WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE TOUR
On the final night of his UK tour, Tom Walker packs out Cambridge Corn Exchange before heading out across Europe.
The stage set in an usual manner, a semi circle of band and tall lights surrounds Walker. A first for me, to see the drummer at the front, stage right instead of tucked at the back, barely visible.
Big soulful tones to Walkers voice are entrancing. His voice was incredibly powerful, and he powered through a strong set list starting with Angels.
It was a hugely enjoyable set, despite not knowing all of Walker’s material the lesser known songs were easy to follow and enjoy. You felt the raw emotion that had been injected into his repertoire. Walk Alone, a Rudimental cover was a clear favourite.
Not only a singer-songwriter, Walker displays his musical talents-interchanging guitars between songs. At one point a small drum kit is brought onto stage for a drum-off (Is that a thing?) with his touring band drummer. Tall screens surrounding the band,create atmosphere. Showing
images of underground signs and London’s landmarks play in the background of songs such as The Show a song whose lyrics take us on a journey around London’s streets.
Walkers style makes him difficult to pigeon hole, each track is petty diverse, because by his own admission making the same song over would be pretty boring. Influenced in his younger years by ACDC and Artic Monkeys he’s also keen on taking creative influence from English artists Paolo Nutini, George Erza and Ed Sheeran.
Barely into his twenties, with 50 million streams to his name and on Radio 1’s Brit List, he has already played at Glastonbury and appeared on the BBC’s festival TV coverage next to the Foo Fighters.
The urge to leave before the encore pulled at me. The thought of facing the 40 minute wait, stuck trying to get out of the car park was unbearable. But, we still hadn’t heard his most memorable single ‘Leave a Light On’. You can’t go to a Tom Walker gig and not hear Leave a Light On, it’s just, the law. The audience seemed to have the same idea as everyone waited out the very last song on the very last night of tour. (Unfortunately meaning a 50 minute wait to get out of the car park, but so totally and utterly worth it).
