Tom Walker

by Shona Hickey

Photo credit: Twitter

The distinctive tones of Tom Walker were streamed directly into all TV-watching households this Spring when his hit tune Leave a Light On sound-tracked a prolific Sony Bravia advert. The single has seen huge global success since its release, going gold in Australia, Belgium and Germany and platinum in Italy and the UK. The track reached number 7 in the UK charts and has been streamed over 140 million times. While I’m sure, for some unlucky folk, Walker’s name remains unrecognisable to many of the Sony advert appreciators, his success in the past couple of years has erased any fear that he will remain a one-hit wonder. Walker’s music has become an exciting presence in the global music scene, from being named as a new addition to the BBC Radio 1 Brit List in 2017, to more recently making it into the MTV Brand New for 2018 list. Supporting big names including The Script, George Ezra and Jake Bugg has added to the already-growing hype around his work.

Walker has had a huge summer. His recently finished US/Canada tour, with sold-out shows and a growing fan-base across the Atlantic, displays the incredibly rapid pace at which this artist is concretising his place as an up-and-coming global talent. Before touring Europe, the Scottish-born, Manchester-raised singer will be bringing his music home. This October sees Walker tour the UK and Ireland, with Exeter being the first date he plays after releasing his highly-anticipated debut album What a Time to Be Alive on the 19th October.

To whet the appetite, the music video for new release Angels is well-worth checking out. The song itself is a beautiful, emotive ballad featuring a 30-piece string arrangement- definitely matching the level of stirring lyrics which left so many fans affected by Leave a Light On. The music video draws on this emotion, featuring crashing plane full of passengers watching montages of life moments, including best days, worst moments, best kisses and childhood memories.