Tom Chaplin, Symphony Hall, Birmingham - review

Released late last year, ’The Wave’ saw Chaplin step out on his own in terms of song writing to detail his troubled relationship with drug abuse following his career with Keane, with the album being produced by Matt Hales of Aqualung fame.

Taking to the stage a much slimmer and well groomed version of himself than the Keane years, Chaplin took fans on a set that spanned not only the majority of his solo album but these tracks were frequently interspersed with Keane tracks which kept the evening well paced and varied. Joined by four talented multi instrumentalists, tracks were adapted for the live environment with added strings to set them apart from their recorded counterparts.

With the stage decked with street lights and a backdrop depicting the sea, a theme from the record, the show was complemented by a highly effective light show.

Tracks such as ‘Bend and Break’, ‘Bedshaped’ and ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ sounded as good as they did upon their release back in 2004 whilst new tracks ‘Quicksand’, ‘Still Waiting’ and ‘The River’ highlighted Chaplin’s vocal ability and showmanship.

Chaplin also took an opportunity early on within the evening to comment on the Manchester atrocities before performing a touching cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowin In The Wind’ in response.

Ending with ‘Crystal Ball’, Chaplin and his multi faceted four piece band returned to the stage to perform an encore including ‘The Lover Are Losing’ and ‘Everybody’s Changing’.

For a newly solo artist the key to succeeding in the live environment is to write and perform a relevant record whilst harking back to their past and Tom Chaplin did this absolutely perfectly.

Tom Chaplin performed at the Symphony Hall on 23rd May and was supported by Ainslie Wills.