Live Show Review: Leon Thomas Shows Out At Eventim Apollo

Last Friday saw Leon Thomas take to the stage at Hammersmith’s Eventim Apollo to a sold out audience. His time on stage displayed why he is seen by many as the future of soul and R&B, showing off his innate musicality as well as surprising his fans with a host of special guests.

Thomas has been riding a wave of success thanks to his latest Grammy wins for best R&B album and R&B performance for his critically acclaimed project, ‘MUTT’. These accolades however don’t always necessarily translate to stage prowess, but he proved from minute one to have impeccable presence, shredding his guitar before launching into a pitch perfect performance of ‘How Fast’. The live band brought more of a rock atmosphere to the opening stages of the show, which is demonstrative of Thomas‘ ability to weave between genre with impeccable ease.

Ty Dolla $ign blessed the stage for two tracks, shifting the tone to a more modern R&B hue. It is testament to Thomas’ catalogue that he kept the crowd engaged and singing word for word for the vast majority of the night, moving from new heaters like ‘My Muse’ to ‘Slow Down’ from his older discography effortlessly.

Elsewhere there were further guest appearances from Sasha Keable and Odeal, who performed ‘Move it Along’ and ‘Miami’ respectively. These cameos punctuated the evening effortlessly, bringing variety and structure to the occasion.

Thomas rounded off the night with fan favourites including ‘Treasure in the Hills’ and ‘MUTT’. The gig felt like a crowning moment for the singer, bringing some of his best collaborators on stage to celebrate with him. This is an artist who continues to find new peaks in his recorded music, but takes as much pride in his stage performances, delivering a scintillating live experience.

4.5/5

 Photos by Isaiah Johns