It seems ridiculous to be highlighting someone who only has 2 releases to their name as a must see but such is the impression that Zandi has made on #TEAMw21 that we think her appearances may be among the most talked about at this years C2C.
"Gas Station Flowers" is such a jaw dropping song, it is almost certain that you will hear nothing quite like it across the whole weekend. Zandi gives voice not to the person outraged at receiving such a meagre gift but to someone thankful for them as the alternate is to have nothing at all.
With little more initially than an acoustic and pedal steel Zandi is able to turn this character into someone living and breathing before our very eyes - it is a rare and beautiful talent.
Her singing voice has an accent that the UK will instantly fall for and they will gripped once she lays the opening lines of "Gas Station Flowers " on them
"I’ll take you drunk, I’ll take you stoned
I’ll take you back, long as you come home
I’d rather go through Hell than let you go
‘Cause those gas station flowers are better than being alone"
As if this was not enough the object of her affections is not seemingly the greatest catch
"Quik Stop sack in your left hand
Lucky Strikes hot on your breath
A scratch-off ticket and a sixteen-ounce High Life can
Bet you saw them in the checkout line
Carnations, three-ninety-nine
A cellophane-wrapped afterthought
But hey, that’s fine, at least they’re mine"
It is a remarkable song with verse after verse that seems to get bleaker and bleaker
"You’ll probably be the death of you, and you’ll be the death of me"
We doubt there will be more affecting song across the whole weekend
Her other available song "Wait For You" is equally full of quotable lines further suggesting that Zandi is definitely going to make an impression of sorts.
"My momma told me; "there's no happy end
They're always going to leave you
Just like daddy did"
There is however much more to Zandi which is why we feel compelled to recommend her - she seems to be a born storyteller on all her songs and every clip of her playing acoustically shows a delicate picking style. The big difference Zandi will find in the UK is how attentive the UK audiences will be to her lyrics which are rich in detail and likely to be mouthed back to her in real time.
She may come into C2C 2024 a relative unknown - however a love affair with the UK audience is just about to begin.
Zandi Holup plays
Friday The Wayside 14:00
Friday 15:40 The Barrelhouse Stage
Saturday 11:00 the Icon Stage
Saturday 13:30 Bluebird Cafe with Drayton Farley & Grelylan James - if you have a ticket you are blessed and in for a special time as we have already highlighted how good Drayton will be.