If you’re going to do a comeback, do it big. Or, in the case of Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi, do it at Glastonbury.
Capaldi has had a rough few years. In 2019, he shot to fame with his album Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, which became the best-selling of the entire year in the UK. But he struggled with the impact that fame had on both his physical and mental health – resulting in panic attacks and a Tourette’s diagnosis.
In 2023, his Glastonbury set had to be cut short after he struggled to finish it. "I feel like I'll be taking another wee break over the next couple of weeks," he told his audience, back at the time.
"So you probably won't see much of me for the rest of year, maybe even. But when I do come back and when I do see you, I hope you're still up for watching us."
Of course we were – and the crowd roared when he stepped on stage, two years later, to finish that same set. This is the first time the musician has been seen on stage for quite a while, and while Capaldi has always been open about his mental health struggles, he’s also been off the radar for some years now.
He soon got to work reminding us all why he’s such a big name in the first place. Capaldi’s stock in trade is the confessional, heartfelt ballad, designed to be listened to after a breakup. Or over the car radio. Or, indeed to be bellowed out loud with 20,000 other people in a field while clutching a warm can of beer.
Fortunately, there were many people here doing the latter. Despite the efforts of the crowd to start up a chant, this set was spare and trim: a 35 minute speed tour of the singer's biggest hits: Before You Go, Bruises, Hold Me While You Wait. And a new track, releases that day, which addressed his fight to come back. Aptly, it was titled Survive.
Capaldi kept things simple - minimal backing music, the better to showcase his voice and that of the crowd singing his lyrics back to him.
As Capaldi roared on stage, it was also hard not to feel a lump in the throat, almost too big to get the words out around. I did, in fact, see several people around me openly weeping during the set – and refrained from joining them with great difficulty.
The coup de grace came as he closed out with Someone You Loved, the track he was unable to finish in 2023 - and which he declared would be hard to sing now for “different reasons. Good reasons.”
“I'm back, baby,” he declared. He sure was: what a triumphant comeback. Here's hoping we see more of him in future.
