C2C 2026 Saturday Review
I opened my Berlin recap with a Taylor Swift quote and I’m gonna throw in a lyric from ‘You’re On Your Own Kid’ to get day too in London because I really do feel like “I gave my blood, sweat and tears for this” and trust me it’s mostly the tears but I would not trade it for anything else in the world.
Saturday brought the arrival of the mythical golden orb in the sky which was much welcomed as we spent all of the day outside of the main dome itself for day 2 of C2C: Country to Country in London. We started off with the chance to catch one of the, if not THE most mesmerising voices in music PERIOD and given the way we were blown away by Benny G in Berlin, it was phenomenal to see him open up all of the proceedings for day two in London. I don’t mean to sound like a massive STAN but this man could sing for me all day long, he really is a lyrical and vocal genius that I cannot remember a new artist that has exited me this much so we cannot wait to not just see him return to the UK but also the meteoric rise that stands before him.
Saturday brought the arrival of the mythical golden orb in the sky which was much welcomed as we spent all of the day outside of the main dome itself for day 2 of C2C: Country to Country in London. We started off with the chance to catch one of the, if not THE most mesmerising voices in music PERIOD and given the way we were blown away by Benny G in Berlin, it was phenomenal to see him open up all of the proceedings for day two in London. I don’t mean to sound like a massive STAN but this man could sing for me all day long, he really is a lyrical and vocal genius that I cannot remember a new artist that has exited me this much so we cannot wait to not just see him return to the UK but also the meteoric rise that stands before him.
Credit: London Backline Photography
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Credit: London Backline Photography
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The Big Entrance Stage was a lot warmer than it was yesterday and we stayed out in the sunshine for Blake Proehl who was another new friend we made over in Germany before heading over to The Yellowstone Yard to see our really good pal Tyler Sjőstrőm playing in the UK for the first time. I first met Tyler two years ago and whilst it is always lovely to catch up with him and our other old friend Kenny Foster in the German capital, to have him here in London is so cool. The big Nordic bear literally picked me up and spun me around when I first saw him and what I love most about C2C is getting to see friends experience deserved success, so to see someone who has become such a good friend playing to a packed out space was so beautiful to see.
The rest of the afternoon presented an opportunity to see three other friends thriving as well. I first met McCoy last weekend in Germany and we just vibed, he’s an American but gets banter and British humour where we shit talked SEC football as much as we talked about his music. People came back to see him set after set and given that there is a new album on the way, we really hope that the British isles become a regular haunt for him and his powerful songwriting. When we first met, I was repping my queen Sabrina Carpenter and his first question today was asking who I had for him today and you will all be pleased to know that I won the fashion stakes once more with a Hannah Montana special.
Someone else I met for the first time in person last weekend was Miss Ashland Craft and at least in my eyes, we very quickly became best friends. Ashland and I first spoke over Zoom a couple of years back, so firstly to meet her in person was so much fun and to shoot tequila with her today before she went on stage is absolutely up there as a core memory, not just through the history of the festival but also through my time working in music. Her voice is so unique and her rasp is so distinctive which grabs you so much more when seeing her live. She is an absolute badass but also so warm as she paced her set to perfection hitting both of her records and we hope that this is the first of many trips across the pond.
Yesterday’s review had a distinct lack of Antipodean coverage but the fact that I rode the tube with Max Jackson showed me that things would change for a super Saturday. Australia’s greatest country music export was tonight’s headliner but more about him later as we will start with another new friend from last week and Tyla Rodrigues is a very special talent. Since we spoke (on a boat) in Germany, last week, the Queenslander has announced a new collaboration with Braxton Keith that is on the way which time’s perfectly for her home state festival at CMC Rocks next weekend but whilst not being a fan of the temperature she brought real country music from down under and we are very excited to wait for new music along with future trips back to Europe in future - come back in summer, I promise it is warmer but we look forward to the Big Entrance Stage Australian takeover tomorrow in the meantime.
The rest of the afternoon presented an opportunity to see three other friends thriving as well. I first met McCoy last weekend in Germany and we just vibed, he’s an American but gets banter and British humour where we shit talked SEC football as much as we talked about his music. People came back to see him set after set and given that there is a new album on the way, we really hope that the British isles become a regular haunt for him and his powerful songwriting. When we first met, I was repping my queen Sabrina Carpenter and his first question today was asking who I had for him today and you will all be pleased to know that I won the fashion stakes once more with a Hannah Montana special.
Someone else I met for the first time in person last weekend was Miss Ashland Craft and at least in my eyes, we very quickly became best friends. Ashland and I first spoke over Zoom a couple of years back, so firstly to meet her in person was so much fun and to shoot tequila with her today before she went on stage is absolutely up there as a core memory, not just through the history of the festival but also through my time working in music. Her voice is so unique and her rasp is so distinctive which grabs you so much more when seeing her live. She is an absolute badass but also so warm as she paced her set to perfection hitting both of her records and we hope that this is the first of many trips across the pond.
Yesterday’s review had a distinct lack of Antipodean coverage but the fact that I rode the tube with Max Jackson showed me that things would change for a super Saturday. Australia’s greatest country music export was tonight’s headliner but more about him later as we will start with another new friend from last week and Tyla Rodrigues is a very special talent. Since we spoke (on a boat) in Germany, last week, the Queenslander has announced a new collaboration with Braxton Keith that is on the way which time’s perfectly for her home state festival at CMC Rocks next weekend but whilst not being a fan of the temperature she brought real country music from down under and we are very excited to wait for new music along with future trips back to Europe in future - come back in summer, I promise it is warmer but we look forward to the Big Entrance Stage Australian takeover tomorrow in the meantime.
Credit: London Backline Photography
Once we eventually made it inside the main arena (Entrance E when you are on the floor is a LONG way from the entrance to the dome) Alana Springsteen and Tyler Braden both graduated from previously playing the main stage in London as part of a round but the real hype in the room was for The RD party and Mr Dickerson really, really brought his A game as he welcomed us to RUSSELLMANIA! I’m sure Mean Gene Okerlund would have given that the justice that it deserves and in wrestling terms, Russell D is the John Cena of country music, he is the ultimate baby face who always sends the crowd wild. This was not just a party it was was the carefree energy release that this entire audience needed which was BANGER after BANGER with the most perfect visuals behind him. I did not think Dierks Bentley’s headline set last year would ever have anything come close to it and let alone top it but Mr Russell Dickerson, I think you will be everyone’s highlight of 2026.
Credit: London Backline Photography
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Credit: London Backline Photography
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We have been such big supporters of country music down under and we are so happy to see the influx of artists making the trip from Australia to come and see us but Uncle Keith, as the Aussies affectionately refer to, brought the fire to the O2! One of the coolest things about this show was that he only went and brought Natalie Stovall with him to SLAY on the fiddle! Keith stressed on stage that tonight was all about leaving the world outside and it being all about having the best time and we absolutely did. He sparked the venture into discovering country artists from the genuine other side of the world which we are so grateful for and we love having Keith here where he brought about an incredible Saturday night of monster hits complemented by epic musicianship by Natalie and the rest of his wonderful band. How can anyone not love Keith? He’s always the headliner that makes you smile the most when you see his name on the poster and if he keeps coming back, we will keep packing these rooms out with vibes but no Kinder (Berlin joke, it’s honestly funny if you get it) so long may the king of Australia continue to return. The acoustic performance of ‘You’ll Think of Me’ in the crowd on his B Stage is quite possibly the most stunning thing this room will ever see and the covers that surrounded it just fitted perfectly. We are such big fans of Keith so we would happily have him every year but this really was him at his very best.
Credit: London Backline Photography
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Credit: London Backline Photography
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