Country 2 Country (London) Review

Overall impressions of Country 2 Country 2023

This year the organizers of the Country 2 Country and the O2 London really pulled out all the stops. The venue was well presented with a couple of changes and additions compared to previous years.

One of the most noticeable changes was moving the Big Entrance stage to outside in front of the O2. This was a genius move by C2C as last year it caused a massive blockage just inside the O2. Having the stage outside gave easier access to the O2 and allowed for larger and safer audiences wishing to see acts on the Big Entrance stage.

Most of the stages were the same as last year, within the venue, however The Icon stage was upstairs in the retail outlet area, sadly this area didn’t have the greatest acoustics for live music. The Barrel House was at the back of the Town Square as a separate structure, leaving the rest of the Town Square free for a wide variety of stalls where you could buy anything Country & Americana. The lack of the Town Hall stage in the main shopping area made the whole shopping experience a lot easier.

The Lineup

This year’s line-up was as impressive as you would expect from the Country 2 Country with headline shows from Thomas Rhett on Friday, Lady A on Saturday and The Zac Brown Band on Sunday. They were all amazing headliners, with all three getting the crowds on their feet however, The Zac Brown Band won on that front in my opinion.

Photo by Anthony Mooney

The headline acts aside, the other main stage performers were also incredible. For me Midland and Old Crow Medicine Show were the standout acts with Lainey Wilson and Morgan Evans close behind.  The Calling Nashville artists were superb with quick fire songs from each singer in turn. 

Photo by Luke Dyson

When it came to the stages and acts outside the arena, we weren’t left disappointed either. Acts such as Alyssa Bonagura, George Bridge, Hannah Ellis, Jess and the Bandits, Breland and 49 Winchester amazed us with the American connection while Paris Adams, Thomas Kavanagh, Ward Thomas, Jade Helliwell, Kezia Gill, and many others, did the UK proud.  All the acts brought their A game and delivered just what the crowds wanted, and boy did they want it!

The Venue

This year at the O2 Arena, they made every effort to improve the experience and they did not disappoint. The staff at the venue were incredibly helpful and courteous with good knowledge of the stages and how to get there.

Understandably security was at a heightened level with bag scanning still in operation. Sadly, even though there were two bag

 scanners, only one was in operation for the weekend. This caused a delay entering the venue with long queues waiting at the single bag scanner. It was a shame that your bag had to be scanned every time you entered the O2. Considering the outside stages and The Town Square shopping’s location,  was often. Perhaps the O2 could come up with some kind of scanned bag tag once your bag had been scanned with randomly selected tagged bags being checked.

The Bag Drop was brilliant as always, cheap enough per day and extremely easy to use. I, for one, had to return to my bag repeatedly to get business cards and recording equipment, as well as to leave scarves and associated clothing as I warmed up, you could return as many times as necessary without any extra charges. The staff were incredibly helpful and courteous, always smiling and happy to have a laugh.

Getting into the arena itself was easy although on the final day I was requested to completely empty my bag. As Press, I had a lot of items packed into a small bag, it was like Tetris packing it back. I’m sure a quick rummage would have sufficed but I guess you can’t put a price on safety.

Value for money

Without doubt the Country 2 Country is amazing value for money, be it a single day or the whole festival experience! However, it is the food and drink sales side of C2C that really hurts.

Outside the main Arena prices were as you would expect due to competition from lots of bars and eateries, however £8.00 per pint of beer inside the O2 Arena was a very expensive experience meaning that drink purchases were limited. Although I didn’t buy any food within the Arena, the food was just as expensive for what was on offer.

I understand that the prices are set by the O2, but something needs doing, as its simply crazy to be able to set the prices so high for a captive audience.

With the quantity and quality of amazing artists from around the world in one place you just can’t beat it. The quality of acts were exceptional, the variety also very good. It would, again in my opinion, be good to see a bit more Bluegrass and Outlaw included in future festivals.

I also feel that a lot of the same acts (on the main stage) get invited back repeatedly. Sure, they all put on great shows and are nice to see some new acts would be nice.

Hopefully C2C will spice it up a bit in 2024 and make an already fantastic experience more incredible.

C2C 2024 tickets and information CLICK HERE

Nashville Worldwide Interviews and Reviews