Berlin C2C 2025 Review
I shouldn’t joke about it but whilst “Please stay, I want you, I need you” are Benson Boone lyrics, they are also the message which the glorious city of Berlin expressed to me. Airport strikes meant my four night stay became five sleeps in the German capital so I got to see a real life panda, like you know, the Chinese black and white bears which are super cute and clumsy. This was one of the things on my forty before forty list and the universe found a way to accommodate it.
My second visit to the banks of the river Spree actually involved staying IN it, by that I mean the river, because as per our editor Ian Varley’s recommendation, we all stayed on a boat moored in the water. When we arrived on Thursday afternoon we were greeted by the most glorious sunshine which obviously led to beer gardens come calling before heading to the Passion Church for the Thursday night Blurbird Cafe show featuring Isaac Gibson, Max McNown, Charlie Worsham and Dasha who the real star of the night in every aspect. Whilst Charlie Worsham is well Charlie Worsham and the undisputed king of writer’s rounds, she is just so natural, so chilled out and a much better storyteller than you anticipate but most of all, can this girl sing!
By way of a pub full of Eintracht Frankfurt ultras and a late night hotel bar hearing fun stories from a friend who recently went to a tiny little awards show called The Grammy’s in Los Angeles (and by all accounts seemed to be the biggest celebrity at the festival because everyone I met seemed to ask if I knew her), Thursday drew to a close without a late night visit to McDonald’s for a McRib, however the Golden Arches would come calling on Friday morning as a precursor to the festival itself. The weather was marvellous, the vibe is so relaxed and the atmosphere is perfect! That is your bite to use for C2C Berlin and we are already looking forward to next year’s event. We like to grow, we like learn and we try to evolve. By evolve, I’m not expressing that I want to transform into a Tyrannosaurus Rex (cheeky little Nizlopi lyric thrown in for good measure) but just work smarter, not harder which I feel we definitely did, as we had fifteen interviews completed before either of us got on a plane bound for Germany.
The festival itself started at the peak, with the thing I was most looking forward to across both this weekend in Germany and also for the larger event back home in London. As a publication, we have always had a soft spot for artists from Canada and have spent time with a vast number of people from across the pond yet from north of the border but there had been one that had evaded us as a performer, until now! Before seeing Meghan Patrick play for the first time, I got to sit down and speak with her and whilst I undoubtedly will be reminded of this interview for the rest of my life every time I see someone operating a vacuum cleaner, she is every bit the badass that you want her to be. I have said at every opportunity since she got announced to play C2C that MFP will be who everyone is talking about and will be the real star of the festival, which she completely justified across both of her sets on Friday and the additional two times that I saw her play in Berlin. A beautiful songwriter, a gorgeous voice plus such a raw and honest storyteller but above all, one of the most fun and genuine human beings in the industry.
My second visit to the banks of the river Spree actually involved staying IN it, by that I mean the river, because as per our editor Ian Varley’s recommendation, we all stayed on a boat moored in the water. When we arrived on Thursday afternoon we were greeted by the most glorious sunshine which obviously led to beer gardens come calling before heading to the Passion Church for the Thursday night Blurbird Cafe show featuring Isaac Gibson, Max McNown, Charlie Worsham and Dasha who the real star of the night in every aspect. Whilst Charlie Worsham is well Charlie Worsham and the undisputed king of writer’s rounds, she is just so natural, so chilled out and a much better storyteller than you anticipate but most of all, can this girl sing!
By way of a pub full of Eintracht Frankfurt ultras and a late night hotel bar hearing fun stories from a friend who recently went to a tiny little awards show called The Grammy’s in Los Angeles (and by all accounts seemed to be the biggest celebrity at the festival because everyone I met seemed to ask if I knew her), Thursday drew to a close without a late night visit to McDonald’s for a McRib, however the Golden Arches would come calling on Friday morning as a precursor to the festival itself. The weather was marvellous, the vibe is so relaxed and the atmosphere is perfect! That is your bite to use for C2C Berlin and we are already looking forward to next year’s event. We like to grow, we like learn and we try to evolve. By evolve, I’m not expressing that I want to transform into a Tyrannosaurus Rex (cheeky little Nizlopi lyric thrown in for good measure) but just work smarter, not harder which I feel we definitely did, as we had fifteen interviews completed before either of us got on a plane bound for Germany.
The festival itself started at the peak, with the thing I was most looking forward to across both this weekend in Germany and also for the larger event back home in London. As a publication, we have always had a soft spot for artists from Canada and have spent time with a vast number of people from across the pond yet from north of the border but there had been one that had evaded us as a performer, until now! Before seeing Meghan Patrick play for the first time, I got to sit down and speak with her and whilst I undoubtedly will be reminded of this interview for the rest of my life every time I see someone operating a vacuum cleaner, she is every bit the badass that you want her to be. I have said at every opportunity since she got announced to play C2C that MFP will be who everyone is talking about and will be the real star of the festival, which she completely justified across both of her sets on Friday and the additional two times that I saw her play in Berlin. A beautiful songwriter, a gorgeous voice plus such a raw and honest storyteller but above all, one of the most fun and genuine human beings in the industry.
Whilst I have been a long time fan of Mrs Mitchell Tenpenny, C2C in both London and Berlin are effectively showcase festivals by day where the sets are quite short and there are multiple opportunities to see artists. This presents the ability to discover new names or encounter artists perform who you are not as familiar with and for me this was Caleb Lee Hutchinson who in a literal sense is a real life Dallas Cowboy. However rather than hailing from Texas, this cowboy is from (as he described it) the “Little D” in Georgia. My prior knowledge of his artistry was pretty limited beyond the fact he was the runner up to Maddie Poppe on American Idol back in 2018 but on the first listen to his 2023 “Southern Galactic” record, I was instantly hooked and following his performance I am eagerly awaiting to her more of what he has recently been working on in San Antonio with Titanic Sinclair. The plans for releasing this new music was amongst the topics of conversation during our really cool interview which will be on the way for you to read very shortly.
Whilst Caleb and Meghan were new friends that we made on the trip, Berlin has a really chilled vibe and a lot more opportunity to catch up with friends like Austin Jenckes, Tyler Sjöström & Kenny Foster who all sadly were only over for the German portion of the festival and everyone back home will sadly not get the opportunity to see on this trip. As the sunlight began to fade, it was time to move into the Uber Eats Music Hall for the evening and the main event began with the first European performance from a trio that I am very excited to get a second opportunity to see in London.
When you hear a lot of hype and praise for a new act, it often is tough to live up to but for The Castellows it is completely justified where these three sisters have serious talent, a growing catalogue of killer songs and a very rounded live show which is a lot of fun to watch. Whilst Sam Barber, Wyatt Flores and night one headliner Dylan Gossett provided great entertainment, the real highlight of the first evening was the full throttle Appalachian energy when it was 49 time. Isaac Gibson and the 49 Winchester boys always know how to throw a party where once again they affirmed why they are one of the best live bands in any genre of music.
When you hear a lot of hype and praise for a new act, it often is tough to live up to but for The Castellows it is completely justified where these three sisters have serious talent, a growing catalogue of killer songs and a very rounded live show which is a lot of fun to watch. Whilst Sam Barber, Wyatt Flores and night one headliner Dylan Gossett provided great entertainment, the real highlight of the first evening was the full throttle Appalachian energy when it was 49 time. Isaac Gibson and the 49 Winchester boys always know how to throw a party where once again they affirmed why they are one of the best live bands in any genre of music.
The golden ball in the sky is almost a myth in the United Kingdom but the sun was once again beaming in all of its glory on Saturday to help us celebrate International Women’s Day. Not that I would ever need a reason but his helped me justify in my head why it was fitting to have the best outfit you would have seen at the festival as I brought out my Sabrina Carpenter t-shirt, however a strong sisterhood of incredible female artists were on hand to show how the fairer sex really can kick the asses of male artists on stage which began in a brand new space at this year’s festival put on by our friends at Holler. The rooftop bar of the Hotel Indigo is a superb venue for the festival to utilise and always appeared to be one of the most popular venues. Sophia Scott is such a cool storyteller and the acoustic setup really allows her to showcase her fun personality, then it became time to welcome our good friend Alli Walker back to Berlin. Whilst she hails from the smallest province in Canada, she brings a big sound and big energy to the stage and after the success of “The Whiskey’s Gone” her fans are getting what they crave with a second bagpipe song “Ride It Out” on the way next Friday when she will be over in the UK along with her electric bagpipes (or her dudelsack as the German’s call it) to perform at London’s festival.
Over in the REDO XXL restaurant is the Star FM stage which like year was probably the stage we spent a large amount of time and this was not strictly just due to how awesome the ribs are in there. Before we caught another set from Austin Jenckes, we had a blast seeing Kaitlin Butts. A highlight of last year’s The Long Road festival in Lutterworth and very exciting that she will now appear on the CMA Spotlight stage in London as she is one of the wittiest and most creative songwriters you will come across but here in Berlin, we got to hear her version of Kesha’s “Hunt You Down” which Butts would record herself on her “Roadrunner!” record and is really cool to hear live and acoustic.
Ian also made his way out to Berlin for the Saturday so he was able to get out to see some different sets (whilst my schedule planning revolved around seeing Meghan Patrick as much as possible including her Saturday afternoon performance on the ALEX stage) and we were able to share some more social content as we have quite varied musical tastes which we have highlighted as a Berlin story on Instagram for you to check out.
Over in the REDO XXL restaurant is the Star FM stage which like year was probably the stage we spent a large amount of time and this was not strictly just due to how awesome the ribs are in there. Before we caught another set from Austin Jenckes, we had a blast seeing Kaitlin Butts. A highlight of last year’s The Long Road festival in Lutterworth and very exciting that she will now appear on the CMA Spotlight stage in London as she is one of the wittiest and most creative songwriters you will come across but here in Berlin, we got to hear her version of Kesha’s “Hunt You Down” which Butts would record herself on her “Roadrunner!” record and is really cool to hear live and acoustic.
Ian also made his way out to Berlin for the Saturday so he was able to get out to see some different sets (whilst my schedule planning revolved around seeing Meghan Patrick as much as possible including her Saturday afternoon performance on the ALEX stage) and we were able to share some more social content as we have quite varied musical tastes which we have highlighted as a Berlin story on Instagram for you to check out.
The feel in the room was on another level of intensity throughout the second night with Chase Matthew who payed homage to one of the greatest rock bands of all time from here in Germany by dropping in a verse of “Rock You Like A Hurricane”by Scorpions amongst his big uptempo set. He followed a really fun opening set from Tanner Adell who made her C2C debut in London last year but she is a star that is made for the big stage with her lively yet all too short thirty minute show filed with sass and big energy. This high level of energy ran through the whole evening as Tucker Wetmore shared some brand new offerings off his forthcoming project due in April within a performance which the audience were really engaged with and one of the nicest surprises within his set was when he went into freestyle jukebox section on his keyboard that really showed his craft as a musician.
As it was International Women’s Day, it was only fitting that Dasha was the the star attraction. Whilst we had seen her just two nights ago in her own in an acoustic setting within a round, her full band show is so captivating and enticing where she absolutely brought it. The UK fans will have to wait until the fall for shows in Great Britain when she returns to Europe with Kane Brown so from our perspective she was the standout act which we would not get the opportunity to see again next week. We all know her break came of the back of “Austin” blowing up through social media but in her live shows her charisma and songwriting really shines through to highlight she doesn’t just belong as a highly credible country artist but she is rapidly on a path right to the top.
Then, praise the Lord! We got the fun version of Midland and these naughty boys from Texas were on top form where we got the best show I have ever seen from Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy and Mark Wystrach. It was our first chance to hear songs from last year’s “Barely Blue” album performed live and it is something that will go down so well when they head to the UK to headline The Long Road festival.
As it was International Women’s Day, it was only fitting that Dasha was the the star attraction. Whilst we had seen her just two nights ago in her own in an acoustic setting within a round, her full band show is so captivating and enticing where she absolutely brought it. The UK fans will have to wait until the fall for shows in Great Britain when she returns to Europe with Kane Brown so from our perspective she was the standout act which we would not get the opportunity to see again next week. We all know her break came of the back of “Austin” blowing up through social media but in her live shows her charisma and songwriting really shines through to highlight she doesn’t just belong as a highly credible country artist but she is rapidly on a path right to the top.
Then, praise the Lord! We got the fun version of Midland and these naughty boys from Texas were on top form where we got the best show I have ever seen from Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy and Mark Wystrach. It was our first chance to hear songs from last year’s “Barely Blue” album performed live and it is something that will go down so well when they head to the UK to headline The Long Road festival.
The final day of the festival was a Spice Girls Sunday Funday and one where there was miraculously no hangover but a morning visit to my favourite Seattle based coffee company was essential to provide the caffeine hit. A second time catching Caleb Lee Hutchinson but this time in the Town Square was our musical entrance to the day and having a stage outdoors similar to what we have in London is one of the big improvements on our previous trip to the festival last year.
With the weather being so perfect for the whole weekend, it felt a shame to not take advantage of it and the two rooftop bars both have amazing outdoor terraces which are perfect to make the most of it. A final German show up there from Meghan Patrick and another set from Austin Jenckes followed our discovery of an artist that was somehow completely new to us but Mary Kutter certainly caught our attention very quickly. Whilst reading into her bio, there is a big focus on her songwriting catalogue which features cuts by Alexandra Kay, Bailey Zimmerman and a guy that we would be seeing on the main stage later in the evening, she is a really fun artist to watch live. She tells the stories of her songs in a really fun way, has a great voice, an adorable accent and even in an acoustic setting, a really strong and captivating presence on stage so is definitely an artist you need to get on your radar.
Someone else that you need in your radar and a lot of people clearly already do is Graham Barham as the room was absolutely packed. A friend of mine caught him play a couple of times in Nashville at the back end of last year and he brings really big energy and great vibes on stage with a growing catalogue of absolute bangers so is right up there on our list of must see artists next weekend in London. Alli Walker is someone else right at the top of that list too and all of her shows again were to packed out rooms here in Berlin, then we hung out to talk about downing beer out of a catfish and look ahead to the sister festival in the UK next weekend where the audience will not be as effective at clapping perfectly in unison as our German cousins are.
With the weather being so perfect for the whole weekend, it felt a shame to not take advantage of it and the two rooftop bars both have amazing outdoor terraces which are perfect to make the most of it. A final German show up there from Meghan Patrick and another set from Austin Jenckes followed our discovery of an artist that was somehow completely new to us but Mary Kutter certainly caught our attention very quickly. Whilst reading into her bio, there is a big focus on her songwriting catalogue which features cuts by Alexandra Kay, Bailey Zimmerman and a guy that we would be seeing on the main stage later in the evening, she is a really fun artist to watch live. She tells the stories of her songs in a really fun way, has a great voice, an adorable accent and even in an acoustic setting, a really strong and captivating presence on stage so is definitely an artist you need to get on your radar.
Someone else that you need in your radar and a lot of people clearly already do is Graham Barham as the room was absolutely packed. A friend of mine caught him play a couple of times in Nashville at the back end of last year and he brings really big energy and great vibes on stage with a growing catalogue of absolute bangers so is right up there on our list of must see artists next weekend in London. Alli Walker is someone else right at the top of that list too and all of her shows again were to packed out rooms here in Berlin, then we hung out to talk about downing beer out of a catfish and look ahead to the sister festival in the UK next weekend where the audience will not be as effective at clapping perfectly in unison as our German cousins are.
Our last evening was a fun one, we got to see Avery Anna with a band and she certainly brought it. The Arizona native has one of the most lively personalities and seeing her be able to express this at it’s fullest whilst still showcase her raw songwriting talent and craft playing keys was a super cool way to start the last night. “Bad for Me” was amongst our favourite albums of 2024 and whilst we were looking forward to seeing Chayce Beckham, we had no idea how good this man could be live and in our eyes it was one of the best sets of the whole weekend. To win a televised talent competition obviously requires a great voice but his is completely mind blowing and he sings real country songs that are traditional in sound but also bang up to date.
I don’t think I have really talked about the Spotlight stage too much in this piece and that is probably because it wasn’t sassy enough for me. However there is a reason why Kassi rhymes with sassy and California Missouri’s Kassi Ashton S L A Y E D! I first saw Kassi at CMA Fest in 2018 where (favourite ever random story pending) we watched her set with her father but didn’t believe it was her dad so he brought his driving license out to prove it and he was so proud to see his daughter on stage and thrilled that people from the UK and Australia knew who she was. We waited a long time for her debut album “Made from the Dirt” but it was wild to see these songs live for the first time and man, I am so pumped to have her back in London!
Time for another cheeky lyrical reference as a tangent, so how about some Guns N’ Roses (who were on the t-shirt that I was repping on Friday) and let’s head to the actual city of Paradise! Hi Nate Smith, you were the best thing we saw all weekend! The walkout video, the intensity, the connection, the pace of the set and the walk through the crowd were all perfect! This man has one flaw and that is only because I’m a Cowboys fan and he follows the San Francisco 49ers but beyond that, the man is like the male version of Mary Poppins because he is practically perfect in every way! I missed his sets when he played C2C in London on his first trip so this was one that I was really looking forward to and probably the only act of the whole weekend on the main stage where I knew the words to every song. It’s an energetic rock show which is going to blow the roof off the O2 next weekend in London!
I definitely think Nate would have been a perfect headliner and I would be more likely to go out of my way to see him than the act that did follow him. This was probably the best performance I have seen from Lainey Wilson, seeing Jason Nix and Charlie Worsham join her on stage was incredible, Nashville is a songwriters town and to showcase that when you are in this position to do so is beautiful but overall, I just do not get it with her. I don’t want to end on a downer but it’s just different horses for different courses and whilst I am not a big Lainey fan, she sold that room out and people around me were loving the show so was evidently a great booking and a worthy headliner that will once again go down a storm at next weekend’s British event.
I don’t think I have really talked about the Spotlight stage too much in this piece and that is probably because it wasn’t sassy enough for me. However there is a reason why Kassi rhymes with sassy and California Missouri’s Kassi Ashton S L A Y E D! I first saw Kassi at CMA Fest in 2018 where (favourite ever random story pending) we watched her set with her father but didn’t believe it was her dad so he brought his driving license out to prove it and he was so proud to see his daughter on stage and thrilled that people from the UK and Australia knew who she was. We waited a long time for her debut album “Made from the Dirt” but it was wild to see these songs live for the first time and man, I am so pumped to have her back in London!
Time for another cheeky lyrical reference as a tangent, so how about some Guns N’ Roses (who were on the t-shirt that I was repping on Friday) and let’s head to the actual city of Paradise! Hi Nate Smith, you were the best thing we saw all weekend! The walkout video, the intensity, the connection, the pace of the set and the walk through the crowd were all perfect! This man has one flaw and that is only because I’m a Cowboys fan and he follows the San Francisco 49ers but beyond that, the man is like the male version of Mary Poppins because he is practically perfect in every way! I missed his sets when he played C2C in London on his first trip so this was one that I was really looking forward to and probably the only act of the whole weekend on the main stage where I knew the words to every song. It’s an energetic rock show which is going to blow the roof off the O2 next weekend in London!
I definitely think Nate would have been a perfect headliner and I would be more likely to go out of my way to see him than the act that did follow him. This was probably the best performance I have seen from Lainey Wilson, seeing Jason Nix and Charlie Worsham join her on stage was incredible, Nashville is a songwriters town and to showcase that when you are in this position to do so is beautiful but overall, I just do not get it with her. I don’t want to end on a downer but it’s just different horses for different courses and whilst I am not a big Lainey fan, she sold that room out and people around me were loving the show so was evidently a great booking and a worthy headliner that will once again go down a storm at next weekend’s British event.
However, Berlin itself is something that I am a big fan of, the hospitality of this magnificent city was once again unquestionable and assuming I can actually get a flight of the country, we cannot wait to return again in 2026 where if our friends at Semmel can book the same weather, that would be perfect as that really was the best headliner we have ever had at a C2C festival.
C2C: Country to Country will return to Berlin in 2026 across the weekend of March 6th to 8th where you will be able to find more details on their WEBSITE and keep in the loop regarding lineups and ticket information on INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK.
Whilst our own 2025 festival is only at the halfway point as the O2 in London will be our home this coming weekend where we have the long awaited UK return of Dierks Bentley, British debuts for Niko Moon & Mackenzie Carpenter, plenty of opportunities to see a highly talented and diverse five-strong Canadian contingent and the potential to discover your new favourite artist. Full festival details and last minute ticket information are available on the London WEBSITE and socials (FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM X)
C2C: Country to Country will return to Berlin in 2026 across the weekend of March 6th to 8th where you will be able to find more details on their WEBSITE and keep in the loop regarding lineups and ticket information on INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK.
Whilst our own 2025 festival is only at the halfway point as the O2 in London will be our home this coming weekend where we have the long awaited UK return of Dierks Bentley, British debuts for Niko Moon & Mackenzie Carpenter, plenty of opportunities to see a highly talented and diverse five-strong Canadian contingent and the potential to discover your new favourite artist. Full festival details and last minute ticket information are available on the London WEBSITE and socials (FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM X)
