Having achieved playtime on Radio 1 as well as touring relentlessly across the country, it’s safe to say that Louis Berry is starting to make a solid impact in the world of current music.

Hailing from Kirby, Liverpool, he embarked on his first ever headline tour last week, playing in Bristol, Nottingham, London and a sold out show in Manchester, as well as a sold out final gig in Liverpool the night after. We caught him in Manchester, and if one thing is clear, it’s that Louis Berry is not out of place anywhere he goes.

After taking a somewhat surreal walk through the crowd to arrive on the stage (due to the layout of the venue), Berry blasts through his opening number, and notes this was perhaps a fraction smaller than the other venues he had previously played on the tour, which led to people being in a clammy mess before the band had even set foot on the stage – by the time the band have made their presence known, beads of sweat are dripping from every direction you turn.

Berry doesn’t waste time in boasting his strong arsenal of tracks, as hit number ‘25 Reasons’ is introduced to the crowd second, leading to an even more exasperated atmosphere in the small, sauna-like room. It’s not just the well-known tracks that show the young lad’s talent for song-writing however, as many of the tracks being showcased people such as myself haven’t stumbled across before. It’s through numbers such as ‘Cocaine Baby’ that further evidence Berry is full of raw energy, and that won’t be changing anytime soon, tracks such as the likes of ‘Jolie’ and ‘Restless’ show that Berry isn’t just a one trick pony. One thing’s for sure, and that’s that creativity is constantly surging throughout Louis Berry and his band.

The most satisfying thing from this gig however doesn’t even come from the music, it comes from Berry’s untameable charisma and charm, as he boasts his cheeky grin frequently – he knows he has the crowd in the palm of his hand as he struts across the stage like a Johnny Cash/Chuck Berry lovechild.

Returning to the music, the gig is brought to a close with the emphatic ‘.45’, where Berry proclaims “I could conjure up a storm inside your soul”, which he has undoubtedly done so to many on this Friday evening in Manchester. ‘.45’ is followed by the final number, the dirty and determined track that is ‘Rebel’, bringing an end to a very enjoyable gig to say the least, which highlighted just how much of a strong performer Berry naturally is, and equally just how talented his band are. The music stops and the walk back through the crowd is significantly easier.

 

James Cummins.

@CummyBear