The first show of Tom Walker’s I Am tour makes for nothing short of a musical spectacle, featuring both a soulful performance from the headliner and a dynamic opening act in Kingfishr. The Limerick trio have Walker’s crowd swaying along to songs like Shadow – sincere, emotive and possessing a beautiful chorus – and the band leave the stage to play a song in the centre of the crowd for good measure.
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Walker appears under the spotlight, sporting his trademark hat and with guitar in hand, opening the evening and setting the tone with Holy Ghost. His powerhouse vocals and heartfelt lyrics capture the audience from the offset, and with the stage set up with mirrors behind Walker and band, the audience can catch glimpses of other sections of the stage. Lighting glows from blue to orange and pink, forming a huge shadow of Walker on the back wall of the venue.
Between songs the singer-songwriter shares anecdotes about friends and family – introducing love songs Just You And I and The Best Is Yet To Come by speaking about his wife, and the emotional Lifeline as being about a friend who passed away. This resonates deeply with an audience who simultaneously mourn and celebrate Walker’s friend by singing along, ahead of an inspiring rendition of Not Giving In.
An encore starts with the heartwarming Better Half Of Me – another one about his wife, laughs Walker, before the song which aided his rise to fame, Leave A Light On. Once again, the whole venue echoes its lyrics back to him, and as they leave the Great Hall audience members are beaming.
Tom Walker, Great Hall, Cardiff University Students Union, Thurs 18 Apr
words MARTHA HUMPHREYS photos OWIN WONG
