Wales’ answer to Sam Fender? We may have found him.
On Sunday 21st December KERB took a trip to The Rockin’ Chair in Wrexham to catch Tom Collins’ sold out show. Entering the venue I got the immediate vibe of how the night would unfold. High ceilings, worn wood flooring and the stale smell of booze tells you this is a venue that has stood the test of time. The first support act ‘The French Exit’, a quartet whose baggy t-shirts are combo’d with even baggier trousers. Their frontman wearing a t-shirt that reads ‘Farage shags swans’ reminds you that you’re in a working class town that doesn’t give a fuck. Their musical style tinged in 80’s and 90’s alternative rock, think The cure meets The Verve. They ended their set treating the growing crowd to an indie soaked rendition of Band Aids classic Christmas hit ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’. It was at that point, looking out at the chorus of crowds singing every line, that it was in fact Christmas time.
The second support act, ‘Cornerstone’, a four piece made up of members from both Wrexham and Liverpool, led by a female vocalist. At this point the room was close to full and the crowd got wilder. Cornerstone reeling through indie banger after indie banger including a fierce rendition of ‘Moving to New York’ by fellow Liverpool indie royalty, The Wombats, giving strong comparisons with another huge female led indie outfit, ‘Gossip’.. They too ended their set with a christmas hit, ‘Fairytail of New York’, in which the crowd gleefully joined in, locked in hugs and embraces.
Soon after, Tom Collins and his band take to the stage.The vibe is set, the Welsh flag draped over the mic stand. This is Tom’s moment, another sold out gig in his stomping ground of North Wales. During his set he treated the crowd to classics such as ‘casting smiles’, his first release ‘Rivers’, crowd favourite ‘Soft lad’ and a brand new single ‘Scars’, a heart wrenching ballad touching on the subject of domestic abuse. Tom calms the crowd, putting down the guitar and relying on his voice and band for a few tracks – a display that shows just how great his vocals truly are.
As the set winds down, he has a couple more tricks up his sleeve, a rendition of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s ‘cocoon’ which is received in joy by the armies of FIFA playing lads in the crowd. Finally, bringing his set near to a close, the crowd in a sea of Santa hats, he also gives us his own rendition of ‘Fairytail of New York’.. Yes we’ve heard it once tonight, but you can never have too much of a good thing. As Tom and his band finish and thank the crowd for coming out, it is clear to us why the likes of Jamie Webster asked Tom to support him on his tour, and it is safe to say that Wrexham’s music scene is in safe hands thanks to a new generation of artists paving the way.