Tom A. Smith

When you were 21 years old, did you think you were cool? Well, chances are, you probably weren’t as cool as Tom A. Smith. A recent signing to the iconic Fiction Records (Tame Impala, Kaiser Chiefs, The Maccabees), the Sunderland-born starlet released his first label-backed EP ‘Say What You Want’ last year. Since then, he has received the co-sign from some of the finest stars in the country, including Sam Fender and Sir Elton John. Ahead of a jam-packed summer that includes a slot at his hometown’s BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend, Tom has been busy selling out venues across the country for the last month ahead of the anticipated release of his new EP, ‘Put On A Smile Tommy’. Tonight, on the penultimate show of the tour, he showed he still had more than enough in him to deliver a truly electrifying performance that rightly has him billed as one of the most promising voices in the UK.

Despite a few technical difficulties, tonight’s support Hunnybuzz are both energetic and full of charm. Perhaps the highlight of their 30 minute set is a hilarious QVC-style infomercial delivered by drummer Ben Laver, who advertises the band’s several merch offerings. Away from being a group of four who clearly love being on the stage, their music is also a strong blend of indie rock and grunge pop that feels like a proper warm up for what was about to become.

Walking on to the tune of ‘Road To Nowhere’ by Talking Heads, there is an immediate buzz in the room with the imminent arrival of the man of the hour. Tonight’s road leads to an hour of innovative, fresh indie music, starting with the electronic-inspired ‘Let’s Go Dancing’. In a song that evokes many qualities of LCD Soundsystem’s greatest hits, you could say Tom was channelling his inner James Murphy, with some tongue-in-cheek spoken word passages and a fierce vocal delivery. This energy only grew, with tracks such as ‘What!’ and ‘Beautiful Way’ spearheading the set and setting the tempo - the latter track’s more anthemic atmosphere felt akin to the likes of The Cure and Sam Fender. Then followed his newest single, ‘SFX’, which has been getting a whole lot of love on BBC Radio 1, and for good reason. As Tom utters in the intro “I wanna hear a beat that makes me sound and look good”, he is given exactly that. If anything, it sounds even better live than it does on record.

A lot of that is thanks to the stupendous musicianship on display. Two new tracks from his forthcoming EP ‘Put A Record On Tommy’, ‘Our Song’ and ‘The Only One’, gave the chance for both Tom and the band to show off. Tom delivered a killer guitar solo on the latter track, while keyboardist Hannah Smith’s phenomenal skills elevated each and every track she was involved in. Guitarist Dylan Abbott (donning an epic cowboy hat), drummer Frazer Graham and bassist Katie Anderson were equally pivotal, and without their collective work, none of this would have been possible. Tom remained a charismatic individual throughout the 70 minute set and frequently interacted with the crowd, at one point laughing at the fact he hadn’t progressed in venue size from when he last played in November 2023. Not that it mattered, as it was a sold out, sweaty room, packed to the brim just to see him. 

The title track from his upcoming EP garnered a brilliant reaction, despite it being a week away from release at the time of the gig, and so did the ever-so brilliant ‘I Don’t Blame You’, with a call-and-response between Tom and the crowd throughout the track. As the set approached its end, Tom aptly asked for the bass in the room to be turned up, before taking off his polka dot pink buttoned shirt and overalls to reveal a plain white vest, and going straight into the coolly delivered ‘Fashion’, where Tom possesses all the confidence and swagger of those who have been in the industry for decades. It said a lot about Tom’s appeal when about 90% of people who turned up to come see him were older than him! Finishing the show off with another new track, ‘The Band’, this ended up being a slow burner with a climax worthy of closing any set. Tom’s raw and vulnerable vocal delivery sent shivers down people’s spines, earning himself a rapturous ovation. Few people are doing what he’s doing at his age, and that in itself is a testament to Tom and co. Now with the label backing he thoroughly deserves, and some significant festival slots to help spread the name, there is undoubtedly a lot of excitement about what’s on the horizon. And while he walked onto the tune of ‘Road to Nowhere’, the road Tom is on is certainly heading to stardom.