Lewis Capaldi at the O2 Arena
After a two-year hiatus, beloved Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi has returned to the spotlight. His appearance in London involved three consecutive sold-out nights at the iconic O2, filled with an adoring crowd who took every opportunity to remind Capaldi how much they had missed him with ear-splitting screams and applause. After facing a difficult period of mental health struggles, the singer has returned to his familiar style of churning out ridiculously heartwarming songwriting, but this time with an ode to his recent experiences.
Capaldi captured hearts from the start by opening with fan-favourite Grace. Much like the Scotsman himself, the set encouraged no big egos or loud personalities. Instead, it was simple, laid back and allowed the room to focus on the music with minimal distraction. Capaldi is not one to shy away from what the “Big Fat Sexy Jungle Cats” like (a humorous name for his fanbase coined years ago), returning to old classics like Bruises and Wish You the Best. When he sang, the room filled with the sound of 20,000 voices harmonising along, something that raised the hair on your skin and warmed you to the core. The artist would stop to take in the moment by stepping back from the mic in disbelief, a poignant representation of how much his art means to him.
As well as the classics, Capaldi kept the crowd on its toes with the intro of some fresh sounds to the night. Sharing his goal to release as much music as possible for the rest of the year, he showcased three brand-new tracks: Almost, Something in the Heavens and The Day That I Die. The latter of the three was a heartaching insight into the dark period he had struggled through – not a dry eye was present throughout the belting vocals and melancholy backdrop of a floor-to-ceiling window and grey walls resembling the inside of a church. Capaldi introduced Something in the Heavens with a particularly special glint in his eye, gleefully announcing its drop at midnight. The performance of this song involved the dropping of confetti from the ceiling, a nice addition to what was already an incredibly moving, caught-in-the-moment chorus that had the room dancing in delight.
Capaldi nothing short of delivered on night two of his three-night London stint. As he joked, his songwriting contains “a lot of f**king ballads” that will move audiences to tears, and there was not a single word of a lie within this claim. The room swayed all evening with him, and it’s evident that fans truly did not leave his side throughout his time away – they have welcomed him back with open arms and watch excitedly for his inevitable rise upward following his return to the music scene.
Emily Downie
Photos: LA Benoit
For further information and future events, visit Lewis Capaldi’s website here.
Watch the video for Something In The Heavens here:
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