Lewis Capaldi live in Birmingham review: Heartbreak and humour from a modern music hero
Lewis Capaldi had the Birmingham crowd weeping and crying with laughter with his heartbreak ballads and witty one-liners.
“I want to attack you with as much new music as possible before the end of this year,” Lewis Capaldi teases during his second of two nights in Birmingham on Wednesday night (24.09.25).
Considering Capaldi had been away from the spotlight for two years due to his mental and physical health, it’s understandable that the Scottish star is keen to make up for lost time.
Receiving a heroes welcome at the Utilita Arena, it’s all systems go as he and his formidable live band transform heartbreak ballads into venue-filling anthems.
Kicking off with the poignantly-pained Survive, which soared to the top of the charts during the summer, Capaldi’s first interaction with the audience doesn’t come until a few songs in. But complimenting the city he’s performing in instantly wins the room’s affection – not that he needs it.
Throughout the evening, they are there with him, notably willing Capaldi on by chanting his name during Love the Hell Out of You.
Accompanied by only piano, Wish You the Best meanwhile holds the sold-out crowd silent until they belt the chorus in unison.
Midway through the show, a disclaimer that there’ll be a lot of ballads in the [18-track] setlist comes as no surprise, though a comparatively upbeat one-two of Leave Me Slowly and Forget Me presents a welcome change of pace.
In an era of flashy production, apart from a confetti shower and wristbands that illuminate the arena - first during brilliant new single Something In The Heavens - Capaldi’s tour is refreshingly stripped back. It works to his benefit because he really doesn’t need anything extra. Just one belting voice that can blow whatever room he’s playing away - and a handful of self-deprecating funny one-liners. “If you need to go for a p*** or a s***, now’s the time,” he jokes before airing new song Almost.
Another, Day That I Died, which was written when he was in a dark place, packs an unavoidably heavy emotional punch. “I don’t plan on having a break anytime soon,” he says later of his refreshed lease of life, “so you’ll be sick of me in the next couple of years”.
After a flawless rendition of Hold Me While You Wait, the heavenly Someone You Loved brings everyone together one last time.
“It’s a nice thing to come here after all this time away and people still want to come and see us,” he had said earlier with a slight look of disbelief.
On the strength of this performance, it’s clear that the public’s love and support for Lewis Capaldi isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Rating: 4.5/5
