LIVE REVIEW: C2C COUNTRY TO COUNTRY 2025 - BBC RADIO 2 STAGE - MAGGIE ANTONE

Maggie Antone would take to the Indigo Stage in her oversize cowboy hat,covering her dark locks. With her yellow tshirt and blue jeans, she would spend the next 28 minutes or so doing nothing else but winning fans over by the song. Opening with the drinking song "One Too Many" she would wear a broad infectious smile as she performed.

"Jack Daniel's took me out and Johnny walked me home

Mary Jane rolled up and she got me stoned

Fifteen and six feet deep ain't all that much

How's one too many, but one ain't enough?"

It was a fabulous opening nailing the realities and trueism's of a heavy nights drinking

"You do the crime, you do the time

You swear to God, you'll never drink again

Then here comes Friday night

And look at you, you're drinking again"

Ending with a high kick, this was one hell of an introduction to Maggie Antone and #TEAMw21 loved every second of it!

Her next song about Texas - "Mess With Texas" was full of cute word play around US State names. Letting out a little giggle as she slipped in "London" into the lyrics this was classic country with a modern twist and a smile - the whole crowd joining in on the final Texas.

Maggie would acknowledge with a "Thank's Y'all"

The closing and saddest song on her "Rhinestoned" record "Meant To Meet" though for the most part it was played out over a jaunty tune It was only towards then end that Maggie slowed things down and brought the Indigo to a hush with her breathy deliverry.

This simple combination of guitar and voice gathered louder applause with each song, the announcement of an unrecorded song "about a Shitty man" was raptuously received. Describing it to be a little ditty with no title ( we'll call it "I'll SeeYou In Hell"). Keeping a demonic theme going Maggie announced the next song would be "The Devil's Not In Hell" before wryly saying in an aside "He's in East Nashville!". Her engaging manner had the crowd eager to join in providing harmonies as requested.

As ever, we were discovering that the delight with Maggie is extracting the little observations in her lyrics - you can't help but think that the line "Blink twice and he is f**king all your friends" was to raw to not be true. This song was delivered with a high degrees of venom at times, never more so than on that line.

The title track of her album "Rhinestoned" would produce the highlight of a very strong set, Delivered and picked slightly slower than the rest of her material. Maggie's vocal took on a more gentle almost dreamy delivery.

The set would close with "Johnny Moonshine", a piece of classic country. Maggie would appear later on the Main Stage with 49 Winchester - to sing on "Leave This Holler". Maggie would be dressed more formally for her big stage debut and as the cameras zoomed in, she had a mild look of terror on her face - like somoene who didn't know what her opening line was - however as soon as she delivered it she visibly relaxed and performed without any problem at all - slightly madcap but undeniably good fun - Maggie Antone come back soon.

PHOTOS BY: LONDON BACKLINE PHOTOGRAPHY