Photo: WENN
Despite the double-edged sword of hype that surrounded his rise to fame at the middle of last year, Mr Odell is an authentic artist in every sense of the word.
The allure of his Prince Charming-esqu charisma brought a surge of screaming girls, reminiscent of Beatles’ mania (but with less urination and unconsciousness), to a sold out Brixton Academy.
Commencing with an angelic choir euphony, then swinging into pulsating guitar, Tom entered adorning a classic white shirt. His dynamic piano playing and pitch perfect vocals, endorsed by an accomplished band, made the opener, the single ‘Hold Me’, an extant, corpulent rendition with ebullient guitar lifts.
Half way through, arrives a song called ‘Sex’, written when he first moved to London, Tom explains. This slow ballad attempts to battle a galvanic crowd, as waves of screams, counteracted by shushes, flow steadily and Tom embraces the crowd’s rapture by drawing farcical attention to it. The next track was a fresh offering, which hinted at what’s to come from the album he is currently recording – Jeff Buckley sensibility with blues elements.
Escorting the tempo Earthward, Tom submits a crowd favourite, ‘Grow Old With Me’, as camera phones fill the ether and the horde unify, whilst he projects his voice to the point of sensual huskiness. Impending the end, Tom marvels with jazz and blues crooning, as he introduces each individual member of his band. Max Goff on bass, Matt Ingram on drums and Max Clilverd on guitar, who proceeds to execute a captivating blues solo.
The band and Tom reunite in synchronicity, bolstering the solo artist experience to give that indie band rhapsody. The hit single, ‘Another Love’, was not only an unmarred rendition, but conjointly, a pinnacle of the set, as a debilitated Tom briefly abdicated the stage to return moments later for a detonating encore.
The night was that perfect balance between album tracks, singles and covers. Although hat tipping towards new material, he did not oversaturate with it, as such, it is indisputable and unsurprising that Tom has already earned himself an ardent following of devoted disciples.
.jpg)
