Sam Fischer wrapped up his UK tour in London and our editor-in-chief, Mansi Vithlani attended his last show.
Rating: 4.5/5
I must admit, I was that fan in the crowd that may or may not have only known the famous Sam Fischer song that went viral on TikTok, but we’ll assess the live rendition a little later on. Did I attend this concert with very little knowledge of Fischer’s discography? Yes. Was it the best decision I made? Yes. Fischer now has a new fan with less concert anxiety.
Fischer is an Australian pop-rock singer-songwriter and musician who visited the UK for his first headline tour, “A Simple Tour”. This was the first concert that I have attended since 2019 and I was rather apprehensive. Fischer, however, promised an evening of safety, enjoyment and love, of which he fulfilled all.
The venue:
If you are a student living in London, then you may be familiar with The Garage from your clubbing nights during freshers. It was completely transformed to allow for fans to drink and dance the night away. With incredible lighting and an impeccable sound system, we were immersed in Fischer’s music paradise as he sang through his discography, all of which would be part of his debut album.
The Support:
Slight disclaimer: when it comes to music, I’ve always been one to like most genres, and when I say that Luz Corrigan — Fischer’s support act — is an artist to look out for, I mean it.
There is so much beauty to being introduced to new artists and their music. What caught my attention most was the 18-year-old Irish woman’s ability to articulate the thoughts of many millennials into rich lyricism that we could all resonate with. Going by the stage name “Luz”, the audience was captivated by her soulful voice.
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As a passionate upcoming artist, with over 1.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Luz had the talent to herd a new cohort of fans as she opened for Fischer. Returning to a concert for the first time after COVID, surrounded by a large crowd and just listening to a musician with their piano and vocals in pin-drop silence is a euphoric feeling and only forces you to appreciate the art form of music even more.
My personal favourite of hers was her stripped-down rendition of Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now”, which made me fall in love with the song more as she gave it a more nuanced feeling. A single of hers that has now been added to my playlist is “we’ll be fine”, a song Luz released back in 2020. It beautifully preaches that everything will be okay and for a crowd of 20-somethings, navigating this uncertain millennial life, she was able to quintessentially offer comfort.
With a powerful voice that had the capability to make you feel at home and it was touching to see how appreciative she was of the crowd with her passion for music beaming throughout her performances. I hope that Luz will be an artist rising to the top of the charts.
Fischer’s opening number:
I don’t think I have ever seen a performer radiate as much energy and happiness as Fischer. The Australian entered the stage, opening his night with ‘Everybody’s got somebody”, singing his heart out and feeling himself, as he should.
He was accompanied by his incredible band, who deserve a special mention for constantly amplifying the energy with drum and guitar solos. Belting through his lyrics, the melody pumped through one’s veins as Fischer encouraged the audience to have a dance and completely let loose.
Notable performances:
“I’ve always dreamed of lighters in the air,” Fischer says after finishing his performance of “For Now”. Now, I must take credit for getting my torch out as he sang his heart out with the crowd following along as we swayed side to side. This was a highlight of the night, which made me fall in love with going to concerts all over again. And above all, the song was about the pandemic through a romantic lens, so there was a lot of love in the air.
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Fischer also showcased a few new songs with the intimate crowd, which will be released on his debut album. One to look out for is “Hopeless romantic”, where Fischer simply puts feelings you will most likely resonate with into his lyrics. The song is to be released on October 15th, where he belts about romanticising life and then being let down. It’s all about his dreams and meeting the people who put him on stage and being in the venue watching him perform it made me feel like a proud mum. This was his I-made-it moment. And he ended the performance with: “This here means more than you’ll ever know.” Truly exceptional.
This City:
Fischer made us wait until the end of this one so I guess my review of it is at the end too! “This City” really helped skyrocket Fischer’s career when the song went viral on TikTok, but I was not aware of the personal story behind it. It was a song written back when Fischer was feeling lost and broken and seeing him perform live made me fall in love with him as an artist even more. The band built up the atmosphere as we listened to Fischer’s warm and soulful vocals and the narrative lyricism that made the audience question: “Will London be the city to break our hearts?”
Overall:
I always do appreciate artists who engage with the crowd and ask about your day, joke around and treat you like your mates. Not only that, Fischer was a little flirt, drinking beer and wearing quite possibly the most fashionable jacket I have ever seen. It was fun, vibrant and welcoming and was an exquisite reflection of Fischer’s personality.
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My only criticism and to justify my 0.5 reductions is that Fischer did enjoy passing the mic to the audience a little too much and there were moments where I would have preferred to hear him sing instead.
Jokes aside, a moment I etched in my brain is when Fischer said: “My concerts are a place to give people a safe place to feel their feelings,” which has sat with me ever since. Not only did he make us feel comfortable in COVID times, but he transported us to a whole new dimension. We were able to be in touch with feelings and emotions that we often disregard or bottle up through his enigmatic yet reliable music that I will be embracing more in the future.