Tom Odell brought passion with his piano to the O2 Apollo last night, which he labelled ‘one of his favourite venues in the world’.
Using his huge stage presence and incredibly strong voice, Odell gripped the audience from the moment he played the first note to opening song Jubilee Road.
Previous to this, opening act Tom Speight performed with Lydia Clowes. Unfortunately the pair failed to captivate the audience in the same way, mostly due to the fact they are still relatively unknown.
Second support came from American musician Max Jury, who was more entertaining than the previous and had a very similar sound to the headliner himself.
Odell’s second track, and perhaps the most captivating number of all, was I Know. This is Tom’s fifth single from his debut album Long Way Down, which brought the singer fame in 2013.
This performance in particular oozed talent and you could truly see how much Odell loves his career and his music.
Throughout the entire gig, the 27-year-old shifted from soft, beautiful ballads to intense piano-rock, which captivated the audience every single time, despite it getting quite predictable.
Often he would throw his stool to the ground during one of his energetic and loud numbers, opting to stand hunched over, skillfully running his hand from one end of the piano to the other.
Odell’s band were also equally impressive, frequently joining the singer in instrumental breaks and showcasing their own skill.
Another of Odell’s most well-received tracks was You’re Gonna Break My Heart Tonight, from his upcoming album Jubilee Road which Odell himself describes as ‘the part of the album that goes from mildly depressing to incredibly depressing’.
The emotive track had the audience transfixed, even moving some to tears.
An obvious winner with the audience was Another Love, his first and arguably most well-known single. There wasn’t a single audience member not singing along.
Odell exhibited his charisma and comedy too throughout the show, changing the lyrics of his 2016 hit Entertainment to ‘I sing (like an angel)’, and telling humorous stories relating so many of his songs – in the process producing giggles in the audience.
The Winchester-born singer songwriter, who was clad in a trendy suit, seemed confident when with his piano but had a charming awkwardness about him, making him hugely likeable within the audience.
There were few empty seats in the venue, where both elderly couples and young families revelled in Odell’s huge talent.
It was a pleasure to attend Odell’s show, and I can’t help but address how underrated he is.
Odell’s talent and passion seemed real, which is hard to come by these days. He deserves a lot more recognition than he has, because I truly couldn’t fault his appearance.
