So the final day is upon us. After two full days of amazing country music along the Blackpool coast, the time has come to pack it in. But not before we give one last hurrah and with the last stand of Country Music before we head back home.
Sunday was the earliest start so it did mean that unfortunately myself and my friend Nick missed the opening acts inside the Empress Ballroom. The Fatherline was skipped completely and we arrived just to hear Jake Morrell last song. So we instead join the main stage with Megan O’Neil.
This was someone I was looking forward to seeing. She was heavily promoted before the show with the nickname, the Irish Carrie Underwood. That’s a hell of a way to promote someone setting the bar high with expectations. Did she deliver on the expectations? Well, partly she did. Her set wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. They were some highlights during her music. At the midway point, she performed a nice Slow Dance Song and the highlight of her set for me was her “Girl Crush” cover. Outside of them song I didn’t enjoy her as much as I thought I would do. Maybe she will grow on me in the future but for whatever reason, this afternoon didn’t work for me.
Moving on from that we had the Worry Dolls. Now these girls were fantastic and stood out on the main stage. Firstly, I believe this was the only band I saw all weekend to use a Banjo? but it’s nice to see a variety of different instruments. The banjo along with the pedal steel guitar put to excellently use gave them a unique sound. Setting them apart from some of the other artists on the main stage. The set also had a mixture of different styles. From the heavier sounding opening of Trains Leaving and Tidal Wave that have a dramatic sound, to the beautiful written Firefly. The Worry Dolls were just a band I could enjoy listening to all day. They are touring up north soon including a stop off in Manchester and I’ll be looking to see them again.
So to round out the festival we had the Sunday headliner. I tend to go through stages when I write my blog. I’ll either be taking notes on my phone or just sitting back getting lost in the moving, being in the fan zone. For Catherine, I was the latter.
She opened up with Just in Case, a song that reminds me a lot of early Taylor Swift, that really set the tempo for what was to come. Followed by “Hell Would have to Freeze Over” an early favorite that unfortunately didn’t make the album. She also mixed in several covers into her set. I never thought I would hear a rendition of “Teenage Dream” as a country show but Catherine not only performed it but delivered it. With the other covers being “Elsworth” and “The First Cut is the Deepest.” Everything about listening to Cathrine performs is just fun and before I knew it, we were already at “Talk of This Town” In a set that flew by. Catherine finished up with “Wild” an old staple. If you have been to her shows before then you know the story by now. Still, it was the perfect way to close out the weekend here in Blackpool.
The music did continue but sadly Remember Monday had to pull out for the show. The final acts on the smaller stage were Gareth Nugent and Tennessee Waltz ending the evening. Tidy and hungry however we instead went to Walkabout for stake and to settle into some American Football. That rounds out the British Country Music Festival. I’ll have some final thoughts come up over the next few days. The sequel has already been announced and while they are improvements to be made we look forward to seeing you again next year Blackpool.
Country Connection 