Tom A. Smith - Live Review

Three years is a fair gap with a young artist. The last time I saw Tom A. Smith was in 2023, supporting Billy Bragg a few doors down at the O2 Academy Oxford. Back at The Bullingdon, with his own crowd in front of him, he looked far more settled in himself. He walked on with real swagger, but not in an overworked way. More that he seemed completely sure of what sort of show he wanted this to be.

That confidence set the tone straight away. Let's Go Dancing was a lively opener, and from there the set had a loose, playful feel without ever drifting. He spent most of the night moving, dancing, turning to the band, and finding space on a stage that does not really offer much of it. The Bullingdon can make things feel close and cramped, but that worked in his favour. Songs like What! and SFX had a bounce to them live, and Put a Record On, Tommy already sounded fully at home in the set.

What stayed with me most, though, was how easy he was in the room. There was a joke about the new merch being on sale, including CDs, "if you have a thing called a CD player", which got the right sort of laugh from someone who no doubt went straight to streaming! He also took time to give a shout out to Mark Ridgeway at the front, clearly someone who has been backing him for years, and had a shirt set aside for him. Little moments like that show he cares.

Even the mishaps helped. At one point he snapped a string and said he never does that, so it must be a good show. Later, during I Don't Blame You, he slightly lost his footing getting back on stage, then styled it out well enough that you could almost miss it. Right at the end he laughed it off with, "see if I do anything athletic I fail". He was energetic all evening, always trying to squeeze a bit more out of the room, and if it occasionally got messy, that only made it better.

By the time The Band closed things out, it felt pretty obvious he has grown as an artist in the years since I last saw him. Not just a promising support act any more. This was a frontman who looked comfortable holding a room, with the songs and the presence to back it up. I left thinking much the same as I did three years ago, only more sure of it now - he is still one to keep an eye on.

Support for the evening came from Hunny Buzz who put on a confident show - and the best way I have ever seen a band trying to sell merch, with Ben the drummer coming up front of stage in a sort of QVC style listing of items for sale!