Tom Grennan: Utilita Arena Newcastle - 16th September 2025
- Neave Farry
- Sep 24
- 5 min read
The team made it to Tom Grennan’s second time headline show at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on Tuesday the 16th of September as he celebrates the release of this fourth album “Everywhere I Went, Led Me to Where I Didn’t Want To Be”.
We took our seats with swarms of TG t-shirts and flashing flower crowns as the night got underway to a country start with the first of two opening acts being Rianne Downey who is very familiar with the tour circuit after been seen with Paul Heaton on numerous gig and festival slots, but Rianne’s solo stuff is nothing to be sniffed at.
To say it the set consisted of just Rianne and a guitarist, it was certainly lively, and the use of the runway was definitely taken advantage of. The crowd, who had piled in early to catch the set on their Tuesday evening, were serenaded with each track including one about Rianne’s hometown and even a cover of Sam Fender’s ‘Will We Talk’ thrown in there for good measure!
Next for the evenings entertainment was Tom Walker, who was accompanied by a drummer and a guitarist to make a more edgy, heavier live sound to what you are familiar with from the radio tracks. I loved this set especially and thought it was a nice gear up from Rianne to get everyone ready for Tom G.
The set list was full of the popular songs like ‘Leave a Light On, ‘Just You and I’ and ‘Head Under Water’ which had the crowd all singing and dancing along, getting everyone’s vocals cords nice and warm for the arrival for the next Tom. I particularly loved the opening of ‘Burn’ where Tom had the crowd repeat this to him in a gravely, sea shanty, hypnotic way. There was also a lovely shout out to his wife as he dedicated ‘Better Half of Me’ to her and expressed how excited he was to sit on the couch and watch TV with her after the tour.
The anticipation grew for Tom Grennan’s set as we had the playlist belting through the speakers of the arena, but when the lights went down and PJ + Duncan’s ‘Let’s Get Ready to Rumble’ started up, the crowd went wild. I am unsure if this was a nod to the location or the fact that Tom’s latest album is laced with boxing related themes but nonetheless it was appreciated and really got everyone buzzing for main act to arrive on stage.
The moment finally arrived when the lights came up on the stage and the curtain fell to reveal Tom, his backing singers and band poised in front of a velvet curtain, side lighting and his name ‘GRENNAN’ in big LED lighting. This, and the band, really gave a jazz feeling and the lighting encouraged at 70’s theme throughout the show which is a big contrast to his previous tour filled with summer dance graphics on screen.
Opening song was ‘Full Attention’ and it is safe to say that this is exactly what thousands of Geordie fans had given him right from the off. The ninety-minute set boasted songs from all four albums, showcasing his beautifully raw vocal talent with adlibs throughout, which I fear can sometimes get forgotten about with the radio made pop songs Tom has become known for. Favourites of mine from the set included, ‘Royal Highness’, ‘How Does It Feel’, ‘Don’t Break the Heart’ and ‘Found What I’ve Been Looking For’ but Tom shared with the audience that his personal favourite was in fact ‘Diamond’ which is from his latest album. When it was time to shine some light on Angel, one of the backing singers, to sign ‘Let’s Go Home Together’, Tom forgot his lyrics not once but twice, but Angel was there on hand to get him through the second verse even after taking it from the top.
There is no denying that Tom is a top class entertainer and he brings that rockstar energy everywhere I have seen him, but it is nice to see that even when playing a nearly sold out arena, he still has time for his fans. Throughout the night, there were Happy Birthdays shouted out and mobile phones picked up from the runaway to which Tom recorded himself and the crowd singing along too, and as a fan myself, I know this is so special for those who were lucky enough to have received this.
Tom also treated the crowd to some stories about his eight hour train journey, his conversion to now being a Greggs fan and why he was wearing a crop top on stage – apparently it has been shrunk in the tumble dryer, but I can’t lie to you, I just thought that’s what he had chosen to wear.
The top was grey however, which then highlights the sweat marks from the high energy performance. Tom yo-yoed up and down the runway all night long, but even Tom’s sweat created the perfect love heart shape on his chest which is actually so on brand for the self-loving, positive vibes he is always promoting.
There was a moment on the B stage where Tom got very deep and honest with the crowd, as he does in his lyrics, where he shared that at the beginning of the year, that he had been struggling mentally with his performing and the uncertainty of if he was ‘needed’ in the music industry still, but has now overcome this in his head. And if he didn’t know, the answer is always going to be a massive ‘yes, we still need you’ from him fans, myself included!
The night was magnificent and if the vocals and energy weren’t enough, we had confetti, sparklers and a lot of fire pyrotechnics to satisfy our needs, and is exactly why I think a stage of this size is brilliant for the Tom Grennan show.
I left with a full heart and a massive smile on my face as we all piled out of the building and parted ways back on the streets of Newcastle, feeling lucky to have been in a room full of singing people who had enjoyed what I think could have been the best performance of Tom’s I have seen.
Make sure you listen to Tom Grennan’s latest album “Everywhere I Went, Led Me to Where I Didn’t Want To Be” which can be found on all streaming platforms and physical copies available through his store.
Article By Neave Farry
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