March 9th and 10th saw the return to The Ferry on the River Clyde of the popular Country On The Clyde for the 3rd
annual festival which is run over the weekend of C2C. This show keeps growing year on year at what is a superb
venue. The festival is organised by UK Country Live in conjunction with Buckle and Boots and this year we welcomed
a few more visitors who had decided to travel to Scotland this year instead of going to London for their enjoyment. The
two-day festival is run during the day and allows you time to enjoy the afternoons entertainment before moving along
the quayside to the Hydro for the evening’s entertainment.
Day 1
The day started off with Zoee who was originally a native of Australia is now a resident of Scotland. Zoee along with 2
of her family gave us a rousing set and really kicked the show off to a great start with some of her own material and
some covers. This young lady won The Emerging Talent Showcase at Millport Country Music Festival last year and will
be making a return visit there this year as part of her prize.
2nd up were Kevin McGuire, Elaine Lennon and Simon James who had a wee surprise for us with the incredible Sam
Coe accompanying him during a songwriters set. Each artist took turns to talk about their songs and then sing them
showcasing their talents and what talent there was on display during their set of 3 songs each. All 3 acts are great
singers as well as writers and the audience were loving every minute of the music and banter being provided and there
was even a touch of sympathy for Simon who was suffering a wee bit with a cold.
Next to take to the stage was Stevie O’Connor and I feel he is the Uk's answer to Chris Stapleton. Stevie has a
gruffness to his voice that along with using a kick drum on stage giving him a very unique sound and is someone I
hope won’t be too long before he makes a return visit to Scotland.
The penultimate act for day 1 was Izzie Walsh and her band. Again, being a new artist for me to see live Izzie certainly
puts on a great show and along with a very talented band she provides great music and a stage presence that really
keeps you on your toes.
The final act of the day was Backwoods Creek. I had never seen these guys before and was blown away along with
the roof with their very rocky style of music. Some of our attendees who know the band well provided a great display of
support for them. Backwoods creek are another act that I would love to see returning north soon.
Day 2
Sunday started with Martha L Healy who supported by Al Shields made sure any of us that were suffering from a late
night woke up and took notice. They performed some of Martha’s own music along with a tremendous cover of Brandy
Clark's “3 Kids No Husband”. A very nice opening set to start a fantastic second day.
Today’s songwriters’ part of the show gave us Gary Quinn along with 2 acts that I’m sure are making their Buckle and
Boots Festival debut later this year Emilia Quinn and April Jai. The theme of the set seemed to be about ex friendships
and loves. Again, as mentioned about day 1 the songwriting talent from the 3 acts certainly shows there is such a lot of
quality around the UK circuit. No Gary Quinn set is complete without his song “On Your Way Out” and the crowd
seemed to love this one a lot.
The next act was Lauren Housley who again is another new name for me but one I will be keeping tracks of in the
future. Super vocals from Lauren certainly had us taking notice of how well she kept us entertained.
Today's penultimate act was Kira Mac. The vocal skills this lady showed was a delight to listen to and again I hope she
will return north of the border before long.
The day ended with another local act who at the moment is taking the Scottish scene by storm. Katee Kross and the
Amberjax started off with a 2-song opening with a quick guitar change involved for Ross. Katee has a lot of self-
penned songs and performed a few of the tracks from her newest EP and she also had a few covers in her set.
Altogether this was a fantastic weekend of home-grown talent, superbly organised and well run by all those who set it
up. A special mention must go to the staff and the sound man at The Ferry who did a fantastic job the whole
weekend.
I along with others look forward to next year.