Tom A. Smith gig review: He keeps finding new levels

A review of Tom A. Smith's performance at Colours Hoxton in London, as part of his May 2024 Headline Tour.

If you see Tom A. Smith live for a second or third time, you will probably think he has reached such a high level, he couldn’t possibly get any better. But he still manages to find new levels every time. Just a few months after his previous headline tour, he improved his stage presence even further, by getting more used to performing a few songs without holding a guitar. In fact, some of his new moves, show that he might have had influences from bassist, Katie.
But when he does play the guitar, he makes you realize he’s a complete musician who can pretty much do everything. How often do you see a charismatic frontman also being a very skilled guitar player? Not to mention he can also play the drums and arrange a song by himself. And Tom doesn’t do things like everyone else. He doesn’t sing “Man Overboard” in Man Overboard, he doesn’t sing “Like You Do” in Like You Do. He gets people to engage in live performances and he knows how to entertain. His confidence with the crowd has reached even higher levels this time. A good example of that, is what he did before he started playing Little Bits. He trained the crowd to sing their part, the backing vocals, in his own charismatic way. Then, when he was convinced they were ready and fully trained, he started performing the song.

Seb replaced Frazer for a 2nd night

When drummer Frazer Graham was unwell on Wednesday before the show in Bristol, Seb from Big Image came to the rescue, as somehow he managed to learn songs lasting over an hour, in about half an hour. He played with Tom A. Smith again on Thursday night in London.

The set started with Fading Away, a song he released last year. It was followed by a new song, In Another Lifetime. Then it was an old favourite, Toronto. If you want to see evidence of his showmanship and levels of confidence, watch the clip of him performing In Another Lifetime until the end.

Get Me Started

He needs a drink to get him started, but he might think twice after seeing the offer displayed at the venue. He couldn't believe "Vodka and Red Bull for £8.30" was supposed to be a good deal. Welcome to London, Tom.

As for the song, the live version sounded even better than the studio recording. At the end of the day, it's yet another song that was written with live shows in mind.

Man Overboard

It's always a crowd lifting moment when Tom starts playing Man Overboard, the ultimate song for live shows. It's up to the crowd to "sing" (or just shout) Man Overboard, although they probably want to sing the whole song. It was followed by two more up-beat mood-lifting songs. Little Bits and Weirdo.

He wants you to have to remember a very long song title

Having started with single-word song titles including Wolves, Dragonfly and Toronto, with the later additions of Boltcutters and Weirdo, Tom A. Smith now has a song with a 16-word title (counting “don’t” as one word). The title is:

I don’t want you to have to remember me for longer than you ever knew me. 

The good thing about this, is that once you have learned the title, you already know a big part of the lyrics. Bassist Katie is also involved in the vocals of this song, but it’s not exactly a duet. This is also one of 2 songs in which Tom reminded everyone that in addition to being a very charismatic frontman, he’s also a very skilled guitarist. The other one was Toronto.

Dragonfly and Like You Do

Tom had already announced that Dragonfly wouldn't be the last song anymore, so that was expected. But the song also sounded quite different as there was no keyboard on stage and certain keyboard parts were replaced by guitar parts.

Tom Abisgold and Never Good Enough

Tom Abisgold who had supported Tom A. Smith in his previous Headline Tour, was in the room. It was no surprise when he was invited on stage to play guitar for Never Good Enough, however the introduction didn't exactly go to plan. As he went on stage, he knocked a guitar over, then he dettached the strap of the guitar he was going to play. But then things were back to normal. Once again, more Toms on stage, meant more energy.

Before playing his last song for the night, he mentioned the band members and made another reference to the... incredible offer.

All My Friends

Tom included a cover in his set, as he only has about 500 songs of his own. It was probably because he wanted an intense and passionate performance to finish the show with. All My Friends by LCD Soundsystem is a very powerful song and Tom delivers it with the right intensity and emotion.

Just as he did in his previous Headline Tour, he finished the show by dropping the guitar face down and walking off the stage. The same guitar that had already suffered earlier, as it had been knocked over by Tom Abisgold.

Once again, he delivered incredible value to the people who went to see him, leaving them looking forward to the next time. The only issue he has now, is which songs he can exclude, as he keeps writing bangers. At the age of 20, Tom A. Smith has so many incredible songs, that some absolute belters like Boltcutters couldn’t make the cut! Within a couple of years, he would need a 3-hour show just to fit in his top choice songs.
I've already said Tom A. Smith is a rockstar in the making. His performance at Colours Hoxton demonstrates he's ready for the bigger stages. It’s only a matter of time before a lot more people discover him and realize just how good he is. And his body language shows he clearly doesn't have a confidence problem. In the clips of In Another Lifetime, Little Bits, Like You Do and Get Me Started, you can see just some examples of that. A very charismatic entertainer, a complete musician, a very creative songwriter and still a totally approachable guy who will always have time for everyone after the show, making sure that everyone who came to see him, will leave totally happy. He would even take the time to write the setlist on a chopping board.