn’t count themselves as ZBB fans were able to get up on their feet and sing along to. Prior to this weekend, I wouldn’t have said that I was the biggest Zac Brown Band fan, but I think I may have proven myself wrong. A really great end to a really great weekend.

I’ll finish by adding that throughout the whole weekend, sitting in front of me was a woman who must have been between 80 – 90 years old, and not once did she sit down for the entire weekend, with I think just goes to show not only how addictive the acts were, but how there was definitely something for everyone over the course of the weekend. Was C2C 2017 as good as previous years? In my opinion, no – I would’ve liked to have seen more big acts who haven’t toured the UK in years, if ever; and also felt that last year had dealt better with signings and things from bigger artists than this year (for instance, Maddie & Tae did a signing last year, where there was nothing of the sort this year). Would this put me off going again? Never in a million years.  

You can check out my reviews of Days 1 & 2 of C2C 2017 also on this blog! Stay tuned on reviews and interviews by following me on Twitter @CiarasCountry and be sure to let me know your thoughts!