By Alisha Lawton
Bringing the heat to a cold Friday night in Manchester, Leon Thomas played a sold-out headline show at the Manchester Academy. After being in the industry as both a producer and musician for over 10 years – first starting out as a child star, in Nickelodeon TV show Victorious – Leon was never sure when his ‘big break’ as a professional musician would arrive, initially going back to acting in 2017. However, one particular song changed the trajectory of his career almost overnight via TikTok – his R&B song MUTT, released in 2024. The groovy track, centred around a situationship, was loved for its catchy, laid-back vibe, and it changed his career in an instant, where is now embarking on his first UK headline tour, playing his first headline gig in Manchester, at the main Academy room.
When the lights went down, Leon Thomas came running onto the stage full of excitement to a packed room of 2,600 screaming fans. The singer immediately grabbed his mic and began his first song of the night, HEEL, then continued, straight into HOW FAST.
After the latter, Leon greeted the crowd, and told them that they were the reason had won two GRAMMYs, and then asked if the audience would bark for him (in reference to his hit song MUTT) to celebrate the occasion. You could say he teased them here, because his performance of the very track wouldn’t come until much later.
DANCING WITH DEMONS was a highlight as the audience began to wave their arms in the air in unison, as the electronic beat began to play, and weaved perfectly with Leon’s soulful voice. Leon noticed the crowd waving and told the crowd to carry it on into the next song – FAR FETCHED. The lights up until this point had stayed a bright blue, with hints of purple shining through, lighting up the stage.
At one point, Leon swapped places with his drummer and gave the crowd a drum solo like they had never seen before, sending all concertgoers throughout the crowd into a frenzy, dancing with their friends without a care in the world. Towards the end of another track, he swapped his electric guitar for a bass guitar, showing off his impressive multi-instrumental talents.
The set was happening quickly – moving from song to song – but you could see that everyone in the audience was having the best time.
Leon’s romantic side came out when he asked if he could slow his set down ‘for the ladies’, at which lots of the audience cheered. During the more intimate moments, Leon’s voice shone the most, and he sounded exactly like the studio recordings. The singer even performed different versions of some of his studio tracks, which made the performance even better. This was of course also boosted by his band, which he declared was one of ‘the best in the world’.
As Thomas’ set came to a close, he ended the show with the song that made it happen for him – MUTT. The audience cheered at their loudest, and sang along like there was no tomorrow, making this the true standout moment of the show.
Overall, you could tell from the crowd that the singer has some die-hard fans in the city of Manchester, so we cannot wait to see him come back in the near future.
Photography & Text Copyright 2026 © Alisha Lawton/ADRENALINE Magazine.
Kyle Horne 
Alexandra Pullen 
Emma Turner