Crowe Boys on Creating Folk Music That Feels Good, Performing at C2C Festival 2026 and More

The Crowe Boys - comprising brothers Ocie and Wes Crowe - are heading back across The Pond to make their debut at London's C2C Festival 2026 next March. Their now-global reach is a testament to the alt-folk duo's meteoric ascent over the past year, with their sleek, spellbinding harmonies and visceral, raw lyricism catapulting them onto a host of tastemakers’ playlists and ‘Ones to Watch’ radars.

And there's no question they deserve their spot. In a country and folk landscape that often feels over-saturated with guys stood in the forest singing about heartbreak, the Crowe Boys have emerged on our For You pages as a breath of fresh air.

They tackle the thornier aspects of life, of course, but they leave enough room to toast the joyful moments and stop to look around with a sense of warm, child-like wonder. It's music that empathises, soothes and, then, once you're feeling a little more healed, reminds you that life can be full of some wonderful gifts and blessings.

“For us it’s always been about trying to find the full circle of what life is and place it in our music”, Crowe Boys explain in a new conversation with Holler, “Everything from the highs of good relationships and rich moments with people you love but also bodying the essence of loss and pain that the world brings to us. We think both sides are equally important in finding the meaning of life and finding joy”.

As for whether their mandolin-infused sonics should be classed as country, folk or Americana, that's not something that concerns them, “We have always just written music for what makes us feel good as artists. It's easy to get lost in trying to find what genre someone’s music is but that’s never been something we spend much time on. We just want to write music that helps people see the world for all it can be”.

For many of their fans, it all started with ‘Where Did I Go Wrong’, which carries the duo's irresistible harmonies and a killer hook. They shared clip of them performing the yearning ode on TikTok last year, and it blew up, amassing over 13 million views.

But for Ocie and Wes, the journey began travelling around the South as part of their family band in an RV. It was a formative experience, with the boys initially just performing Gospel music, before gravitating towards more folk-leaning artists such as Caamp and Noah Kahan. After losing their mother - who helped teach them both how to write songs - at the age of 33 when Ocie was just 11 and Wes was 8, the Crowe family moved from Pride, Louisiana to nearby Franklinton. Ocie moved to New Orleans when he was 17, with Wes following a few years later.

You wouldn't think so listening to the intricate offerings that permeate their debut album, Made To Wander, but the Crowe Boys started off as an indie-punk outfit with their other brother, Jacob. After struggling to connect in the local clubs, they had a make-or-break moment. One particular venue had emptied out before they'd even started their set, leaving the band alone on-stage. Rather than wallowing, they turned the microphones around and sang softly to one another. In this soulful, intimate performance, their folkier spirit finally shone through.

They cite a number of acts as having impacted their experimentation during this period, as they honed this new sound, musing, “Artists like Coldplay, Gregory Alan Isakov and Noah Kahan have been major parts of our creative inspiration. But more recently we’ve really enjoyed artists like Kingfishr, Hans Williams, and Dove Ellis”. Crowe Boys underline that Kahan remains a dream collaboration for them.

When they take the stage at C2C Festival 2026 early next year, it will be another key milestone on the band's journey so far, one that will again emphasise exactly why Crowe Boys are being touted as future stars in the country-folk intersection.

It's a performance they can't wait to share with their fans, following a wildly popular debut set at The Long Road Festival this summer, “The overall energy is different as soon as you step into the UK. We’ve always been fortunate to have an amazing fan base everywhere we go but the UK has a special place in our hearts”.

With Crowe Boys also confirming their attention turns to new music “really, really soon” after finishing an album, we're excited to see what 2026 brings for this evocative duo.

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