Words by Snaz Craig
Photos by Celia Medina
Three incredible artists, one unforgettable night; Rianne Downey’s heartfelt nostalgia, Tom Walker’s cinematic soul, and Tom Grennan’s unstoppable energy lit up Newcastle. A night of soaring vocals, raw emotion and feel-good anthems that left the crowd buzzing.
Glasgow artist Rianne presents herself with an effortless, bright and breezy collection of tracks weaved in a nostalgic lyricism and with a voice that is as delicate as it powerful! Layers of gentle acoustic phases and a vocal that spans the decades – at times sounding very much like country legend Peggy Lee! Rianne charms and delights through her music, exemplified on ‘Good in Goodbye’, and it’s clear that she loves playing live, winning the hearts of the swooning crowd. “Thank you for making me feel so at home, Newcastle!”
Kicking off with ‘Holy Ghost’, and ‘There Must Be Angels’, Tom Walker brings authentic charm, a bold sound and cinematic flair that makes the Utilita Arena feel more like an Imax cinema! With an unapologetic, heart-on-sleeve approach, Tom and band waist no time at connecting with the audience to singalong with laidback love song, ‘Just You and I’. Tom has a knack of tugging at the heartstrings through his music, none more so than ‘Better Half of Me’, which he performed solo, and dedicated to his wife. More cinematic energies were unleashed on ‘Not Giving In’. Ending with a truly epic version favourite ‘Leave A Light On’, an awesome way to finish this wholesome set.
Boundless energy and peppered throughout with the cheeky confidence that adoring fans have come to know and love, Tom Grennan who I feel is looking very much like a poster boy for Pure Gym, bounds around the stage with his trademark fun-loving persona, saunters through one hit song after another! This laid-back energy seamlessly does wonders at whipping up the crowd into a frenzy at times, topped off with dazzling on stage pyrotechnics adding dramatic effect to his extensive crowd-pleasing hits!
Tom’s duet with backing singer Miss Angel was a nice touch. Yet for all the upbeat shenanigans, there’s still time for more reflective moments, as Tom takes the opportunity to demonstrate his more vulnerable side. It takes a great deal of courage to open up about mental health, especially when you have thousands of people watching and listening. Tom gives a glimpse into his own personal struggles but with a positive attitude towards his experience of a touring artist, which will hopefully help to break the stigma of talking about mental health issues.
The atmosphere is electric for fan favourites ‘Taking me Higher’, ‘Found What I’ve been looking for’ and ‘Move You Up’, sounds immense and all the more brilliant with everyone singing along! Tom’s genuine passion for his music is clear for all to see, and this spectacular gig tonight is no exception!
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