Myles Smith At The O2 Academy in Bristol
On the wet and windy evening of Sunday 23rd February, British singer-songwriter Myles Smith played to a sold out O2 Academy in Bristol. The treacherous weather however, did not stop his hardcore fans from attending the gig and lining the streets in the pouring rain.
Upon entering the main room at the O2, I immediately noticed the decorative lighting which had been attached over the main standing crowd area, from the balcony to the back of the stage. This is something I had never previously seen at a gig before and it made the atmosphere feel a little more relaxed and created a lovely ambience for all attendees.
Prior to Myles taking to the stage, he was supported by an artist named Kamal., a singer-songwriter and producer from London. Whilst the artist has his own released music, he has worked with other well-regarded artists such as UK rapper Dave and, most recently, his vocals were featured on the track “Now We’re Strangers” on Central Cee’s latest album _CAN’T RUSH GREATNESS_. Kamal. is definitely an artist to watch out for, not only due to his already established connections, but also because his talent speaks for itself and he is clearly getting the recognition he deserves.
After coming on slightly later than originally planned, due to complications caused by the unpredictable weather, Myles took to the stage accompanied by a four-piece ensemble. The crowd cheered upon his arrival on stage and remained audibly vocal throughout the entire set. During the night, when the room briefly went quiet in between songs, a fan shouted, “Myles can you please sign this for me?”, holding up what looked like a CD or vinyl. Myles didn’t know whether to sign the album during that moment or later on in the night, but he eventually signed the item for the fan, after obtaining a Sharpie, and then passed it back to the fan in the crowd.
A very vivid moment in the night for me was when Myles spoke about love extremely articulately before he played his track “My First Heartbreak”. The introductory speech was rather lengthy and he went onto explain that the song is actually about his father leaving when he was 13 years old, as that was the time he experienced his first heartbreak. Another speech that also resonated was when the artist spoke about a memory of him and his brother sat at the table at Christmas, and then both getting emotional together as they both came to the conclusion that, even though they didn’t have a father figure in their life, they certainly knew how to not be a father if they ever have children themselves.
He also spoke openly about having therapy to deal with this familial trauma and, later in the night, Myles asked everyone in the crowd to put their flashlights on their phones as he spoke about struggles people endure in life, such as depression, anxiety and feeling alone. He reiterated to people that, no matter what you go through or suffer with, you’re not alone. Speaking on topics like the above, being so vulnerable and open with his fans shows how down to earth Myles Smith really is.
After briefly vacating the stage and coming back to a chanting audience, Myles told the crowd how he “felt rough tonight” but then proceeded to say, “You guys kept me going.” He then played some of his songs which aided him, through their success, to leave a career in an office job just over three years ago. After concluding the setlist with his globally popular hit “Stargazing”, Myles stated to the crowd, “I might get a fine now so you’ve got to make it worth it Bristol,” as he entered the crowd to play the beloved track for a second time, getting up close and personal with his south west supporters.
Before leaving fans to flock out of the venue at the end of the night, Myles threw multiple merch caps into the crowd for lucky fans to take a free memento home. Overall, Myles Smith is a top tier vocalist and lyricist and continues to release hit records which are extremely catchy. I look forward to hearing his future releases and am grateful to have finally witnessed his talent live in the flesh.
