From guest vocalist in 2016 to headline act in 2021 Tom Grennan has come a long way in a relatively short period of time and Saturday night's gig at the O2 Academy in Bournemouth proved that he deserves every bit of the success he is enjoying.
The band take to the stage to Wild Cherry’s appropriately named Play That Funky Music immediately followed by Tom who launches straight into If Only followed by Royal Highness and Something Special.
Tom seems really comfortable on stage as he moves from side to side and engages with the audience. The band are spot on throughout the evening keeping a flawless beat, the sound is just right and is complemented by a minimal but effective light show.
After This Is the Place, Barbed Wire and I Might, he quietened things down with an excellent rendition of You Matter To Me illuminated by a thousand phone lights in the crowd making a fantastic backdrop to the song.
The tempo immediately picks up again with All Goes Wrong, my favourite song of the night, and By Your Side both delivered to a venue packed with a vocal crowd who sing along at every opportunity which was perfect as the rest of the set is full of tunes that make you want to get up and dance.
The main set came to a close with chants of “one more song" ringing from every corner. I Don’t Need a Reason and Something in the Water closed the night and what a gig it was.
This was a great gig from an excellent singer and performer who should be set for much bigger venues in the future.
Live music in packed venues is definitely back and I for one am looking forward to more nights like this
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