Early into his set, Tom Misch admitted this was the gig he was most looking forward to out of his whole European tour. Given his London roots, if you’ve ever been to Village Underground, you can certainly see why he was excited to play the 700-capacity former Victorian warehouse. The open brick walls and subtle lighting striking his paint splattered backdrop provided an atmosphere perfect for the crowd to revel in his soulful vocals and fluid, layered riffs.
This tour takes place off the back off his self-released music to date, including ‘Beat Tape 1’, ‘Beat Tape 2’ and latest EP, ‘Reverie’. Having garnered him an auspicious and fast-growing online fanbase; you could hear the honesty with which he expressed immense gratitude for everyone for coming to the event. It makes sense; playing a show in your hometown that sold out in minutes must be an unbeatable feeling.
Tom performed as a five-piece act alongside a guitarist/violinist, bassist, drummer and keys. The setup lent itself perfectly to his laid-back stage presence with each track as smooth as the next. Without any urgency, Tom guided the audience into his world of funk-infused refrains and colourful melodies.
The element that really made this performance stand out was Tom’s series of special guests, all London-based artists that had collaborated with him on his original tracks. He didn’t hold back; from Zak Abel onstage for ‘Beautiful Escape’ to support act’s Carmody’s ‘Wander with Me’. Other guests included Sam Wills, Loyle Carner, Barney Artist and his own sister, Laura Misch.
In addition to his well-orchestrated set, Tom also managed to infuse each song with a jam session-like quality that spoke directly to his self-confessed obsession with J Dilla. The extended intros and unanticipated outros provided gems that kept even his most well-known songs fresh.
Tom has spoken about how his latest EP reveals his ambitions to include his own voice on more tracks. As we wait for a debut album, if his live vocals on ‘Colours of Freedom’ and ‘Watch Me Dance’ are anything to go by, there’s a lot to look forward to. As a taster, we heard his unreleased track ‘South of the River’. With the violin taking the lead melody, it exhibits yet another aspect to Tom’s ever-expanding sound.
As a producer-now-singer, Tom’s sound for only 21-years-old is incredibly refined and yet we’re still left feeling he’s only just getting started. We’re looking forward to seeing what he has coming next.
Listen to Reverie here.
