Tom Grennan London Gunnersbury Park review: ‘Genuinely one of the best performers I’ve ever seen’
Tom Grennan produced an absolute masterclass at Gunnersbury Park in his biggest headline show to date on Saturday evening.
Before I get stuck into Grennan’s performance, how great were Blossoms? Aside from lead guitarist Josh Dewhurst looking like a mix of WWE superstar Drew McIntyre and X-Men actor James McAvoy, what stood out most to me about there was the simplicity of their set.
There was no theatrics, no choreography and nothing extravagant about their set, but sometimes less is more and that simplistic approach works for them. Their set reminded me of something Eagles would do - just professional musicians with their instruments having fun and showing how good they are. The Stockport band will have certainly earned themselves some new fans.
As for Grennan, I was left awe-struck by his ability. He is genuinely one of the best performers I’ve ever seen, and considering I’ve been to over 50 concerts this year alone that is no small feat.
With an unbelievable voice, charisma in abundance, a stage presence that could charm a dragon and festival ready anthems, Grennan proved he belongs on the biggest stages in the world and that the sky truly is the limit for the 29-year-old.
As the crowd waited for Grennan’s set to begin, the excitement inside Gunnersbury Park was palpable and as Grennan did his filmed walk to the ring similar to how a boxer would make his entrance, the crowd belted out ‘Gillette’ in the background to set the stage for a night that to quote Liam Gallagher was “biblical”.
Grennan started the show in red-hot fashion, performing a medley of ‘If Only’, ‘Sober’, ‘Royal Highness’ and ‘Barbed Wire’ to get the audience singing and waving from the outset. From there, the energy never dipped even when Grennan gave the audience a taste of his new material with songs such as ‘Full Attention’, ‘Higher’, ‘Cool With That’ and ‘Celebrate It’.
The strength and the range of Grennan’s voice was one of the aspects of the show that stood out the most. As he belted out ‘Problems’, ‘Amen’ and ‘Crown Your Love’ his voice reverberated around Gunnersbury Park, creating an atmospheric feeling of joy and euphoria as fans sang their hearts out.
It’s hard to select one moment that stood out the most, but hearing Tom perform ‘Let’s Go Home Together’ with one of his backing singers was heartwarming. While hearing the crowd belt out ‘Lionheart’ and ‘Found What I’ve Been Looking For’ as if their lives depended on it was an unforgettable experience, as were the performances of ‘By Your Side’ and ‘Remind Me’ to close out the first part of the set.
However, it was the performance of the aforementioned ‘Crown Your Love’ that was my personal highlight. Admittedly, I might be a bit biased as it is my favourite Tom Grennan song, but hearing Grennan and the crowd singing in unison and seeing 30,000 people waving in their arms together was one of the most visually-pleasing experiences I’ve ever seen at a concert.
If you get the opportunity to see Tom Grennan live, I strongly recommend taking the chance to do so. You will not be disappointed.