In just a couple of weeks the C2C festival will be opening it’s doors to the thousands of eager Country music fans making the annual pilgrimage to the O2 in London for a weekend of music row mayhem. The festival also takes place in Glasgow and Belfast as ‘main stage’ artists like Kane Brown, Brad Paisley and Old Dominion rotate around the Uk over the three days.
What makes the London weekend so different to the other two cities, however, is the sheer amount of music on offer around the O2 complex. There are multiple other stages and halls hosting the best Country music from both sides of the Atlantic that is free to members of the public to see or accessible to main stage ticket holders, depending on the stage. For a full run-down of our guide to getting the best out of the festival click here.
In this article we look at our top ten recommendations for artists to see who are not playing the main stage in London, Belfast or Dublin but who can be found on some of the smaller stages around the O2 in London. We will let you know if you need a main stage arena ticket to see them too. We’ve tried to pick a spread of artists with different styles to suit all tastes!
Tigirlily Gold – The Indigo Stage (main arena ticket needed)
What a 2023 this sister duo had! Trips to the UK for last year’s C2C festival, Opry debuts, CMAFest appearances and their song ‘Shoot Tequila’ climbed the charts too. 2024 is promising to be be even better if the reception to their new song, ‘I Bought a Ring’ is anything to go by. We last spoke to Kendra and Krista in June and you can read that interview right here if you missed it the first time.
Dylan Schneider – Main Entrance stage (no ticket needed)
Schneider recently released the terrific song, ‘Bad Decisions’ which will be on a lot of people’s C2C playlists. If you want to find out more about this rising artist and his music click here
Hannah Dasher – The Wayside stage (no ticket needed)
Hannah released the second (damn) half of her album last autumn and showed everyone why they had been right to be chomping at the bit since 2021 for it! Her social media is a sheer hoot and her cooking skills a pleasure to follow. Make no mistake, though, it’s Dasher’s songwriting that we will all be falling in love with. She’s our tip to take that Ashley McBryde / Drake Milligan ‘Break Out Artist of the Festival’ mantle for 2024.
Gasoline & Matches – The Wayside stage (no ticket needed)
A long time favourite of ours, UK duo Gasoline & Matches will bring Brummie balls to the O2 arena and a whole lot of charm, melody and humour too. Stalwarts of a Midlands scene that sees them hosting their own Songwriter rounds in the illustrious Symphony Hall, Gasoline & Matches will wow the London crowds with some classic Country music that is a little rock around the edges too.
Colbie Caillat – The Barrelhouse Stage (main arena ticket needed)
Grammy award winning Colbie Caillat burst onto the scene with her debut album ‘Coco’ in 2007. It was her more Country-leaning album, ‘Along the Way’, however, that wowed us last year. We were thrilled to interview her about it, which you can read right here, and it will be a pleasure to see someone of her calibre and stature up close and personal at the festival.
Tanner Adell – The Saloon in All Bar One (main arena ticket needed)
Tanner Adell is bringing something new to the country music genre. She’s released ‘Buckle Bunny’, last year, a debut mixtape via Columbia records, which was an 8 track blast of Country meets Pop, R&B and Hip Hop that truly defined the essence and soul of what a mixtape is meant to be about. We talked to Tanner all about her career and the mixtape in August of last year – you can read that interview right here.
Sinead Burgess – Icon Stage (no ticket needed)
If you went to see Eric Paslay on his December tour of the UK a couple of months ago you will have seen Sinead Burgess opening up those shows. She made a big imapact on the UK Country scene when she supported The Shires pre-pandemic too. With new music and a real knack of being able to spin a yarn, Sinead is an engaging and charismatic live performer.
We interviewed her about this next phase of her career last August. Click here.
Jake Worthington – The Wayside stage (no ticket needed)
A former contestant on ‘The Voice’ in the US, Worthington has been steadily building a fanbase with his brand of traditional Country music. We loved his self-titled debut album release last year (review here) and were thrilled to talk to him all about it as well. Signed to Big Loud records, Worthington will wow the London crowds with his fun, earthy brand of classic Country music.
Greylan James – The Big Entrance stage (no ticket needed)
Greylan James is very much a writer and artist on the up. Having been signed to his first publishing deal by Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee Bob DiPiero at the age of 18, James appeared on Season Four of NBC’s ‘The Voice’. He’s very quietly and consistently had lots of songs recorded by artists, including ‘Happy Does’ by Kenny Chesney, ‘If That Ain’t God’ by Chris Young, and ‘Real Friends’ by Chris Janson featuring Blake Shelton. Most notably, James was one of the writers of Jordan Davis’ monster no. 1 ‘Next Thing You Know.’ He also releases his own music. We last spoke to him in 2022, an interview you can read here.
Sophia Scott – The Big Entrance stage (no ticket needed)
After releasing the fabulous ‘Barstool Confessions’ album last year, Scott embarked on a video project that delved deep into her artistry and personal healing journey, revealing the raw emotions that inspired her music. The series kicked off with the official music video for Track 1, the tongue-in-cheek ‘What I’m Wearing Tonight.’ Filmed at Apocalypse, a vintage clothing store in her hometown of Boulder. Check out all her videos on youtube and enjoy her album because she’s going to be the name on everyone’s lips at the festival in March!
