Lewis Capaldi review: The Scottish star kicked off a two-night residency in Manchester after a two year break
Miranda is the Search and Discover writer for the Manchester Evening News. She is a gold-standard NCTJ trained journalist with SEO experience, having joined the M.E.N. in 2024 after graduating earlier that year.
Lewis Capaldi performed at the Co-Op Live on Saturday night(Image: Steve Farrell/MEN)
As he said himself during his surprise come-back performance at Glastonbury Festival, Lewis Capaldi is well and truly back, baby.
It takes a special kind of artist to be able to take a lengthy break from making and performing music, and yet somehow return even more loved and adored by their fans – Lewis Capaldi really is one of a kind.
The beloved Scottish star performed to a sold-out Co-Op Live Arena on Saturday night (September 20), two years since his last Manchester show, managing to bring more than 23,000 fans to tears (occasionally from laughter, more often from gut-wrenching love ballads to which we can sadly all relate).
As a long-time Lewis Capaldi fan yet too see him perform live, his vocals are breath-takingly strong. On record, they are powerful, in real life he’s even better.
Lewis kicked off his Manchester gig with his new single Survive(Image: Steve Farrell/MEN)
It’s hard to remember a time before Lewis Capaldi was a household name – but you only have to cast your mind back to 2018 when he was preparing for the release of his hit single Someone You Loved, which propelled him into the superstardom.
But tonight it is clear he is loved for more than simply creating a catchy tune or two.
Despite his huge fame, Capaldi somehow manages to remain one of the most down-to-earth, humble, and could we say ‘normal’ celebrities out there.
It is a trait that displayed at the Co-Op Live on Saturday night as he asks the audience to let him know if there are any sweat marks on his cream trousers – explaining it was his “first time” wearing this particular colour scheme.
This humility, alongside the fact songs that manage to penetrate your your heart and soul (were you okay after Lewis sung his unreleased single The Day That I Die? Cos’ I sure wasn’t?), is what makes Lewis so incredibly loveable.
Lewis’ Manchester gig was his first time performing in the city since January 2023(Image: Steve Farrell/MEN)
Despite his easy-going nature, the 28-year-old singer-songwriter has struggled with fame – and he has been open about that with his fans.
Over his career, Lewis has shared his experience of bad mental health. After his 2023 Glastonbury performance, he announced that he would be taking a break from music to focus on his mental and physical health, as the symptoms of his Tourette’s Syndrome worsened.
Two years on from then, Lewis is back on tour, performing to adoring fans across the country. And to the relief of fans everywhere, Lewis confirmed tonight at the Co-Op Live that he has “no plans” to take any more time off from music – and he wholeheartedly thanked the crowd for being here to support him, even after his break.
He kicked off his opening night in Manchester with newly released hit Survive, which tells the story of his determination to keep going.
It was released the same day he appeared on the Pyramid Stage in June.
Lewis played an unreleased song titled The Day That I Die, which brought fans to tears(Image: Steve Farrell/MEN)
Straight after Survive, Lewis belted out the emotional Grace, a hit from his debut album from 2018.
Next he played the slightly more upbeat Heavenly Kind of State of Mind, before having a chat with his thousands of fans as he shared his amazement at the versatility of the Co-Op as he joked: “Co-Op… sandwiches, arenas, funerals,” and warned fans to prepare themselves for a “f***ing lot of ballads”.
Taking inspiration from the Coldplay concerts, some fans across the arena were handed light-up bracelets which turned the venue into a sparkly sea as thousands of Lewis lovers swayed to his dulcet tones.
In typical Lewis style, towards the end of the night, the singer asked the audience to pretend that he was leaving, but actually he was “going for a p***”.
Capaldi came back for a final three songs, before closing with arguably his most well known song – Someone You Loved.
Capaldi joked about the audience spotting sweat on his cream trousers(Image: Steve Farrell/MEN)
Luckily for fans who missed out, or even fans who saw him and are already desperate for their next fix, he has recently announced an outdoor tour taking place next summer which includes one night at Wythenshawe Park as well as being the first headliner announced for American Express BST Roundhay Park in Leeds.
Before then though, Lewis is performing a second night at the Co-Op Live on Sunday, September 21.