It was a privilege for Six Shooter Country to be invited to Big Machine UK’s intimate evening of music in London on Wednesday, to kick off the C2CFestival weekend.
It was an opportunity to get up close and personal with Big Machine’s C2C headliners Thomas Rhett and Lady A, alongside Midland and recently-signed Chase McDaniel.
As is the way with what was effectively a songwriters’ round (a very impressive one), there were stories, plenty of laughs (absinthe anyone?) and lots of love – both for each other amongst the artists and for the appreciation shown by UK audiences.
Amid such august company, Chase could have been overwhelmed on his first trip to the UK, but this relative newcomer more than held his own as he told about being raised by his grandparents who introduced him to Josh Turner’s Long Black Train aged only seven, and the debt of gratitude he owed the friend who lent him a sofa to stay on in Nashville for just two more weeks…that journey will soon be history for the Kentucky boy who is set to make headlines of his own.
Midland’s Mark Wystrach, Jess Carson, and Cameron Duddy brought their own brand of humour to the night and, said Mark, for them it’s all about writing music that they can enjoy playing for the rest of their lives. As he put it, it’s ‘the weirdest and the best job it could be’.
Lady A’s Hillary Scott noted that as the only woman on stage that night, she was honoured to be flying the flag for International Women’s Day, before the band launched into I Run To You, the 2009 single that really set them on the road to success by earning their first number one.
Friday night’s headliner – and the man who has had 19 multi-platinum and gold-certified number one hits – Thomas Rhett echoed that same sentiment when he said that from a young age he had always dreamed of writing songs that would take him around the world. I think it’s pretty fair to say he’s ticked that box and there will undoubtedly be more hits to come as we were lucky enough to be treated to two of his new songs.
Far too many highlights to mention them all, but hearing Lady A’s Hillary, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood sing Need You Now while standing just a few feet away was enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.
Midland’s Drinkin’ Problem was another special moment and it was down to Thomas Rhett to close the show with his mega-hit Die A Happy Man – the perfect way to end the evening.
A huge thank you to Claire Horton PR and the Big Machine UK team for putting on such a brilliant and inspiring event.