The Neptune Beer Emporium welcomed Tom with open arms as he took to the stage on Friday 18 July. Playing classic hits from Inspiral Carpets to his own material, there was never a dull moment from Tom. It was most definitely a treat for those early 90s indie fans!
As soon as Tom opened his set with Saturn 5 we knew we were in for a great night. People were singing and loving it and he was just 3 minutes into starting. His voice was phenomenal, belting out tracks everyone loved. Tom’s crowd interaction was great too. He made everyone laugh, I never saw anyone without a smile on their face. But before all this, a young musician – Jack Algar – opened up for Hingley. Jack is just 17 and has played at The Neptune several times. He performed his own material which was written the night before and also an hour before he went on stage. He really impressed me as well as everyone else. One member of the audience described Jack’s talent as ‘mega’ and ‘a cracking vocalist’, ultimately proving he got everyone ready for the man of the night.
The small pub was getting hot and sweaty but this didn’t dampen Tom’s mood at all, it added to the experience. The atmosphere was booming and his guitar playing was out of this world. He delivered each song with a refined edge, reminding folk he defined an era with this talent. It was truly an intimate gig as Hingley shared stories in between his songs keeping everyone on their feet. He played the entire set acoustically without a backing band but this didn’t make the songs sound any different.
His confidence shined through and all the years of performing was definitely noticeable. During the second half of the show, Tom played Inspiral Carpets tunes such as Two World’s Collide, Sackville, Born Yesterday, and This Is How It Feels as well as his own material such as How Could I Be so Wrong, Leaving It All Behind, The Gloves Are Off, and Good Love Turned Bad. He gave the people what they wanted and nothing but good things were said after the gig had ended. Tom had all the time in the world for his fans. He spoke to every single person that came over to him, even when he looked ready for bed.
Tom is set to play Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds on the 1 August. If it’s anything like The Neptune’s gig, it most definitely will be a night to remember. Grab your tickets now before it’s too late!
CHECK OUT MORE FROM TOM HINGLEY HERE
FOR MORE GIGS AND RGM NEWS HEAD HERE
