Amrit Virdi
On March 9th, Alfie Templeman took to the stage at Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms, and brought the energy of indie-pop to life. Despite his young age, and being open about his struggles with anxiety, his stage presence was unmatchable as he seamlessly worked with his band to give a new lease of life to his feel-good discography. He transferred his infectious energy to the eager audience, which Amrit Virdi was a part of, as she shares her thoughts on the show.
Arriving at Rescue Rooms early, I was lucky to have a prime position right at the front of the stage. Granted, there were still six-foot+ people in front of me, and I was surrounded by the 17 and 18-year-old hardcore fans, which made me feel significantly old. Despite this, the crowd’s liveliness never faltered, and from the minute I got in there, I felt reminded of the eager excitement I felt at the concerts I would go to in my teen years.
Support Act Pixey brings an edge to the indie genre – the Liverpudlian singer did a great job at warming up the crowd. Although I, and many others, were not familiar with the singer prior to the gig, her danceable and catchy tracks had no trouble captivating the crowd. I must credit Pixey’s vocal ability – her voice shone through the loud instrumentals provided by her talented band, and I can see a bright future for her, especially given her friendly nature, as she stayed at the end of the show to chat with fans. Ending the set on Just Move was an excellent choice, and prepared the crowd for Alfie Templeman’s up-tempo tracks, which were bound to get the gig-goers grooving.
Cue 8:30pm on the dot, and the 19-year-old rising indie-popper made a low–key entrance to the intimate Rescue Rooms stage, yet he still received an electrifying welcome. Opening the show with Shady, the crowd were singing along from the first note, and were quick to show their appreciation for the singer. However, Templeman’s band, consisting of Cam Owden, Jos Shepherd and Adam Philip, should be credited, which the lead signer himself acknowledged as he sung their praises multiple times throughout the show.
The chemistry between everyone on stage was evident, and Templeman even gave his bassist time to shine as they broke into a spontaneous cover of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit (which was one of the highlights of the show for me), showing that at the end of the day, they are just young guys enjoying this crazy journey that they are on.
Induced the crowd into a collective dance
The colourful lighting complimented the groovy guitars which define Templeman’s tracks. I’d almost describe his songs as synaesthesia-like, which induced the crowd into a collective dance. The setlist was comprised of songs both new and old from Don’t Go Wasting Time and Forever Isn’t Long Enough, as well as brand new tracks, including one called Candyfloss which went down a treat, surely making fans anticipate new releases from the singer even more.
Consistently appreciating the vivacious nature of the Nottingham crowd, Templeman repeatedly said this was one of the best crowds of the tour, and I can see why. Mosh-pits breaking out at times, specifically in well-known tracks including gig-closer Happiness In Liquid Form, was something which I didn’t expect to see given the genre of the music, but it was, of course, a welcome surprise.
3D Feelings, Circles and my personal favourite Film Scene Daydream also went down a treat, and the composition of the setlist maintained a high energy throughout the entirety of the show. While I usually appreciate a mellow acoustic moment at a concert, which this didn’t have, I think it worked well and catered to the young audience who really just wanted to live in the happy moment.
He succumbed to the crowd’s request for “one more song”
As Templeman went off-stage for a brief moment after saying goodbye to the crowd, it wasn’t long before he succumbed to the crowd’s requests for ‘’one more song’’ and came back to sing three more songs, including Broken, his latest release, which had me singing at the top of my lungs. And after the closing song, this wasn’t the last that fans saw of him of the night – I was lucky enough to chat to Alfie, and even get a signed poster after the gig, and his friendly and approachable nature explains why so many people are fans of him.
I’d like to see Alfie move to bigger venues in the future, and I have no doubt that he will. It truly was a gig that reminded me why I fell in love with live music when I was younger, and one which I won’t forget for a while.
Amrit Virdi
Featured image courtesy of Amrit Virdi. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to this image.
In-article images courtesy of Amrit Virdi and @alfietempleman via @instagram.com. No changes were made to these images.
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