Bradley Simpson Review - O2 Ritz Manchester
Article written by and photos by Elodie Hadfield
Bradley Simpson played to a sold-out crowd at the O2 Ritz in Manchester last night as part of his Panic Years tour. Best known as the lead vocalist of The Vamps, Bradley has recently stepped into the spotlight as a solo artist with the release of his debut album, The Panic Years. The album features singles like ‘Cry at the Moon,’‘Picasso,’and ‘Carpet Burn,’. As someone who’s seen The Vamps live many times over the years, I was incredibly excited to see Bradley’s solo performance and he certainly did not disappoint!
The O2 Ritz erupted with excitement around 9pm as Bradley Simpson took to the stage. He kicked off his energy filled set with ‘Getting Clear’, the sixth track from his debut solo album. In the lead up to the show, I’d been listening to The Panic Years on repeat so you can best believe I was singing along from the photo pit, along with the rest of the crowd. Having grown up listening to The Vamps and attending their concerts, it felt like both a pleasure and a privilege to photograph and review Bradley’s show as he embarks on this exciting new chapter as a solo artist. What will keep me coming back to Bradley’s shows time and time again is his incredible stage presence. He radiates pure joy when performing and it’s contagious. It’s so clear just how much he loves what he does and watching him share special moments with his fans is something truly wonderful.
As the set progressed, Bradley played some crowd favourites including ‘Picasso’, ‘Cry at the Moon’and ‘Favourite Band’. Favourite Band was my favourite track on the setlist and it was made even more special when Bradley brought out support act and featured artist Nieve Ella to join him on stage, setting off a wave of screams throughout the O2 Ritz.
Bradley concluded his set with Carpet Burn, a personal favourite of mine. The crowd sang every word back to him, erupting with energy as they shouted the standout line: “This one was carpet burn from f*****g in my first car!” I simply can’t say enough good things about Bradley’s Manchester show. As mentioned, having seen The Vamps many times over the years, I already knew Bradley had incredible stage presence and the ability to command a crowd but seeing him do it as a solo artist brought a whole new level of appreciation. His confidence, connection with the audience, and genuine joy on stage made this performance a pleasure to both photograph and review
