Photo by Lucie Cameron
On Sunday 12th May, James McVey packed out King Tuts and was supported by three other amazing artists.
Scotland’s own Kerr Mercer was first to bless the crowd with a short 15 minute set, performing a variety of his own songs, which have yet to be released. Mercer’s powerful vocals captivated the audience, leaving them with no other option than wanting more. He sees himself with a growing fan base, despite no music releases.
Following on was inspirational singer Waiting for Smith, with a story of resilience through his music, as well as crowd interaction. Waiting for Smith’s debut single is due to be released at the end of May which is set to be a promised ‘pick me up’.
Siobhan Winifred was the last support to take to the stage, and was greeted with a huge cheer. The venue was pushing capacity by the time the set began, so the crowd was at full volume, especially at the beginning of the perfectly executed Phoebe Bridgers cover.
As James McVey entered the stage to begin his set with the opening track ‘Blood and Bones’, a slow mellow song paired with guitar, the lights were steady and low.
McVey’s persona shone through the whole show. Reminiscing on times in Glasgow with The Vamps, he recalled the time The Vamps band mate Brad Simpson threw up at the side of stage at O2 ABC in 2013. McVey had a strong connection with the crowd, telling stories and jokes. He spoke briefly about someone telling him at the time that the disco ball in the venue (O2 ABC Glasgow) was the largest in Europe, which he claimed was “absolute bollocks” getting a laugh from the audience.
After McVey’s short spiel about previous times with The Vamps he introduced the band’s song ‘Can We Dance’. A pop hit James has been performing for a decade now. The audience erupted, and afterwards McVey joked about leaving the stage as that’s all everyone had came to see.
The whole night was full of surprises, from his clothing choice (a t-shirt with his dog Moochie on it), his band mate Benedict’s pitch perfect talent, to a surprise song with opener Siobhan Winifred, not many surfaces were left untouched.
James McVey has played many shows in venues across the world, but finishing his UK tour in King Tuts in Glasgow is one him and the audience are sure to remember for a long time.
