Bradley Simpson has long ago cemented himself as a born entertainer from his years as The Vamps’ frontman. Anyone who has ever been to one of the band’s shows can tell you that he knows how to inject energy into any and every crowd. Now, with the release of his debut solo album, he has also cemented himself as a skilful songwriter with an alluring edge which he brought to venues across the UK on The Panic Years tour over the past month.
At Southampton’s Engine Rooms, the excitement in the room was palpable. For many this was not their first Bradley Simpson gig, having travelled around the country to make it to several tour stops. For others, it was the first time they’d seen him without the other Vamps boys. And for one girl, as Bradley tells the crowd later on, her dedication went the extra mile (or thousands of miles), having hopped on a plane from North Carolina to be in Southampton that night.
Before he could transfix the room his charm though, first up to the stage was the sibling trio Neckbreakers. Hailing from Hertfordshire, this group blends indie grooves with jaw-dropping harmonies. On stage, their magic is undeniable. For their final song they huddled around one microphone, the crowd enchanted by the harmony of their voices.
After the usual quick changeover, Nieve Ella was up next. Nieve has been on quite the upwards journey since the release of her debut single ‘Girlfriend’ in 2022. Since then, she has played countless festivals and supported the likes of Girl In Red and Inhaler on tour, all the while growing in strength and fans.
Despite only performing an acoustic set alongside her friend and guitarist, Finn Marlow, her talent still shone through. She still managed to get the crowd appropriately hyped up, dancing and singing ready for Bradley’s show. This was somewhat helped by many already knowing all the words to her songs with their own chants and ad libs to call back to the singer.
After closing her set with ‘Sugarcoated’, a song about stage fright and fear of being perceived – the irony of which she acknowledged – she left the stage and it was time for the nervous but excited wait for the main event.
Flickering lights, gritty guitars and pulsating drums signified that Bradley was about to take to the stage. Walking on to a tidal wave of cheers, he performed the first song of the night, ‘Getting Clear’. As an edgy indie-rock track with a catchy pre-chorus, it kicked the show off with a bang.
He wasted no time in diving into the next songs, ‘Picasso’ and ‘Cry At The Moon’, the latter of which was his debut single. Starting off with just the rhythmic strumming of an acoustic guitar and his vocals, the track shifts gears after the first chorus, introducing drums and electric guitars, becoming a powerful rock track. Releasing this as his first solo venture, it made a statement, pulling away from the pop and synth sound that carried The Vamps to international success. And, as a live track, it brought the room to life.
While he may have slowed things down with ‘Almost’, the song’s catchy lyrics and daring, grunge-like bridge kept up the energy, the audience passionately singing along to every word. ‘Not Us Anymore’ leant back into a pop sound and provided a fun track for the crowd to dance to.
Just before he set off on tour, Bradley rereleased ‘Favourite Band’ from the album as a single. The new version featured none other than support act Nieve Ella. Of course it was then only natural to have her join him during the show to bring the track to life. Inviting guitarist Finn back to the stage, Bradley dived into the pop-indie anthem with the crowd’s energy immediately heightening. Running on after the first chorus, Nieve performed her verse with a new energy, one that was restrained by the acoustic nature of her set earlier in the night. Together, their live chemistry is electric and this performance certainly brought the best atmosphere of the night.
A tradition born out of this tour is when Bradley leaves the stage to acoustically perform one track in the middle of the crowd. Following ‘Holy Grail’, he finds his spot in the crowd, surrounded by a circle of adoring fans. Now microphone-less, he asks for silence, which hasn’t always been easy to achieve on previous shows. This was not the case for Southampton who happily obliged, listening only to the sound of his voice and guitar. Singing ‘The Band’s Not Breaking Up’, he curated a special intimate moment between him and his fans, a memory that they are sure to hold onto for a long time.
He’s also made a habit of covering a different song at each stop, all of them falling under the banner of indie-rock bangers. This time the choice was Catfish and the Bottlemen’s huge hit ‘7’, which he also played at his gig in Cardiff. While some of us can’t afford to see the band on their stadium shows this summer, this cover provided a little plaster over that wound.
Noting the volume of phones in the crowd during previous songs, for ‘Always Like This’, he asked the crowd to put their phones away to be present in the moment. With all their hands in the air, no mobile device in sight, the crowd gave their all to what is probably his most energetic song. He couldn’t have chosen a better song to make this request, allowing the audience to dance, jump and sing however they like, without worrying about capturing it or what they might look like on someone else’s screen.
To close out the main set, Bradley opted for ‘The Panic Years’, the album’s namesake. As a song that likens the experience of going through your 20s to one of uncertainty and anxiety, he asked those who were in their 20s how they felt it was going. With many responses in the form of a firm thumbs down, he assured the crowd that it would all be well before going into the song.
Leaving the stage with a wave, it wasn’t long before the audience joined in a chorus of ‘one more song’, which quickly changed to ‘two more songs’ by those who knew the setlist already. Coming back on after the encore to sing ‘Daisies’, he once again asked for no phones during one part of the song, letting the room have another moment to let loose.
Officially ending the show, however, was the romantic and slightly risqué ‘Carpet Burn’. A song about making the most of all the moments with someone, despite regretting the fact you didn’t know them sooner, it left the show on a light note. The audience went home with the reminder to hold onto the little moments, like the ones that Bradley had created for them that night.
