LIVE REVIEW: VIC ALLEN - C2C COUNTRY TO COUNTRY 2026 - BIG ENTRANCE STAGE

Appearing on The Dutton Ranch Stage just as she has successfully completed finding the funding for her second album was Vic Allen. It seems incongruous that she has not played the Festival before considering all of her work with the "Write Like A Girl" team, and an unbroken run of excellent singles going back many years, yet this was to be her C2C debut. Thrown somewhat in at the deep end, being a solo performer on the Dutton Ranch with just a stomp box for company, she would attract and capture the attention of the sizeable crowd.

Dressed in her "Records" T Shirt ( an obscure power pop band from the late 70's) and for much of the set to be found wearing a wide smile, it was great to see Vic in front of a large crowd. Starting with a reassuring statement of intent in "Enough", the chorus boosted by the stomp box, Vic was immediately stating that she has so much more to offer and that she has no intent of resting on her laurels. The heady mixture of meeting someone while on holiday was covered in "Mexico" with the eventual realisation that "I got to let you go".

The perils of comparing yourself to others to the detriment of yourself, was addressed in possibly Vic's most important song to date, "Wake Up Pretty", which carries a powerful message. A new unrecorded song "Hands" would warm the room as Vic got a little "spicy!". It was easy to see this becoming a sultry little number with Vic declaring

"Heart is beating fast - but the world is slowing down".

The guitar playing evoked a feeling of Gotye's "Girl I Used To Know" on first listen and Vic's lyrics certainly lived up to their steamy billing.

This was to be just a quick delve into various parts of Vic's rich and varied catalogue, the recent single "Ended In a Song" was pure pop with Vic extending out the word "Song" to great effect. Moving to the song that epitomises Vic's wanderlust and the frustration of not being able to exercise it, "Suitcase" with strident guitar playing matched to equally vibrant vocal delivery was a delight, even with that pained "I'm waiting to begin" line.

Teasing out the first singalong of the Dutton Ranch stage, Vic would close on "Drive-Thru", the stomp pedal boosting the chorus and the audience providing the chant after the line "I fell in love that night". It would close out a successful C2C debut but at times Vic did not look totally at ease - speaking to her afterwards it seemed that an ever moving stomp pedal was causing something of a distraction

#TEAMw21 had not really intended on covering any artist twice across the weekend yet as we exited the O2 the next day, there was both a familiar and simultaneously an unfamiliar sound coming from the Big Entrance Stage, where the sound of Vic Allen's guitar and vocals were now joined by a keyboard sound. With the sun beating down, Vic looked supremely self assured in her tinted shades and behind her to the left was Barn Shaw, her forthcoming albums producer, who was adding the additional keyboard sound. The songs were primarily the same as the earlier performance however they now sounded totally different - in a way that would surely demand to be seen in a national tour at some later date.

Taking our place just as "Wake Up Pretty" had its origins revealed to be from a club In Ibiza, we were treated to a transformative performance, with additional keyboards and backing vocals. There was something definitely different in Vic's whole demeanour, as she looked out over the large yet ever growing crowd at The Big Entrance Stage there was clearly a visible air of confidence.

She was even able to perform with a straight face despite having a camera virtually in front of her face at one point, from a cameraman unaware of the zoom function during the unrecorded "The Bullet" - it was distracting for the audience let alone how Vic must have felt. For "Suitcase" Barn provided a manic piece of piano backing while "Drive-Thru" had an even larger audience accompaniment. Just from a fleeting collection of songs it seemed that Vic has stumbled on a new format, that gave her songs an additional layer in a live environment and which truly let her savour her proper C2C initiation.