Tom Speight had the pleasure of being my first gig of 2022. It was supposed to be Wolf Alice, but that gig got postponed until the end of February. It felt like ages since I booked this Tom Speight gig. It was the first time I’d seen him perform a headline show after catching him support Turin Brakes on two occasions. I don’t head down to Leeds too often to gigs as Newcastle is far closer and most tours include a Newcastle date. Tom was only playing four dates on this tour and Leeds was easily the closest so I thought I’d take it on board.
Support for the Leeds gig came in the form of Tommy Ashby and Chloe Foy. I knew it was gonna be tough to get there in time for Tommy Ashby performance but I think I caught about half of it in the end. I really enjoyed what I saw and I’ve now put several tunes on my Spotify playlist.
I went to this gig solo and it’s always an interesting time that you’ve got to spend between bands. I’m not sure what I have done in the past but clearly having a phone in your hand becomes your source of entertainment. Perhaps I should look intelligent and take a book for these moments? I was keeping one eye on the Everton match though (I wish I hadn’t).
Chloe Foy was up after Tommy Ashby. I enjoyed Chloe’s performance. The crowd wasn’t huge, but both support acts made the most of it. It seems a shame that the weren’t more out for this one. I’ve seen packed crowds on other nights of this tour.
Tom took the stage with his band. It’s actually the first time I’ve seen Tom with a full band. Each previous occasion was an acoustic performance. Having a full band adds a different dimension. Tommy was back on guitar and it was clear that the band enjoy playing together. Tom was supporting Stereophonics towards the end of last year, but this was probably his first headline slot in ages.
The set started with a couple of upbeat numbers from the new album. Let the River run is one of my favourites from the new album and it was a really good version. Tom certainly came out pumped up and ready to make the most of this headline tour. You could see the amount of energy he was trying to put into the gig.
I got to know Tom with his Turin Brakes supports so was used to the acoustic stuff. He stripped everything back a few songs into the set and got into the crowd for a rendition of Joni. It’s always a disarming experience when the lead singer comes into the crowd to perform and unplugged number.
As the set progressed Tom started to relax but I still clearly enjoying the experience. As Heartshaker kicked in, I started to feel very much part of the experience too.
With Little Love and Willow Tree to end the set alongside Shine With Me, he had some sure fire crowd pleasers to end the set. He announced the inevitable encore and didn’t leave it too long before stepping back on stage.
I think the encore was my favourite bit. See You Soon sounded great and Strangers Now sounded fantastic. Evermore is a superb way to finish any gig and I can only imagine how great it sounded in London with a choir.
With a 90 minute journey home, I headed out swiftly thinking about how much I’d enjoyed my first gig of 2022. Hope there’s plenty more to follow.
A Gig A Month 2015-2022 