Tom Chaplin: The Cameo Show 14/09/2022

I have been obsessed with Tom Chaplin’s album ‘Midpoint’ since its release at the beginning of September. ‘Midpoint’ and ‘Gravitational’ were released as singles before that, to give us a taste of what the album is about. It’s a fantastic album which sounds extremely stripped back compared to a lot of new releases. It showcases TC’s gorgeous voice as well as his brilliant writing skills and introduces us to a bunch of talented musicians who are new members of his band. From what I have heard, the majority of ‘Midpoint’ was dreamed up during lockdown, with ‘Midpoint’ (the title track) being the first song and the inspiration for the theme of the album. You can tell how much love and passion was poured into the project. Not many musicians would be so willing to open up about the subject of midlife and the beauty and darkness which comes hand in hand with it. TC wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable and honest, which makes the songs really shine. People of all ages should be able to get something out of this album though and everyone will pick their own favourite tracks for different reasons. ‘Cameo’ might be the most upbeat track on the list of thirteen songs but my favourites are the slower numbers you can listen to numerous times and hear something new each time around. I am crossing my fingers for some bonus tracks in the future. I think I love ‘Gravitational’ and ‘Stars Align’ the most but it is hard to choose between the songs and my opinion changes depending on my mood.

I have been doing a good job of keeping up with all things Tom Chaplin recently, watching several interviews popping up on the internet and tuning into the ‘Live To Vinyl’ live-stream at Metropolis Studios in London. TC answered my question on it, which I am still very excited about. Thank you Paul, for letting me borrow your Mastercard in order to join it. It was an excellent live-stream and it felt like you were right there in the studio. Some lucky fans actually were, who had been selected and were able to make it down to London in such short notice. He admitted at The Forum they probably chose the two hardest songs from the album to record for it – ‘Black Hole’ and ‘Colourful Light’. They are two complex songs from the new album and it’s impressive how the band altered the songs to be able to perform them live. They always make it seem effortless. I am excited to receive the limited edition vinyl that comes with the online ticket. It has been a very fun time for fans, with all of this new content becoming available.

It was still morning when I arrived, so I had plenty of time to explore this wonderful town with its winding streets full of cobblestones. I didn’t know the Wetherspoons in Royal Tunbridge Wells was once an opera house but that was a nice surprise. I always try and visit a Wetherspoons in each place I go to, since there are so many of them and they come in all kinds of interesting shapes and sizes. The weather brightened up in the afternoon, just in time for people to start flocking to The Forum, which is situated on a grassy hill opposite one of the main roads with idyllic walkways surrounding it. Doors opened more or less on time and we entered in single file, flashing our tickets at the door and getting an exclusive “Top Secret” stamp on our wrists. I stood near the stage, maybe four or five rows back. I had a brilliant view, though I think anywhere in the venue would be okay to stand as it has a nice high stage. You could feel the excitement rush through the crowd of two hundred and fifty people or so when the band came on, followed by TC who received staggering applause right off the bat.

They plunged straight into ‘All Fall Down’, the first song on the album. They finalised the setlist that morning and claimed it was a bit “mad” but I thought it worked well. People were excitedly snapping photos of the setlist on the stage floor and passing it around but I wanted to be surprised. It had the entirety of ‘Midpoint’, a few songs from ‘The Wave’ (TC’s first solo album from 2016) and one Keane song – ‘Sovereign Light Café’, a crowd pleaser which Keane often choose to end their shows with. It was incredible watching the band become fully immersed in the music and they sounded terrific. TC took time to compliment their talent for juggling instruments and having to learn so many of his older songs from scratch. This was the first time they had performed ‘Rise and Fall’ to a live audience, which made hearing it all the more special. They followed the order of the songs as they appear on the new album until the end of ‘Stars Align’, where ‘Colourful Light’ was replaced with ‘Gonna Run’. TC explained ‘Black Hole’ usually has his son’s laughter in it but his toddler was not available because it was past his bed time. Somebody at the front said “aww” and he replied “Don’t say aww!” because he had tortured the laughter out of him through tickling. His children couldn’t be there but his wife Nat was somewhere in the crowd. His admiration for her is evident and he said she knows him better than he knows himself.

The mighty duduk was not present for ‘Colourful Light’, with the unusual but prominent Armenian instrument being replicated on the keyboard instead. It attracted a lot of attention on social media after the album was released as not many people, including myself, knew what it was. I hope it makes an appearance during the rest of the tour, even if only one person in the UK can play it seemingly! TC explained ‘It’s Over’ is about a couple (or couples) he knew well, who seemed like they were in it for the long run, then suddenly broke up and everything changed. He first wrote the song about ten years ago and explained how there is a demo floating about the internet, which his “most ardent fans” probably know about. I’m so happy it made its way on to this album as it’s a lovely emotional song and fits the overall feel. He made it very clear the song is not about his own marriage (which made everyone laugh) but that he does need to continue playing his cards right!

‘Midpoint’ actually was in the middle of the setlist, coming in at number ten out of a total of twenty. I found it hilarious when somebody on Twitter pointed out this wasn’t the case on the actual album but then someone else went to the effort of calculating it was actually 50% through the album when you go by minutes elapsed and not the track numbers. I have a lot of appreciation for this song, especially since it inspired the rest of the album. It was the first song I heard from it (being released before ‘Gravitational’) and I go back to it a lot. The build up to the chorus is sensational and hearing it live was very emotional. The whole place totally came alive when ‘Gravitational’ started. I love it and the iconic dance moves which accompany it! I thought this one and ‘Cameo’ were the easiest to dance and bounce along to. TC restarted ‘Gravitational’ after the intro, joking he was only teasing us that they were going to do it. He is obviously aware this is the one a lot of people want to hear.

There was a lot of self-deprecating humour as usual, like poking fun at his own outfit (comparing it to a bin bag), stating he is now going to make a “pig’s ear” out of a song that did particularly well with fans and realising “some” of the songs from ‘The Wave’ are “actually quite good”. Somebody nearer the back consoled him when he said he must stop talking badly about himself, stating he does it because he’s English and that it’s in his nature. He explained the radio called one of his songs (I’m guessing ‘Overshoot’ because of the new radio edit) a “show-stopper” but said he’s going to do it anyway and that we have to pretend there is a big “dancey” bit at the end, even though there isn’t! He changed the lyrics from “Now I’m thirty three” to “forty three” (his current age) in ‘See It So Clear’, which people appreciated. Nobody in the room wanted it to be the final song and plenty made their opinions known. “What? You haven’t been short-changed, have you?” TC retorted, before exiting the stage and returning to his adoring audience chanting “SING MORE SONGS!”

A young boy held up a sign demanding he sing ‘Symphony’, a Clean Bandit song which was one of four numbers he performed on ‘The Masked Singer’ earlier this year, disguised as a giant poodle to please his daughter. He refused point-blank to sing it but it seemed as though he was going to give us a snippet of it for a second. He claimed he can’t remember how it goes now. The sign did provoke a discussion of the show and how difficult it was to partake in, which was interesting to hear about. It must’ve been a weird experience, right enough. I appreciated how much he chatted (or “whittled on”, as he put it) between songs about the inspiration behind each one and how they’ve been received so far etc. You don’t often get that level of engagement from musicians at events like this. There was a real sense of inclusion and intimacy here. It felt candid and people are encouraged to send questions over social media (the sillier the better) for him to answer at each upcoming show and to suggest lesser-heard Keane songs for them to perform! I can’t wait to see what people come up with. It was fascinating hearing his thought process and seeing him imagine how the tour will play out – with bigger production and sound. We were his “guinea pigs” for this “test run”. There were a couple of minor technical issues. He joked that the latter half of the show is the part where everything starts to break, which reminded me of when the piano needed to be repaired with surgeon-like tools when I saw Keane in Tynemouth.

‘Overshoot’ was the best song to end it on, I think. I can understand why it’s as beloved as it is. He assured us this really is the last song now and that he hopes to see some of us on the tour in October. I will be there, for sure! I had a fantastic time at the “best toilet turned music venue” (TC’s words) and would happily return for future events. It’s quite TARDIS-like – bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside. I circled it a couple of times before queuing and got to hear some of the sound-check. They thanked the venue profusely for allowing them a space to practice in for the two days leading up to this event and helping them prepare for the tour. I’ve booked to see him three more times in October… Let the good times roll!

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GALLERY:

Where the magic took place

My view from the bench by The Forum. My phone was nearly out of charge, so I was doing crossword puzzles to pass the time

Full band shot

I edited this when I was bored

Loved this venue

‘Gravitational’

Between songs

Close-up