LIVE REVIEW: MCCOY MOORE - C2C COUNTRY TO COUNTRY 2026 - BBC RADIO 2 STAGE

With impeccable timing McCoy Moore chose to make his C2C debut just as he announced his debut album "Sunshine State" is due out May 22nd. Dressed in the Nashville Singer / Songwriter de rigeur outfit of cap, and jeans, the Florida born native would give us a feel for what we are likely to get when it arrives.

Opening with the title track, "Sunshine State" announcing as "The place I'm from and a girl who broke my heart there". There was a rapid change from the opening

"I swear it couldn't get hotter

When she was here by my side"

to a few lines later

"Couldn't hate her any more

Can't love her any less" leading to

"Nothing but rain in a Sunshine State"

With a steady strum, McCoy would gradually lay out his woes "She made a mess out of me".

Putting his success down to hard work and people "Prayin' For Me", McCoy would subsequently lay out his life story. He would then announce that he went to a bar the previous night before launching into "I Went To The Bar Last Night".!

A fast paced acoustic strum, laid the way for the fall out from a break up

"I ain't saying I'm all the way over you

I ain't saying my heart's done breaking

Maybe I'm one or two closer too

The start of your memory fading"

Sadly McCoy would lose a good few minutes to having to switch cables which led to awkward gap in proceedings however he returned re-energised.

Things eventually got back under way with "John Deere Blue" co written which Shane McAnally and Johnny Clawson, which neatly used the "Blue" of the title to profess, he'll only get over his ex when John Deere change from their traditional red.

It was also used it in multiple other ways

"Blue as the eyes I'm still dreaming about

Blue as the mountains on the beer I'm drinkin' now

Blue as I was when you walked away"

Next was a song ( " a sexy song" ), "Speaking Your Mind" which found McCoy back in a bar, this time pre relationship split and so the mood generated was a little different, a little steamy in places!

McCoy was truly appreciative of a listening audience, and went on to deliver his most impassioned delivery on "Bible and a Bar" with the opening verse and chorus doing well to portray a person in torment between which will do him the best. His guitar playing became more intricately picked and the words more considered in delivery.

"If I’m on a stool, it’ll get me through the night

But if I get to a pew, I might get to see the other side"

Closing with "Something To You" which made the pertinent observation that something is only special to you once it has a reason to be - it was the one song that pointed to McCoy having a brighter future outside of break up songs

"No, it don't mean nothing when there's nothing to lose

'Cause everything's just something 'til it's something to you"

Vowing to swiftly return to the UK there was definitely a lot to like about McCoy Moore