C2C festival’s 22nd edition took place during the prestigious Turin Contemporary Art Week, from 31 October to 3 November 2024. Birthed in 2002 as a culmination of Turin’s vibrant music scene, the festival has grown from a single night of club events to a massive four-day avant-pop extravaganza, welcoming over 40,000 people from around the world. This year saw the likes of Dean Blunt, Arca, Romy, A.G. Cook, EvilGiane, John Glacier, Sega Bodega, Snow Strippers, Yaeji and Two Shell take to the stage. A pretty stacked lineup, if you ask me. Here’s what went down at the event.
IT WAS HELD IN AN OLD FIAT FACTORY
The festival took place across a cluster of Turin’s most cherished venues but the main spot for the action was Lingotto Fiere, a gigantic hangar in the old Fiat factory, which has been reimagined by iconic Italian architect Renzo Piano (who designed the Shard, the Pomipdou Centre, the Whitney etc). With more than enough room to admire boundary-pushing sounds from afar or get down and sweaty with the partystarters, Lingotto Fiere was a perfect setting for the weekend’s affairs.
THE CITY
One of the joys of an inner-city festival that you don’t have to camp at is the ability to use your daytime to take in the sights. Most of the people I spoke to who were heading from London to Turin for the first time weren’t fully aware of the offerings of the city. Going in relatively blind led to a discovery of a healthy nightlife scene, cobbled streets, mountain views, good (CHEAP) food and a tranquillity you can’t get when lying in your broken two-man tent in a field, desperately trying to come back to life.
DEAN BLUNT
The first night of the festival saw Dean Blunt take to the stage for a DJ set. The east London trickster and cult hero is infamous for his unorthodox performances – a notable one being a London gig that saw him play Kevin Hart’s 2011 special “Laugh At My Pain” in full, much to the chagrin of fans who had travelled far and wide to see him. Eventually, the time came for his set and we were treated to a set full of ear-blistering metal and punk tunes, with a bit of Hole and Giggs chucked in for good measure. The rest of the night saw countless conversations in the smoking area starting with “...so what did you think of Dean Blunt’s set?” with some people exclaiming how they weren’t expecting to be TROLLED and some people waxing lyrical about the deeper meaning of the song choices. You can’t win them all.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Beyond the amazing line-up of musicians and DJs to take in, there was plenty of programming during the daytime to feed the brain. Some highlights included journalism workshops, panel talks with some of the artists on the lineup, soundscapes curated by Radio Banda Larga and a book presentation from Kode9, founder of the legendary label Hyperdub.