Tom Grennan with special guest Tom Walker performing his Tom Grennan 25’ Tour at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Wednesday 10th September 2025.

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

Tom Grennan rolled into Nottingham again on a miserable Wednesday night and managed to bring huge smiles to a packed Motorpoint Arena, as he performed a storming 90 minute set that included songs from his latest album Everywhere I Went, Led Me To Where I Didn’t Want To Be as well as standards from throughout his ten year career.

Before he took to the stage the crowd were treated to a set by Tom Walker who is really a headline act himself, maybe in smaller venues but on this performance that could change any time soon.

Stepping in front of a black curtain, Walker’s soulful voice filled the arena as he delivered hits like Holy Ghost and Just You And I. With his powerful authentic vocals, impressive guitar skills and genuine captivating stage presence, he delivered an audible feast for the crowd from start to finish. With the crowd singing along, Burn was a real crowd pleaser. And as he finished with the absolutely beautiful Leave A Light On, there was no doubt that he is a star in the making.

Opening with his recent single Full Attention Grennan made full use of the runway, dancing, jumping and greeting the crowd who he immediately had in the palm of his hand. Performing in front of what seemed like an 80s style game show stage framed by a suspended Grennan arch, he quickly followed up with Higher.

Hits like Let’s Go Home Together (his duet with Ella Henderson, sung on this occasion with one of his very talented backing singers) and All Goes Wrong (his Chase & Status collaboration) were brought alive with flashing lights and huge pyro displays, whilst confetti cannons rained down during All These Nights, which was just three songs in.

Delivering a very strong set which included the 80s tinged arena pop of Boys Don’t Cry to the disco beat of Certified, he encouraged the crowd to sing along and they duly obliged. For I Won’t Miss A Thing it was just Grennan and a piano and the result was spellbinding. The entire crowd were in awe as the intimate ballad washed over them as the Arena was filled with twinkling phone lights.

The energy levels were really ramped up for the final songs. The barnstormers Lionheart, By Your Side and Remind Me went down a storm and served to showcase his powerful vocals which have undoubtedly improved over the years.

Skipping the usual encore, he dived straight into his anthem Little Bit Of Love w

Tom Walker with special guest Kingfishr performing his I Am Tour at Rock City Nottingham on Monday 6th May 2024.

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

The vocal powerhouse that is Tom Walker brought his I Am Tour to Rock City on Monday night and he arrived on stage to a sold out crowd.

Providing the perfect support was Limerick based trio, Kingfishr. Drawing from their Irish roots, they enchanted the crowd with a fusion of traditional and contemporary sounds, skilfully weaving melodies with a combination of banjo’s, acoustic and electric guitars.

Opening their set with Heart In The Water they immediately showed their musicality. With McGoo McGrath on banjo, Fitz Fitzgibbon on bass and Eddie Keogh’s lovely vocals, the set included a captivating Vancouver, the impressive Headlands and the passionate Leave. The night was highlighted by a moment when Keogh ventured into the crowd for Shot In The Dark that saw phone torches swaying along to the touching tune.

Kingfishr had delivered a dynamic and captivating performance and are one of those hidden talents that are going to be gracing bigger venues any time soon.

Walker took to the stage sporting his trademark hat and with guitar in hand he opened the evening with Rapture that showcased his outstanding and heartfelt lyrics which captured the crowd from the off. Delivering an effortless and flawless performance, he captivated with the likes of Angels, whilst the punchy song Cry Out reminded the crowd just how phenomenal his vocals are.

The instantly recognisable melody of Not Giving In set the crowd off as they raised their hands and sang every word back at him. Between songs he entertained with anecdotes about friends and family and introduced love songs, Just You And I and The Best Is Yet To Come dedicated to his wife and the emotional Lifeline, written about a friend who passed away and which was stunningly performed.

There was an inspiring rendition of Not Giving In whilst Burn was a real crowd pleaser. Ending his set with a passionate and heartfelt Better Half Of Me before the song which aided his rise to fame, Leave A Light On took the crowd back to his emotive best.

Walker’s voice remains powerful and emotional, his energy was infectious and the connection with the audience was undeniable as he delivered a phenomenal live performance that had thrilled from start to finish.

Reytons, Tom Walker, Dizzee Rascal and Supergrass performing at the Tramlines Festival Sheffield on Sunday 25th July 2021

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

Straight out of South Yorkshire, one of the most exciting bands to impose themselves onto the indie rock music scene entertained the crowd on Sunday. Reytons have been together since 2017 and front man Jonny Yerrell, guitarist Joe O’Brien, bass player Lee Holland and drummer Jamie Simpson delivered their fast paced indie rock songs which they played with a passion.

With their debut album, Kids Off The Estate set to drop in September, they exploded on to the stage and opened with Red Smoke which saw the crowd go wild. They delivered their live debut of Antibiotics which was followed by crowd pleaser Harrison Lesser and Retro Emporium which had every one singing along.

Adhering themselves to the crowd with their no nonsense, let’s just do it attitude, Yerrell had the crowd in the palm of his hand with his effortless presence as a front man. Their continuous rise has to be down to their story driven anthems and their use of witty lyrics about real relatable situations on the likes of Jealous Type and Broke Boys Cartel.

With the mosh pit erupting to their iconic song, Slice Of Lime, they finished their set with Low Life. Armed with little more than an array of heavy hitting singles, Reytons are very much on the cusp of a break through, so watch this space.

Up next on the main stage was Scottish singer songwriter Tom Walker, who in 2019 was awarded the Best Breakthrough Act at that years Brit Awards and his debut album, What A Time To Be Alive reached number one in the official charts. And then Covid happened and Walker like many other artists had to remain at home and rely upon streaming events to get his music out there.

Coming on stage late and with problems with his electric guitar, he still managed to conjure up a melting pot of sound with the likes of soul, blues and reggae, and even when he told the crowd that he could hear rock music through his monitors which wasn’t his, he still managed to impress from the start with his uniquely powerful vocals and genuine stage presence.

There was the beautiful soulful Angels, the angry heartfelt piano based ballad, Fade Away and the bluesy and gospel infused rendition of Cry Out. Singing with a rasp and a roar that turns lyrics into an emotional rollercoaster, he had the crowd hanging on his every word with the spell binding love song, You And I.

It was a show stopping performance of smash hit Leave A Light On which brought his set to an explosive conclusion and the crowd shouting for more.

When you combine one of the most energetic grime artists who’s been around since 2003 with the manic audience of the Tramlines you know that you are in for an explosive set. And the legendary London grime rapper Dizzee Rascal did not disappoint.

He opened his set with Space which had his lyrics echoing around an excited crowd whilst the sound of Fix Up Look Sharpe garnered instant recognition, with its catchy hook and hip hop rhythm. I Luv You from his debut album Boy In Da Corner and Jus’ A Rascal were met by an ecstatic roar from the crowd

Running from one end of the stage to the other and making sure that everyone was involved, he delivered many of his classic hits, a fans favourite being Bassline Junkie and his number one hit collaboration with Calvin Harris, Dance Wiv Me received excited roars from the crowd with everyone grooving and singing along.

Like many artists there is a new album to be given an airing and E3 AF, a nod to his old postcode and African roots was introduced with a couple of songs, L.L.L.L. (Love Life Live Large) and Body Loose which were already familiar to the crowd.

Finishing with his number one hit that everyone had been waiting for, Bonkers, predictably makes everyone go just that and when he says that he is about to get into trouble, he treats this appreciative crowd to Bonkers again, before his set truly overruns.

Undoubtedly Dizzee Rascal is an incredible showman, who throughout this set didn’t miss a beat. His fun tunes, great interaction with the crowd and high energy performance cements his place as one of the best.

With Richard Ashcroft who was due to bring Sunday to an end, refusing to attend because he disagreed with the requirement that all those attending had to show proof of a Covid vaccination or that they were Covid free, that special slot was quickly filled by English rock band Supergrass.

With many of the crowd leaving after Dizzee Rascal had left the stage, they certainly missed a real treat. It is crazy to think that Supergrass released their debut album, I Should Coco over twenty five years ago. They went on to release five further superb albums and a veritable treasure trove of hit singles. It was a genuinely sad day when they called it quits in 2010 but they are back together to bring to an end a weekend of great music.

Whilst there are no plans for any new music on the horizon, Supergrass with their back catalogue are still one of the best British single bands of theirs or any generation. Opening with Going Out they set the bar very high as the audience try to keep up with bassist Mick Quinn as he effortlessly hits all of the impossible high notes, Rob Coombes as he provides his distinctive organ flourishes, the commending guitarist and front man Gaz Coombes and the enthusiastic drum playing of Danny Goffey, who told the crowd that they were old and so that meant that they could play anything that they wanted to. And no-one in the crowd objected.

There was a very energetic Mansize Rooster which was followed by the dark irresistible groove of Mary, which both sounded as fresh as ever. The riff to Richard III was suitably riotous and cements Coombes as a great guitar player. The introspective Moving brings one of the nights first big sing alongs. Alright is a quintessential Brit pop anthem and the hits kept coming with the manic riff of Loose It and the perfect pop of Grace whilst Rob Coombes synth solo on the tremendous Sun Hits The Sky invokes the merry psychedelia of early Pink Floyd.

Bringing the set to an end with a frazzled Caught By The Fuzz and a thoroughly triumphant Pumping Up Your Stereo, Supergrass had delivered a blistering, joyous and uproarious celebration of their legacy.

At the end of this exhausting three day festival, the crowd had been overloaded with great live music, comedy and arts. But this would not have been possible had it not been for the hard work of everyone involved who made it all possible for everyone to enjoy themselves safely. A special shout out for the Pit Manager who along with everyone else made Sheffield’s biggest and best loved music event stand out from the rest. And with Tom Walker saying that he hopes that the Tramlines festival becomes a blue print for future music events in the Covid-era, there isn’t anyone who would disagree with him.

Tom Walker, English singer songwriter, chats with Kevin Cooper about his forthcoming promotional tour of America, performing on the Today show, his debut EP Blessings and his current tour of the UK.

Tom Walker is an English singer songwriter who has spent the last few years honing his sound, which was in part influenced by sharing a house with twelve other musicians, who all jammed together in their home-built, soundproofed studio.

He has a distinctive, engaging sound that immediately conjures up comparisons with some of the seminal and brightest crossover singer songwriters to come out of the British Isles, such as Hozier and Paulo Nutini.

Earning his stripes playing gigs across the UK, including a current sold out headline tour, Tom has also supported Jake Bugg, Maverick Sabre, and Gallant, which bolstered a number of festivals in the summer of 2016 including The Great Escape, Live At Leeds, British Summer Time In Hyde Park and Secret Garden Party. Tom continues a strong start to 2017 with his first European Tour in February and March, two BBC Introducing shows in London and Manchester, a return to Live At Leeds, some May UK dates, first American live dates and both UK and EU festivals. Toms debut EP, released in Spring, was produced by Jim Abbiss.

Currently on tour in the UK, he took some time to have a chat with Kevin Cooper and this is what he had to say.

Hi Tom how are you?

Hi Kevin I’m very well thanks, not too bad, how are you?

I’m good thank you and let me just thank you for taking the time to speak to me today.

You are very welcome; I have no worries at all.

And just how is life treating you at this moment it time?

Life at the moment is pretty good. We have just returned from playing four dates over in the Netherlands and to be honest with you we were a lot busier than we expected (laughter). It’s been great as the fans over there are really into what we are trying to do, so it’s been good. We are all just a little shell shocked as it was four dates on the trot together with some driving in-between. Plus, I think that we may have got a little excited with the beers on the last night (laughter).

Now on the subject of beer you will be playing The Bodega here in Nottingham on 17^th May won’t you?

I will indeed.

Well they brew their own Pilsner lager and let me tell you it is very nice (laughter). And all that it costs is a massive £2 per pint.

Oh man that is just what we are talking about (laughter). That is most definitely better than paying £5 a pint in London. We will most definitely be having some fun with that (laughter). I love a nice Pilsner. We have spent quite a bit of time over in Germany recently and we specified Pilsner on the hospitality rider which was great so I will have to give it a go when we get to Nottingham (laughter). Thanks for the heads up.

I have to say that I have been playing Blessings for a few days now and I think that it’s great.

That’s wicked mate, thanks for that it’s really good to hear.

And just what is the backstory to the single?

Well, when I wrote that song I was living with a few of my mates in London and everyone was really poor because as you know, living in London is very expensive. Anyway we all went out and had a very heavy night on the Pilsner (laughter). I woke up the following day and didn’t have any money to get me to the studio session and everything was looking like it was about to go pear shaped. So I took myself into a corner and started having a word with myself along the lines of ’you know what, I don’t really have much money but we don’t even have to leave the house in order to have a great time’. And it was that train of thought that became the thinking behind Blessings.

The EP was recently released. Are you happy with how well it has been received?

Yes I am, I really am. The release date was put back by a couple of weeks allowing us to do a few things over in the USA so I am really excited that it is finally out there now and the reaction to the tunes so far has been amazing. People have been asking me for new music for a while so I am excited now and just waiting to see how everyone reacts to the EP.

Will you be releasing the EP on vinyl at any time?

Yes we will be but not at this moment. However, we will be pressing a version on vinyl at some time in the future for sure. My uncle is a massive fan of vinyl so even if I just press ten copies he will be happy (laughter).

And will your work ever find itself being released on cassette?

(Laughter) I’ve heard about this cassette craze. I have to admit that when I was younger I was never really into cassettes. I don’t really understand why they are making a comeback. I thought that the Walkman was pretty sic but having to keep winding the tape back, after a while they just sounded crap didn’t they (laughter). At least you can appreciate a vinyl record when you put it on.

Does each cassette come with its own free pencil?

(Laughter) that’s right although I used an old biro to wind my tapes back (laughter). Cassette tapes were the same as VHS tapes for the video recorder. I remember that I had all the Star Wars films on VHS and after twenty watches they were totally unwatchable (laughter). It was grainy and all of the sound had gone. So as far as I am concerned cassette tapes are an obsolete format I’m afraid (laughter). Having said that I will probably be selling them one day.

On the subject of the EP what was it like working with producer Jim (Abbiss)?

It was absolutely amazing, the guy is a bit of a genius to be fair. He has worked with the likes of The Arctic Monkeys and Adele. So as you can imagine he likes to do things properly. We went into his recording studio and recorded the guitars, drums, and bass together with a brass section. It was a totally different experience for me because up to that point I was recording everything on a lap top at home. So for me it was really nice to be able to spend a bit longer on the songs and the result is now much better. Jim really did manage to make a sound for us as well. We already had a sound but he really did find a way for us to record the EP and we needed someone like that.

I think that it sounds unique and working with him was an absolutely pleasure for us. His studio out in Essex really is sublime. There are five separate rooms so that you can separate all of the amps, a drum room, a live room, a massive set of monitors which is great (laughter). The whole experience was really awesome.

Just You And I has now had over 1 million streams so people must be picking up on what you are trying to do. That must make you feel good?

Yes it does, it’s great, it really is nice. At one of the recent gigs in The Netherlands everyone was singing along to it and I have to say that it really did catch me off guard. I just wasn’t expecting it. I really wasn’t expecting the reaction that song got online which is fantastic. So it was a surprise, but a good surprise none the less (laughter).

You have mentioned that you have recently been doing a few things over in the USA. How are things working out for you over there?

I have to say that things are going really well over there. We are represented by Epic over there which really is amazing. When I was over there I got to meet L.A. Reid and actually played for him in his office at Epic Records which was absolutely crazy. Los Angeles is a very surreal, movie star, everything is happening type of place. I’m just a lad from up north so it was all a bit of shock basically (laughter). It was a really cool experience and I love the place. The weather is fantastic, far better than back at home in the UK (laughter).

Do the American fans appreciate what it is that you are doing?

Yes they do. While we were there we played a couple of gigs and the reception was really good. We are hoping to go back over to the USA in order to do a radio and promotional tour and hopefully we will be driving across America. That will be wicked (laughter). To be able to drive across America in order to do a radio promotional tour is an artist’s dream.

Whilst you were over there you performed on the Today show. How was that, did you enjoy it?

(Laughter) I was so nervous, it was totally nerve wracking. I had never done any TV stuff before. I was totally fine right up to the moment that they started counting down from ten (laughter). There were about forty people in the room all with cameras and all sorts of other stuff. But I got through it; it went really well and I did enjoy it. It actually got us some brownie points over there. Everyone was so nice to us so it will be nice to be able to do it again sometime soon over there.

History has shown that the American market is extremely difficult for UK artists and bands to crack.

Yes it has, and I have to say that it is a difficult task. I have been really surprised with the reaction to the tunes out there. So we really must be connecting with people and yes, it really is quite a shock but a nice shock (laughter).

Are you enjoying being out on the road here in the UK?

Yes I am, I love it. It doesn’t matter where we are, I just love being out on the road, playing every night, it feels really good. I feel that I am now becoming more tour hardened if that makes sense.

What can we expect here in Nottingham when you get to The Bodega on 17th May?

The main thing that you can expect is loads of new songs that people haven’t heard, which is really cool (laughter). The tour has basically been me and Ally who is my drummer, and if I am honest with you I don’t know as yet if we will have a bass player with us when we play in Nottingham. We have got ourselves a whole new lighting rig which we are lugging around with us which is absolutely amazing. I think that it makes it a proper show and not just a gig. For me it is a real step up from the last tour; it’s a touch more professional one might say (laughter).

Was it always going to be a career in music for you?

Yes it was, I’m not very good at anything else. It was this or most probably a chef but I really did always want to be involved in the music business in some way, I just didn’t know how I was going to do it. Then one day it all fell together nicely. I obviously worked hard, I don’t want you to think that I didn’t do anything, but yes, just as I was about to give up it came to my doorstep which was nice.

Who would you say has musically inspired you?

Oh god there is a lot of people. I really do like Paolo Nutini because everything that he does is just awesome. He might take four years to release an album but when he finally releases something it is pure quality and he creates a different sound for each album. I love the sound of his voice. With each album you feel as though you are getting to know him more as an artist. So I would have to say that he has inspired me.

Where would you like to see yourself in five years’ time?

Headlining Glastonbury on the main stage that really would be sic (laughter). I saw Adele perform there and it was just absolutely unbelievable. I’m not even a massive Adele fan, it was just surreal. The energy on that stage was just at another level. It was the best concert that I have ever been to in my life. Glastonbury is brilliant, what more can you say (laughter).

What was the first record that you bought?

(Laughter) oh god, no please don’t do this to me. I am ashamed to say that the first record that I ever bought was the Bob The Builder CD with the Bob The Builder soundtrack on it. I think I was about nine years old at the time (laughter).

Who did you first see performing live in concert?

Now this will make up for the previous answer. I saw AC/DC live in Paris. My dad took me and it was at that moment that I realised that I wanted to play the guitar. Once I had seen Angus Young darting around the stage like a headless chicken, I knew that was what I wanted to do. The whole day was an unbelievable experience.

What was the last song or piece of music that made you cry?

That was One Day Like This by Elbow.

On that note Tom let me once again thank you for taking the time to speak to me, it’s been great. Good luck with the rest of the tour and I hope to see you at The Bodega.

You are more than welcome, no worries Kevin. I will see you at The Bodega for a nice Pilsner. Cheers for now and I will catch you later.