ShareOlly Murs performing his Never Been Better Tour at The Capital FM Arena Nottingham on Thursday 30th April 2015
Images and Pictures by Kevin Cooper
Rising to fame in 2009 after coming runner up in the X Factor final, this Essex born cheeky chappie has gone from strength to strength and on tonight’s showing, it is not hard to see why. Fresh from the news that he and Caroline Flack are taking over the presenting duties on that same show, he has a lot to thank it for. With four albums under his belt and with the end in sight of a massive 21 date sold out Arena Tour, Olly Murs showed this packed Capital FM Arena just how far he has come.
Only the most assured of performers could open a concert with a song entitled Did You Miss Me? And judging by the reaction his first footsteps onto the stage earned, I’d say the answer from the predominantly female audience was a definite yes.
After breaking us in gently, the 30 year old went on to play a string of hits including Why Do I Love You, Hand On Heart and Never Been Better. With a sizable back catalogue some fans favourites like Please Don’t Let Me Go and Thinking Of Me weren’t showcased in full but in medley form, acting like a whistle stop tour of his self-titled album. But other massive hits and fans favourites were given a proper outing. They took a while to come, but when they did they came thick and fast. Heart Skips A Beat headed the list, quickly followed by Dance With Me Tonight, and this audience did just that.
The atmosphere was electric but it was cranked up an extra notch when Murs made his way over to the audience and onto a second stage in the centre of the Arena to sing the stripped back Let Me In, which he co-wrote with Paul Weller, and the poignant Dear Darlin’.
After throwing in a couple of classics such as Wild Cherry’s Play That Funky Music and the more recent Uptown Funk, he included a disco medley of Chic’s Le Freak and Good Times that showcased some pretty slick moves that had his female fans screaming for more.
He could have finished with his huge 2012 number one hit, Troublemaker, but instead the encore accolade was saved for Wrapped Up as he strutted his stuff and donned his trademark trilby hat. That song unashamedly captured the mood of the concert perfectly and left the fans singing and dancing their way out of the Arena.
Never Been Better is a rather ambitious name for both an album and a tour, but those three words sum up Olly Murs. He’s got the voice, he’s got the looks, and he has most certainly got the moves. He is a born entertainer who has a genuine charm and appreciation for his loyal fans. He is everything that a pop star should be, which is why this Arena tour has been a sell-out.
2 Replies
Looking for compensation for the tickets, parking, petrol or at least a meet and greet with ( v.i.p ) treatment !!!
Was absolutely gutted, booked v.i.p. Tickets for a surprise 60th for my wife seated, at end of stage with what looked like extra seats put in, not tiered so all we could see were people’s heads, then to find out about a hundred people standing in front of us paid £60 a ticket and were right at the front, we paid £287 + for ours couldn’t see anything, complained and were then moved to row 103 and two chairs didn’t even fit so I had to sit behind my wife and watch a dot on the stage ( Olly ) wife was so upset we left after half an hour would have seen more on tv, absolutely devastated to see my wife so upset after our tickets promised us up close and personal, have put a formal complaint in, a young girl probable age of 6 was told off for standing on the chair, only way she could see was told off, to see her upset was as bad as us being upset, what made it worse was about a hundred people were standing right in front of us who told us they paid £60 for there tickets and were right in front of him, formal complaint gone in with pictures to prove the situation!!!