Live review: Lewis Capaldi
Freda Worrell reviews Lewis Capaldi’s live performance at Westpoint arena
When I arrived at Westpoint Arena on Thursday 2nd February 2023, the excitement in the arena was contagious. I am always interested to see what kind of crowd a musician gathers, and I was happy to see a mix of young and old faces.
The support act was Elle Cove, who is an up-and-coming artist aged eighteen, who began her career in Ireland, supporting Wild Youth. This was her first time playing for a crowd of 7,000, but she received strong encouraging cheers that will hopefully push her to release her soulful-pop songs on Spotify. With only herself and her pianist she managed to fill the arena, and by the end of her set, the crowd was buzzing and rushing to the front to make their way towards the man himself.
In a flash of white light, the band took their places and fog began to fill the stage. Lewis Capaldi then appeared, dressed in white jumper and joggers; he appeared as though like he’d just come from the gym and thought “why not play a gig?”. Immediately he launched into his new single Forget me, from his soon-to-be-released Album Broken by Desire to be Heavenly sent. Next, without pause for breath, he grabbed his acoustic guitar and sang “Forever”. I was surprised that such powerful ballads could move at such a fast pace, but he didn’t let up for a moment.
Capadli’s ability to connect with the crowd is unmatched. He strolled up and down the stage like a comedian at the Apollo, reading out the signs and telling jokes about his “man-gina”. He spoke to the crowd like we were old friends at a house party as he laid out his list of ground rules for the evening.
Capadli’s ability to connect with the crowd is unmatched. He strolled up and down the stage like a comedian at the Apollo
The gig followed a pattern which involved him playing a few songs and subsequently engaging in a quick chat with the crowd; one of which involved him pulling a look-alike from the crowd to feature in his Be-Real!. The rest of his setlist featured some of his big hits such as “Before you Go”, which ended with red confetti, as well as some tracks from his next album set to be released in May, such as “Pointless”. His songs were romantic, emotional, heartfelt and engaging; he managed to keep us singing along with him the whole time. It did not matter whether you were a casual or a lifelong fan, it was impossible to resist the power in his voice or the energy of the audience. After a standing ovation, he closed the show with the universally beloved “Somebody you loved.”
It felt like no matter where in the crowd you stood, you were surrounded by his voice. It also
helped having two large screens on either side of the stage so you could see everything
clearly.
Overall, Capaldi performed an entertaining and energetic show that had the crowd screaming at the top of their lungs. He was funny, casual and charismatic, and certainly lived up to his reputation of the laid-back guy who is full of boyish charm. This was his first time playing in
Exeter, and his final performance of his sold out UK Tour. The singer went on to say “these last five years have been the best of my life” and thanked the crowd for all their love and support.
Let’s hope this is not the last we see of Capaldi down in Exeter!
