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Countdown to C2C 2026
November 8th 2025
Nikki Blackburn
We’re officially 125 days out from C2C 2026 and we’re already super excited for the artists who’ve already been announced, and we know there’s plenty more to come. This year’s C2C was, in my opinion, the biggest and best yet, so the bar - as ever - is set high, but we have a feeling that 2026 will raise it even further.
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With that in mind, here’s our rundown of the 5 artists we’re most excited to see again, the 5 we’re most looking forward to seeing live for the first time, and our pick of the top 5 UK artists we really want to see added to the line-up…
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C 2 C 2026
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5 Artists We’re Most Excited to See Again:
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Alana Springsteen
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Alana made her C2C debut in 2023 on the ‘Next from Nashville’ line-up and it’s safe to say the Virgina Beach girl next door has been warmly embraced by UK country fans. Her set was one of my absolute highlights of C2C. She returned in 2024 to co-host the London stage with the legendary Bob Harris and formed, quite frankly, the duo none of us knew we needed (something Alana and I chatted about when I interviewed her at CMA Fest this summer). Alana also headlined the Saturday After-Party and not only was the Indigo packed out, the crowd brought the fire; matching Alana and her band’s endless energy and singing every word with her. Her debut album, ‘Twenty Something,’ continues to be one of my all-time favourites and with Alana teasing her sophomore album is coming ‘real soon’ and already incorporating incredible new songs such as ‘Same God,’ ‘Sad Hour,’ and ‘No Man’ into her sets, her main stage appearance at next year’s festival is already guaranteed to be something you don’t want to miss.
I certainly won’t be.
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Song Recommendations: Same God / Amen ('Same God' CMA Fest performance review here)
Mackenzie Carpenter
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Mackenzie recently played this summer’s Long Road Fest, where she said she’d love to come back very soon, and we’re glad that not only is that the case, but that she’ll be returning to C2C to play the Main Stage for the first time. Mackenzie packed out her sets at last year’s festival with not only great music, but an effortless charm and stage presence.
Her set was another of my highlights at Long Road this summer, particularly her solo version of her hit duet with Midland, ‘I Wish You Would,’ which is one of my standout singles of 2025. Disappointingly, she didn’t include fan-favourite ‘Jesus I’m Jealous,’ something I asked her about at Long Road and she said I wasn’t the first person to voice that and she’d have to come back and play it, so that’s at the top of my wish list for her setlist.
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Song Recommendation: Jesus I’m Jealous
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Zach Top
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I’m yet to see a full Zach Top set, having only seen him live for the first time at this year’s CMA Fest, which while amazing, was all too brief. Since then, he’s released his 3rd album ‘Ain’t in it for My Health’ this past August and seems to be a traditional artist going from strength to strength in an increasingly diverse-sounding country landscape. ‘Good Times and Tan Lines,’ which he debuted at CMA Fest, is sure to sound so good on that C2C Main Stage alongside other hits such as ‘I Never Lie’ and ‘Use Me.’
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​Song Recommendation: Use Me
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Drake Milligan
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Another artist returning to C2C’s Main Stage is the always charming Drake Milligan, who also played last year’s festival alongside Brothers Osbourne and Old Dominion. The Elvis-inspired ‘I Got a Problem’ crooner also headlined the Friday night of this summer’s Long Road, where he played to his biggest UK crowd to date and went down an absolute storm. Based on reactions from that set, Drake Milligan is sure to be an artist a lot of people are looking forward to seeing, especially with the recent release of his brand-new album, ‘Tumbleweed.’
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Song Recommendation: I Got a Problem
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Kameron Marlowe
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I last saw Kameron Marlowe live at CMA Fest in Nashville this summer, and to say this guy knows how to command a room and keep a crowd in the palm of his hand would be a massive understatement. Kameron played an acoustic writers round on the CMA Close-Up Stage; it was just him, his guitar and his stories about how his songs came to be written and it was captivating, so to see him playing with a full band on the Main Stage will definitely be a highlight.
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Song Recommendation: Seventeen
5 Artists We’re Excited to See for the First Time:​
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Russell Dickerson
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Despite Russell Dickerson being no stranger to UK stages, he’s an artist I’m yet to see live. He first came on my radar when I was tasked with reviewing his ‘Bones The EP’ ahead of its release in August last year. It was an EP that I thoroughly enjoyed, particularly ‘Miss You So (Letters to You).’ His latest album, ‘Famous Back Home’ has been another one I enjoyed, particularly the current radio hit ‘Happen To Me’ which has resonated well with crowds on both sides of the pond. Recent high-profile career moments such as performing ‘Happen To Me’ on The Kelly Clarkson Show as well as re-releasing the song as a duet with The Jonas Brothers just a couple of weeks ago have definitely raised my expectations for his live show.
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Song Recommendation: Happen To Me
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Emily Ann Roberts
Emily Ann Roberts has steadily been building a profile in Nashville that started picking up steam with the release of her debut album in 2023. Since then, she’s released fan-favourites such as ‘The Fence,’ ‘Jack & Jill Daniel’s’ and recent duet ‘Get Me Gone’ with Drew Baldridge. Last month, she released her sophomore album, ‘Memory Lane,’ and she’s definitely an artist I’m looking forward to seeing live.
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Song Recommendation: Jack & Jill Daniels
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Mae Estes
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Arkansas native Estes signed her first publishing deal in 2020 and has since gone on to rack up over thirteen-million streams. Last year, she was named one of CMT’s ‘Next Women of Country’ and has since supported Brad Paisley and Luke Bryan on tour. Her latest self-titled EP, released last month, really caught my ear not just for her music but for the storytelling wrapped up in her gentle southern twang, so I’m pleased she’s on the line-up for March.
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Song Recommendation: Mr Fix It
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Ty Myers
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Ty Myers only released his debut album, ‘The Select,’ in January this year, but he’s already accumulated over 600 million global streams and endless critical acclaim. His biggest single to date, ‘Ends of the Earth,’ showcases storytelling that’s as mature as his sound, which is no small feat for a young artist who’s only just getting started. He’s an artist I’m intrigued to see if the live show lives up to the hype and I’m really hoping that it does.
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Song Recommendation: Drinkin' Alone
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Julia Cole
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I first heard Julie Cole when she duetted with Alexandra Kay on ‘Best Worst Ex’ in 2022, which she then followed up with album ‘Country Sugar’ the following year. Cole is another ‘Next Women of Country’ alum (2022) and has really found success with break-up anthems like ‘Side Piece,’ ‘Thank God We Broke Up’ and ‘Hunting Boots.’
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Song Recommendation: Hunting Boots
5 UK Artists We’d Love to See Added to the Line-up:​
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First Time Flyers
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Where else could this list start with other than First Time Flyers? I’m somewhat biased here because this band is - across the whole team here at Southbound - the top of our Wi$h Li$t for every festival. We just love them! C2C 2023 marked their official debut as a band, and even then you could feel the foundations of something truly special. When they returned for this year’s festival, you couldn’t just feel it, you could see it: their set on the Big Entrance Stage was the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen play that stage. Not only was it the biggest crowd, the energy was unreal, and FTF are a band that thrive on crowd energy and throw it right back at you ten-fold. Being present for that set was definitely a proud-fan moment, and it really felt like a moment too - something I was able to chat about with the guys this summer - watch here).
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In September, they released their fantastic debut album ‘Bound to Break,’ which climbed to #1 on the official country album chart. It’s everything you’d expect from a band as talented as FTF are: a masterclass in songwriting, commanding vocals and tight harmonies, and it runs the gamut of every possible emotion. Whatever it is you’re feeling, there’s a FTF song to serve you. They’re flying the flag and setting a standard for what UK country music can be, and equally as important, they’re just really good humans. So for all of those reasons, we really hope to see them announced for C2C 2026. Watch my interview with the guys here.
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Song Recommendations: Before the Wind Changes / Do You Remember?
The Shires
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It’s been a minute since The Shires last played the C2C stages, and I don’t know why that is? I first saw Ben and Chrissie play at C2C 2014: a newly-formed duo, on the Town Square stage, they played ‘State Lines’ and I was hooked. Have been ever since and seen them on many stages in the last 11 years too, most recently at Country on the Common this past July. I’d previously seen them a couple of times on their acoustic ‘Two of Us Tour’ in the run-up, and they’re always brilliant either way, but seeing them do their thing with a full band again felt special. In a lot of ways, The Shires were at the forefront of blazing the trail for good country music created by UK artists. They have an extensive and incredible catalogue of music now, their harmonies are as strong as ever, and I would really love to see them grace the C2C stages once again.
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Song Recommendation: Accidentally on Purpose
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Vic Allen
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Vic Allen’s an artist that came on my radar earlier in the year, but I didn’t get chance to see her live until October when she opened for First Time Flyers and I genuinely loved her set. Even in thirty minutes, which isn’t a lot of time to make an impression, she came across as warm, funny and endearing in a way that felt really authentic. Her setlist, which was a mix of released and unreleased music was awesome. She’s currently in the middle of her very first headline tour of her own, and I was able to catch one of those shows last week too and thoroughly enjoyed it: her sound is very complimentary to FTF, country that’s a little pop-leaning with strong songwriting and catchy hooks, so if you like their sound, definitely check her out; her debut album 'Some Place I'd Rather Be' is an excellent place to start and from the unreleased music I've heard so far, she's not an artist you wanna be sleeping on. Following some of our coverage of her song, 'Wake Up Pretty,' we had a lot of comments come through our Insta stories from girls and women who said it resonated with them. I think she’d be an excellent addition to the C2C 2026 lineup.
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Check back soon for our interview with Vic.
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Song Recommendation: Ended in a Song / Healing
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Thomas Kavanagh
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Thomas Kavanagh played a full weekend of shows over C2C weekend this year but wasn’t officially part of the line-up; he played in The Observatory, which is a bar within the 02 Arena. He’s an experienced live performer with a country rock vibe and I thoroughly enjoyed his set. With a really exciting number of emerging UK country music artists on the scene right now, Thomas Kavanagh is definitely one to watch.
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His next single, 'I've Moved On' is out November 28th.
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Song Recommendation: Mixtape
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Chanel Yates
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The ‘Big Girl Boots’ cowgirl hailing from Sheffield has had an unbelievable trajectory over the last 12 months; she’s played slots on some major festival stages and opened up for Alexandra Kay on the UK leg of her ‘All I’ve Ever Known Tour,’ which was a massive deal for her – I saw that tour and she got great feedback from a crowd that very much loved AK, so I imagine she netted a lot of new fans on that run. She’s currently hitting around 125,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and she’s releasing some catchy, fun country-pop tunes. The most recent, 'Colourblind,' being an absolute banger perfect for radio play. All of this to say, she’s surely done enough to deserve a slot at C2C 2026, right? We certainly think so, and I’d definitely love to see that happen.
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Song Recommendation: Studio Apartment / Colourblind
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