On Friday night (October 2nd) Tom Grennan performed at the iconic O2 Brixton Academy, London…without a crowd. That’s not technically true. Audiences participated from their homes via the MelodyVR app. It was a great performance from the singer songwriter who was particularly lively after having announced the title of his upcoming second album (‘Evering Road’) and released soulful new single ‘Amen’ earlier that day.
We were treated to well loved songs from Grennan’s debut album ‘Lighting Matches’ and new songs too. It was slightly surreal seeing Tom Grennan walk onto stage, dressed in a turquoise suit but, hey, this is the new normal and it’s a blessing that innovative live shows like this can even take place at all. ‘Sweet Hallelujah’ was the first track and it was a strong start from the raspy-voiced star.
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Grennan interacted with the crowd as much as possible with comments like, “What’s happening people?" at the start of the show and encouraged them to have fun. He even asked audience members to get up and jump around with him. Watching the show was a fantastic way to connect to the artist and he seemed just as happy to be singing live again as fans were to hear him.
When it came to performing ‘Amen’, Grennan told us: “This song means a lot to me” and spoke about being on a journey while making his sophomore album. It was an energetic performance of the new gospel-influenced song with the rousing lyrics, “I don’t got to church but… Amen”. He seemed taken aback by his own performance because, after the song, he exclaimed, “Wow, I felt that one!” and added that he hoped “you lot at home are feeling it”.
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‘Royal Highness’ is always fun to hear live and it was a joyful performance, as were ‘Praying’ and ‘Lucky Ones’. His vocals were exceptionally strong on the night. Grennan dedicated ‘I Might’ to his mum and also performed ‘This Is The Place’ which was the first song released from the new upcoming album.
The show ended on a heartfelt rendition of ‘Something In The Water’. A thoroughly enjoyable gig, it was great to ‘attend’ a gig once again and Grennan’s passion for his music really shone through. He had so much energy and really connected to his audience. We can’t wait to see him play live again.
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Words: Narzra Ahmed
Tom Grennan will release his new album 'Evering Road' on March 5th.
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