Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is back with a bang, after he appeared at Glastonbury over the weekend for a surprise set and wowed fans two years after taking a highly publicised break from performing. Capaldi, 28, won plaudits for his return performance and has followed it up with the announcement of a ten-date tour this autumn.
Capaldi will appear at London’s O2 Arena for two nights on Wednesday, September 17, and Thursday, September 18, with general tickets sales available on Thursday, July 10 at 10am. However, O2 and Virgin Media customers signed up with the providers’ Priority rewards scheme will have early access to presale tickets on 9am on Tuesday, July 8. Priority is a free service that offers rewards and experiences, such as free snacks at Greggs, 20 per cent off some cinema treats, discounts on Disney+ and access to exclusive gigs. You must be over 16 and an O2 mobile or Virgin Media broadband customer to get Priority.
Non-Priority users will also be able to access Capaldi’s presale on from 9am Tuesday, July 8, by registering online on his website.
A meteoric rise to fame
Lewis Capaldi was born in Glasgow in October 1996, the youngest of four children, and grew up in Whitburn, West Lothian. He showed an early aptitude for music and began performing in local pubs, sometimes smuggled in by his older brother. He uploaded songs recorded in his bedroom to Soundcloud, which attracted the attention of his US manager Ryan Walter. His first single, ‘Bruises’ was released independently in March 2017 and amassed 25 million downloads on Spotify, a record for an unsigned artist.
Capaldi quickly signed on with Universal Music Group, and he supported singer-songwriters Rag’n’Bone Man and Jake Bugg on their 2017 tours, and was the support act for Niall Horan and Sam Smith the following year. His EP ‘Breach’ released at the end of 2018, featured the singles ‘Touch’, ‘Someone You Loved’ and ‘Grace’.
Capaldi was on tour with Bastille when ‘Someone You Loved’ reached the number one spot in the UK singles chart and stayed there for seven weeks, while also topping the US billboard 100 – the first Scottish artist to do so since Sheena Easton. The Breach tracks were included in his debut album ‘Divinely Uninspired To A Heavenly Extent’, which also the number 4 single ‘Hold Me While You Wait. The album spent five weeks at number one and was the biggest selling UK album in five years.
A break from performing
Lewis’ released his second album in 2023, ‘Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent’, which scored him his second UK number one album, as well as three UK number one singles, ‘Pointless’, ‘Wish You The Best ’ and the Platinum-certified ‘Forget Me’. However, his set at day four of Glastonbury festival in 2023 saw him struggle with an outbreak of Tourette’s syndrome towards the end of the show, which he was diagnosed with a year earlier, and fans helped finish the song. Following this, Capaldi announced he was taking a break from performing.
In May this year, he reappeared on stage in a series of Scottish warm up shows in May as a guest of mental health charity CALM, in celebration of Mental Health Awareness Week. The shows, which had “no pressure, and no level of expectation”, helped ease Capaldi back into performing ahead of his return to the spotlight at Glastonbury and his tour this autumn.
What to expect on Capaldi’s comeback tour
Capaldi will be bringing special guests Skye Newman and Aaron Rowe with him as he launches a 10-day tour of the UK and Ireland in September. Newman, 22, is a singer-songwriter from South East London whose run of singles this year has earned her an immediate fanbase, and she cites the likes of Amy Winehouse, Adele, Eminem and Bob Marley as influences. Her debut song, ‘Hairdresser”, entered the UK Singles Chart at number 15 upon its release in March this year. Her follow-up single, “Family Matters” became her first UK top 10 hit, debuting at number 4 in the charts in May.
Aaron Rowe, a Dublin-based singer-songwriter, has been announced as the second artist supporting Capaldi on his tour. Rowe is influenced by American soul legends like Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and James Brown, alongside British bands like The Stone Roses and Oasis, he is signed with Sony Music and his first single ‘Hey Ma’ has amassed over 360,000 downloads on Spotify. He announced his delight at touring with Capaldi, who he described as “someone I used to admire and look up to for long time and now he’s a very close friend of mine”.
Capaldi has previously partnered with mental health charity CALM and it’s possible that the charity may have some involvement in his September tour. However, no details of this have been announced yet.
How to beat the queues
Capaldi will appear at London’s O2 Arena for two nights on Wednesday, September 17, and Thursday, September 18, with general tickets sales available on Thursday, July 10 at 10am. However, O2 and Virgin Media customers signed up with the providers’ Priority rewards scheme will have early access to presale tickets on 9am on Tuesday, July 8. Priority is a free service that offers rewards and experiences, such as free snacks at Greggs, 20 per cent off some cinema treats, discounts on Disney+ and access to exclusive gigs. You must be over 16 and an O2 mobile or Virgin Media broadband customer to get Priority.
Non-Priority users will also be able to access Capaldi’s presale on from 9am Tuesday, July 8, by registering online on his website.
Fan reactions
Fans have reacted with glee at news of Capaldi’s comeback tour. One woman wrote on X: “Lewis Capaldi tour announcement for the UK and Ireland. When I tell you I will move mountains and oceans to see him I mean that.”
Another delighted follower posted: “I hope Lewis Capaldi gets all the love and light he needs. Such a sweetheart.”
A third wrote: “I really really love Lewis Capaldi’s new song Survive. I feel like everyone has resonated with the words at some point in their lives.”
Lewis Capaldi will appear at London’s The O2 for two nights on Wednesday, September 17, and Thursday, September 18.
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