Glasgow born, Manchester raised, Tom Walker graces the stage at The Garage, London. This weekend he’s up for Best Newcomer at the Scottish Music Awards taking place at the Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow. His ever-growing fan base has been bolstered by the likes of Annie Mac and BBC Introducing, watching him on stage it’s not hard to see why. With a confident stage presence and boy next door demeanour, he’s likeable as well as being exceptionally talented.
The main room at the Garage was packed to the brim with screaming fans, there’s something so inspirational about seeing a newcomer pack out such an iconic venue. His rich bluesy voice filled every corner of the room. Live, his voice even more impressive than his recordings, there’s depth and layers that draw you in and his words paint pictures that float across the stage.
His music is influenced by his father’s record collection, with the likes of Ray Charles and The Police. There’s soulful moments, highlighted with flashes of rock and hip-hop. It’s eclectic, catchy, his voice lilts and flows with the music, capturing the entire audience. There’s something for everyone, this is traditional songwriting for the modern age. His place on the BBC Music’s Sound of 2018 longlist makes perfect sense, the blending of genres in his writing reflects the blending of genres we are seeing pop up across the music industry today.
His current single ‘Leave the Light On’ is a hard hitting acoustic track with a raw emotional piano piece that makes it easy to see why people fall in love with Tom Walker’s music, judging by the reaction of the fans they really do love him. His rendition of ‘Just You and I’ leaves the audience weak in the knees.
