Tom Odell
Support: Wildflowers/Josef Salvat
O2 Academy, Glasgow, 16/10/13
Taking to the stage in a crisp white shirt, the eagerly awaited Tom Odell was welcomed with an unprompted cheer from the cocktail of people gathered in Glasgow’s o2 Academy.
Tom’s opening number – Grow Old With Me, taken from debut album Long Way Down – proved the audience would get their money’s worth as his powerful voice, backed by the crowd’s smiles and cheers, fed the atmosphere.
It’s hard to imagine Tom playing any other Glasgow venue. The vintage approach to what was once known as the Carling Academy perfectly consorted the stage’s set up of a cream velvet backdrop embedded with the words ‘Tom Odell’. The lightbulb lanterns scattered across stage gave ballad tracks an authentic ambience – when Can’t Pretend reached Tom’s unaccompanied vocal part, the stage dimmed to nothing but the glow of the lightbulbs. While these vocals cut through every single soul, it’s tough picturing anyone not moved by this performance.
Tom and his band continued the set with ease and a mixture of ballad tracks, including Hard To Know, and picked up the pace with with Till I Lost and a cover of the Beatles’ classic Get Back.
Tom played without need for sheet music – all that was visible on the piano was a set list and water bottle – and became really involved with his performance as he didn’t have to flick through pages and pages of manuscript during the fourteen-song set.
The final track before the encore, Long Way Down, had the audience going wild as Tom exchanged the lyric ‘Please don’t leave me now’ for ‘Please don’t leave me, Glasgow’ – and definitely scored himself some brownie points.
Also gaining top marks with the audience were the opening acts who got the audience good and ready for Tom’s arrival. Wildflowers started with Where The Flowers Don’t Grow – the first song to feature on the EP of the same name. Its upbeat, melodic approach opened the night with a bang as lead singer Siddy, akin to a rocked-up Jenny Lewis, wows with her strong vocals and fabulous feather headband. The remainder of the band performed enthusiastically and the backing vocals of Kendal and James complimented each other well.
The band’s set list was the perfect soundtrack to any road trip; relatable songs like Friends and Edge Of The Road are easy singalongs and their toe tapping country riffs would make any time endured in a car go that little bit faster. Finishing the set with ease, Wildflowers left the stage smiling and well-received. Next on the support bill was Josef Salvat. Compared to a poppier version of Morrissey by the Guardian, Josef was centre stage complete with dance moves and electric beats. Although he didn’t go down as well Wildflowers, he still gave it his all.
Tom gave himself a good send off with a three-song-long encore filled with loud outros and slamming of piano keys. His final tune, Cruel, ticked all the boxes with dramatic lighting, powerful vocals and the throw of a piano stool. And despite being asked on several occasions to remove his pristine white shirt, it remained on his back for the entire set, proving that Tom Odell is in fact, a true gentleman.
[rating=5]
