Tag: Gigs & Reviews

Billy Lockett ends the year with a knockout performance at London’s XOYO

Billy Lockett @ XOYO
Photo / Gavin Wallace

Acclaimed singer and songwriter Billy Lockett concluded his hugely successful UK tour last week with a sold-out show at London’s iconic XOYO.

Fans enjoyed a set list that not only featured some of Billy’s biggest hits, including ‘Covered In Chaos’ and ‘Miss Missing You‘, but also a surprise duet with fellow artist (and X Factor winner) Matt Cardle.

At the candle-lit piano Billy closed the show to his ‘big family‘ by performing ‘a song that’s changing [his] life at the minute’ – ‘I Could Use A Friend’, which despite only being out for two weeks, is already gaining traction.

It’s been a big year for the rising musician, who has now amassed more than 136 million streams across Spotify and Apple Music. Alongside his ever-growing fanbase, Lockett is also gaining support from British outlets as prominent as The Independent, Evening Standard and The Metro – who have all named him as ‘one to watch’.

Interview: Quickfire with Billy Lockett

How would you describe your sound to listeners who haven’t played your music yet? 

My sound is dark ballads that make you cry but at the same time make you want to belt the chorus out at the top of your lungs like you’re at a football match.

What inspires you to write music?

The biggest inspiration for me is music, whenever I head a chord sequence of groove it normally sets me off on an idea.

You’ve supported icons like Lana Del Ray, Lewis Capaldi and Dean Lewis on tour… how does it feel headlining your own sold-out show at XOYO?

Yeah it feels good to finally be the headline act, I’ve worked a long time to get to this position so to have a room full of my own fans feels really special.

This is probably a tough one to answer, but what one song have you written in your career so far that you’re most proud of, and why?

It’s actually an easy question for me because obviously ‘I Could Use A Friend’ it’s my favourite song. I love the chords and the lyrics are totally from the heart, I feel like it’s a big step up from any of my old stuff. 

Who would your dream collaboration be with?

I’d love to collaborate with Raye, I think she’s a genius and a Billy Raye ballad would be special I think. 

What can fans expect from Billy Locket in 2024?

2024 I think album 2 and a tonne more touring hopefully Europe and America, UK has been fun but we’ve toured a lot here this year so I think it’s time for a change.

XOYO Set List

Together at home/ Covered in Chaos/ Empty House/ Call me in the morning/ New song/ Blackmail kiss/ Last thing on your mind/ Miss missing you/ Hard act to follow/ I Could Use A Friend

Vote for Billy!

Billy’s ‘Abington Grove’ was recently nominated for album of the year at the CelebMix Awards, which you can vote for here.

Live: Jesse Markin, Moyka & Elias at Ja Ja Ja

What better way to celebrate 10-years of London’s top Scandi night, Ja Ja Ja than to go and watch them showcase three of my absolute favourite Nordic acts last night.

Elias

I have been featuring this Swedish talent since 2015 and I am still a huge fan of his raw take on soul and pop – and the intensity is amplified tenfold on stage.

Moyka

Moyka carries a powerful synth pop sound in a way that Norwegian talent only can. Watching this kid live felt like a polished cross between Robyn and Ingrid, only with a naivete charm which makes the whole sound so unique.

Jesse Markin

One of Finland’s brightest talents of late, with the most stunning fusion of RnB and pop. A bold presence on stage, this set was mind blowingly epic and captivating.

Live: Molly Hammar at Colours Hoxton

Swedish RnB talent Molly Hammar’s debut London performance took place at Colours Hoxton last night and it was one of the best showcases I’ve caught this year.

This kid owns the stage and the vocal range on her is nothing short of immense. Top tracks performed included pop banger ‘Words’ and racy ‘Bathtub Moments’.

Live: Daniel Adams-Ray x HUMAN at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

The reason the photo above sucks is because watching Swedish pop institution Daniel Adams-Ray perform alongside his new outfit HUMAN in London last night got energetic and bonkers so fast that the whole set barely stayed still the whole evening.

Blending a mix of well-known hits alongside some new material from the latest record ‘IRL’ to a sold-out crowd, this was one of the best acts to watch live from Sweden this year.

Live: Amanda Tenfjord at Ja Ja Ja

London’s biggest monthly showcase dedicated solely to Scandinavian music featured one of Norway’s most promising pop starlets last night, Amanda Tenfjord.

The amount of talent that has emerged from the country this year has been exceptional so I am keen to see what else is in store in 2019.

Sweden’s Orkid (channelling a sassy electro sound) and Denmark’s Luster (with a unique blend of power pop and rock) also played sets in the evening.

Orkid
Luster

Live: LANY at O2 Forum London

Arguably one of the largest American ‘boy bands’ to impact across the world, I watched LANY perform to a packed crowd yesterday evening in London’s Forum.

Stunning set, mega loyal fans and the best chilled musical vibes you could expect.

Sophomore record ‘Malibu Nights’ is out now and carries their trademark blend of minimal soft, heartbreaking pop with a wistful charm.

Oh, and the support from APRE was pretty slick too…

2017’s Random List

Now in it’s sixth edition (yep… I’ve been around that long), my Random List seems to be the most visited post on this blog every ear.

Due to life being hectic I haven’t had much time to reflect on the last twelve months much, but I feel that while people are claiming new music is losing it’s direction – well, it’s good to shake things up every so often.

I’ve found myself mostly being drawn to pop in 2017, although there was a lack of those ‘massive’ hit singles that we usually see in previous years. Nonetheless, credit given where it’s deserved…

Banger Of The Year

The older I get, the more I start to dig Justin Bieber. I don’t know why. It is what it is. I think this is one of the best radio hits of the year.

Trend Of The Year

Hot British guys who manage to blend RnB with soul and funk, each of them in a very unique and painfully cool way. You’ve got Zak Abel, SG Lewis, Tom Misch, Toulouse, Louis Mattrs, Jarreau Vandal… The list goes on. And actually, I am near obsessed with each of these guys.

Scandi Country To Have Perfected Pop

Norway (they managed this accolade back in 2015 as well). I mean it couldn’t be anywhere else this year. In the last year we’ve seen some excellent music from Astrid S, Sigrid,  Dagny, dePresno, Smerz… The country even has it’s own museum dedicated to pop (it’s the cool building you see up there). That’s saying something. Check out my full list of Norwegian talent here.

Best Hair

ALMA! Finnish talent has never been so exciting! The hair’s even got it’s own (amazing) song.

Most Tear-Jerking Music Moment

Portugal’s Salvador Sobral winning Eurovision this year. Whatever you think of this TV show, the kid (who was struggling with heart problems) single handedly commanded a huge arena and a whole world to listen to this blissful and simple melody.

Best Track Not Sung In English

Cezinando’s ‘Håper du har plass’ is undoubtedly my most loved song of the year. Entirely in Norwegian (see, Norway getting another mention on the same List), this mellow hip hop sound mixed with some strings had me emotional all the way through. I still feel warm when I listen to it now. And it took his home country by storm too. Just look at the love from the crowd on this…

Best Gig

Jessie Reyez put on a very short set at London’s tiny Miranda venue back in May this year, and the buzz in the room was inspiring. Powerful vocals, intensely sharp lyrics and beautiful melodies.

Most Played On My iTunes

Yep – Swedish music had to make an entry on this list somewhere. I honestly don’t know what the deal is with We The Kids aside from the fast that they released this great piece of Scandi pop earlier in the year, and that they came from the Tenacity label which is run by mega-important Swedish production company Ten. Believe it or not, this clocked up 170 plays on my iTunes since July so I really hope more comes in 2018!

Likely To Be Huge In 2018

This is a tricky one because there’s a few on my radar. I think a safe bet will be the UK’s Tom Walker. I’ve seen him live a few times this year and I honestly think he has great mainstream appeal.

But I also want to mention a Danish talent called Maximillian, who’s been on my radar for some time and I can’t fault any of his releases to date…

And there we have it! I hope you’re all as excited as I am about the next twelve months, and thank you for logging on and enjoying the music that I post – it gives me so much life!

For previous editions of The Random List, head here.