Having been an avid follower of the progress of Tom Odell ever since his breakthrough at
the start of the year, the chance to see him live was an opportunity I was not
willing to pass up on. Despite my love for his music, however, I was slightly
wary that Odell wouldn’t put on much
of a performance, and with only one album to his name, there was the worry that
he didn’t have enough well known material to really draw in the crowd.
I was, of course, completely wrong on both accounts. The
sold out show was a spectacle of musical talent and energy. There was no need for
any showy stage design; a plain curtain bearing his name, a few lights, and a
piano, was all the necessary equipment to provide over an hour of entertainment
and excitement. The set list cleverly interweaved Odell’s big hits, such as ‘Can’t Pretend’ and ‘Another Love’, with
less known tracks from the album, like ‘Sirens’. There was even a surprise appearance
from The Beatles’ ‘Get Back’ and (my
personal favourite track of the night) ‘I Just Want To Make Love To You’.
Yes. Really.
The shock encore rendition of the Etta James classic was an immediate hit with the crowd and had
everyone in disbelief and hysterics simultaneously and showcased Odell’s personality; when listening to
his album, it is sometimes difficult to remember that he is still a young lad with
a sense of humour and that he doesn’t always feel so depressed over the state
of his love life as his tracks imply.
Throughout the performance, Odell was spot on both vocally and on the piano. Passion and
intensity oozed from each chord that was produced from his chaotic banging on
the keys, and the crowded intimate setting was perfect acoustically to emphasise
the dramatic percussion that complemented Odell’s
energy.
The stand out track
for me was ‘I Know’, which was already my favourite from the album. Tragically
melancholic by nature, this track transcended brilliantly in a live capacity
and had everybody singing their hearts out to the chorus, despite being one of
the lesser known tracks from Long Way
Down. ‘Another Love’ was also a spectacle of a performance, with Odell
almost jumping through the stage with enthusiasm as he magnificently hit every
note on the piano.
The opportunity to see such a talent as Tom Odell in a relatively intimate venue and at such a low price is
unlikely to arise again anytime soon. With his popularity soaring on both sides
of the Atlantic – Odell has just
finished a tour of the States – I anticipate that his next nationwide tour will
be to much bigger audiences and at much higher a cost. Easily the best gig I’ve
been to this year, I can’t wait to see what Odell presents us with in his next
album and his future live dates.
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