Getting off at any station near Kentish Town on the evening of October 28th 2022 made it very obvious that something was happening that night. Masses of colourful people, mainly dressed in Y2K-chic (corduroy pants and oversized band t-shirts, pink fluffy cowboy hats functioning as the cherry on top) with flowers in their hands all stormed towards the music venue with the same name, where the queue already extended around the whole block. But why? Well, British sunny boy Thomas Headon was back in town and playing the sold-out London show of his self-titled UK headline tour. When doors opened and everyone was finally allowed to enter – after what looked like a long day of camping on hard concrete for most of them – the audience was greeted by the sounds of the singer’s own most beloved tunes of his ‘pre-show playlist’, including fan favourites Harry Styles, Doja Cat and The 1975.
Before Headon welcomed his fans, two support acts – fellow indie-pop artists Harriette and Will Joseph Cook – entertained and engaged with the audience. Harriette confessed it was her first time playing in London and seemed very excited about the opportunity, fixing the green feather boa around her neck while proceeding to strum dreamy pop tunes about heartbreak and being in love on her guitar. While she delivered a wholesome singer-songwriter feel, Cook enchanted the audience with an upbeat, electronic sound, matching his funky stage lighting and carefree stage presence.
Greeted by a musical intro, high-pitched screams and the group of girls known as the “Harry Styles – Love On Tour Teletubbies” waving at him frantically from the back of stalls, ear-to-ear grinning Headon walked on stage. “I think I’m gonna treat this girl alright, she’s a little more special than the last one”, the crowd screamed in union with him as his first song ‘How Do I Know’ started playing, telling a tale about Headon ending his “toxic behaviour”-era, admitting that his feelings for a girl might exceed his bedroom that she occasionally stays in. The lovey-dovey vibe reached its peak when Headon jumped into the crowd for the bridge of ‘Butterflies’ and told everyone to hug the person next to them and tell them they are loved.
A few songs in, Headon stopped the music and gave a surprise announcement that his single ‘Georgia’, which was teased multiple times on TikTok before, will going to be released on November 9th. An ode to long-distance relationships and wishing you were there with your partner all the time, instead of somewhere else all on your own, the song describes a feeling that Headon himself seems to know all too well. And while catching the crowd with another new song, a Taylor Swift cover (‘You Belong With Me’) and a mash-up of his song ‘The Most Beautiful Thing’ and ‘Fineline’ by Harry Styles, the highlight of the night for his late 90s/2000s babies in the audience was definitely his cover of the Hannah Montana title track ‘The Best Of Both Worlds’.
In the end, Headon once again proved his musical and lyrical talent, his diversity in cover song choices, and most importantly his humour and the fact he never takes himself too seriously, which not just makes him seem like a humble guy everyone would love to hang out with on a night out but also leads him to have an incredibly contagious energy and stage presence that you simply enjoy, whether you came to his show as a fan or became one when you left.
Written by Vicky Madzak // photography by Lucy Browne
GEM Magazine 