After a profitable morning (check out my review of the smaller stage acts here!), first up on the Main Stage was Matt Stell, who’d played the BBC Radio 2 stage and the Spotlight Stage last year. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Matt Stell, but did I think he was ready for a Main Stage set? I’m not so sure. Nonetheless, he proved his rockstar credentials with songs like One Of Us and This One’s Gonna Hurt.
Matt certainly has swagger but I enjoyed it most when we got to see the more vulnerable side of him – he sat down on the stage to sing Sadie, and told us about the song that changed his life Prayed For You. I’d like to see more of that Matt. He for sure knew was the UK audience would want though, and gave us covers he knew everyone in the audience would sing along to – All The Small Things, Mr Brightside, and Champagne Supernova. Good ideas, Matt!
I wasn’t too familiar with the first artist up on the Spotlight Stage, Randall King, but I’m always ready to be surprised! Randall himself seemed to have been surprised by the British weather, as he bundled up in a coat as he performed. Like Drake Milligan the day before, Randall is exactly the kind of act I’d like to see when visiting a honky tonk. His Southern drawl came out on Hey Cowgirl and in the uber-fun You In A Honky Tonk (immediately added to my playlist!) The last song he played for us was the first gospel song he’d learnt to play on the guitar – I’ll Fly Away. Fitting that it was a gospel song for someone who truly had the voice of an angel.
The next act was one I was excited for. I’d had enough of cold, wintery days, and I knew Morgan Evans would be the perfect act to turn that around, and he certainly was. With gorgeous beachy visuals and feel-good songs, Morgan put me in the perfect mood for that Saturday night. Even his outfit – a cut-off vest and jeans – made me feel like I was in warmer weather.
Everything about Morgan’s set was great, from the songs like Young Again and Kiss Somebody to Morgan’s connection with the crowd. He shared his happiest moments – Sing Along Drink Along – and his saddest moments – prefacing Over For You with ‘When I wrote this, it felt like the saddest song in the world. Sometimes it still does.’ I don’t know too much about Morgan, but he seems like the type to always see the best out of a bad situation, something which a sneak peek of his upcoming single Hey Little Mama suggested – you can’t dance in the rain if it ain’t raining.
He finished with the sentiment ‘as cold and dark as it is in London right now, the sun’s still up somewhere in the world so we still have time to get a little Day Drunk!’ I’ll drink to that, Morgan. A fun set that pulled me right out of my winter blues.
Sam Williams returned to the Spotlight Stage in an even sparklier ensemble than before to perform three songs for us. I think he picked the right three to highlight his versatility – The World: Alone showed the sadness that resonates throughout his record; Wild Girl gave us the more upbeat side of Sam; and I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry gave a nod to his family roots.
From Hank Williams’ grandson to a Hank Williams-esque band, next on the Main Stage was Midland. These boys certainly brought the Wild West to the UK that night with their smooth, sometimes sultry songs. We got true stories (Playboys), love stories (Sunrise Tells The Story) and cheating stories (Cheatin’ Songs). All three members of the band are charming – frontman Mark Wystrach making all the ladies from the front to the back swoon whenever he sang, bassist Cameron Duddy joking around with the crowd (and literally ripping his pants) whilst he soloed on The Boys Are Back, and guitarist Jess Carson helping us boogie on East Bound And Down.
We learnt pretty quickly that a Midland show goes something like this – fast, slow, fast, slow – so at times it was hard to know whether we were meant to be on our feet or sitting down. Highlights for me? Their cover of Glen Campbell’s Wichita Lineman, the impeccable harmonies on Burn Out and, of course, Drinkin’ Problem. For me, some of their songs are a bit samey, but the vibes were good, and I enjoyed the show.
We had one more artist on the Spotlight Stage that evening – Elvis reincarnated himself, Drake Milligan. His mini-set was high energy, with Sounds Like Something I’d Do, Overdrinking Underthinking, and Kiss Goodbye All Night. Out of everyone I saw at the festival this year, Dustin will be my one to watch.
Then it was time for the final act of the night – Lady A. I always claim I’m not a huge fan of Lady A (not that I don’t like them, just that I don’t necessarily seek out their music), but if I’m honest, I knew the words to every single one of the songs they played that night, so here I am, officially announcing myself as a Lady A fan. And damn, it felt good to be one that Saturday night!
After decades of performing together, Hillary, Charles and Dave certainly know how to put on a show. We got a stunning pink powersuit from Hillary, insane visuals lighting up the stage behind them, and of course unstoppable vocals on each and every song. I was dancing, I was singing, I was having a great time as they shared songs from the very beginning up until now.
We got the fun songs – Downtown, Champagne Night, Bartender, we got the love songs – Wanted You More (I really don’t know how Hillary and Charles have never fallen in love when singing that song to each other every night), I Run, Just A Kiss, we got the heartbreak songs – Heart Break, What If I Never Get Over You, and Charles’ goodbye song to whiskey As Far As You Could. Whether this was your first Lady A show or your fiftieth, it was about as fun as they get. A great end to our Saturday night.
Day 2 of C2C done and dusted! My highlights: Jillian Jacqueline, Morgan Evans and Lady A - who were yours?
Still one more day (and plenty of interviews!) to come! Stay tuned to @CiarasCountry to be the first to know when they’re posted - thanks for reading!
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