By Alisha Lawton
Rising to fame with his breakout hit Leave a Light On in 2017, Scottish-born singer-songwriter, Tom Walker, quickly became known for his emotionally raw lyrics and powerful vocal delivery. After winning the BRIT Award for Best Breakthrough Act in 2019 and releasing his debut album What a Time to Be Alive, Tom has established his place in the UK music scene. His music blends heartfelt storytelling with soulful pop production, making him a staple for fans of Lewis Capaldi, James Bay, and George Ezra. With a knack for connecting deeply with his audience, Tom’s live shows are always intimate experiences—and his candlelit performance in Manchester was no exception.
Following the success of Tom Walker’s sophomore album in 2024, he has been non-stop touring, and after a short, and well-deserved, break at the beginning of 2025, Tom returned with a low-maintenance acoustic show to get back into the groove and entertain his fans.
The stage was covered in candles and there sat only a piano, setting the tone for the show. The audience hastily awaited Tom to take the stage and play their favourite songs.
The intimate feeling of the candlelight concert created the perfect scene for his relaxing music.
Tom Walked on with a beer in hand, and a euphonious cheer from the audience. Starting the set off right, he played Wait For You from his most recent album, transitioning straight into Holy Ghost from the same album.
Taking a minute to talk to the audience, he told them that he was now a married man and joked about how being engaged for 5 years had to be ‘some record’, which made the audience laugh.
A few songs later, he told the audience just how much he loved music, and how much he appreciated them all for coming to the show – telling them about how someone close to him had told him that he would ‘never make it’, speaking about the jobs he had prior to being a musician, which included being a chef for a little while, and a photo booth attendant.
Moving on, he played a song called Better Half Of Me, where a couple at the back of the venue got engaged as the people around them cheered. This was a beautiful moment for such a moving song.
As the show came to an end, Tom told the audience that his next song ‘wasn’t really an acoustic song’, but that he was going to play it anyway.
He did the most perfect take on of Not Giving In.
Tom thanked the crowd again for coming and told us all how ‘mad’ it is that he gets to perform.
During his ‘final’ song, Lifeline, Tom spoke about mental health and urged people to reach out for help if they need it, mentioning a campaign he was a part of with mental health charity, Calm, and dedicated the song to his friend. Tom’s vocals were powerful and moving.
Leaving the stage, Tom waved as he left, but the audience knew that wasn’t the end, as Tom eventually walked back on, picked up his guitar, and went straight into his biggest song, Leave a Light On, where the entire audience sang and swayed to the sound of the acoustic guitar and piano.
Unless otherwise stated, Photography & Text Copyright 2025 © Alisha Lawton/ADRENALINE Magazine.
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