Alfie Templeman paid a visit to Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms on March 9 as part of his long-awaited ‘Forever Isn’t Long Enough’ tour.
The 19-year-old singer-songwriter’s tour was originally meant to take place in April 2021 but was postponed due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
However, the wait was most definitely worth it as Templeman performed a range of songs from across his discography, as well as giving us a taster of some of the tracks from his debut album ‘Mellow Moon’, which is due to be released on May 27.
Building the atmosphere within the already excitable crowd, Liverpool-based performer Pixey first took to the stage to share work that has marked her out as one of the UK’s most promising new artists.
There was no doubt that the multi-instrumentalist’s energy was infectious as she performed some of her most popular songs including ‘Life in Stereo’ and ‘Just Move’.
The crowd seemingly enjoyed Pixey’s set and it will be exciting to see her progress further in the British bedroom-pop scene.
Templeman, meanwhile, is firmly at the front of the queue when it comes to indie stars set to take off.
He started his set by singing a few fan favourites: 2021’s ‘Shady’, 2019’s ‘Who I Am’ and ‘Stop Thinking (About Me)’, and ‘Sunday Morning Cereal’.
The crowd instantly joined in, joyfully singing along with Templeman as he beamed across the stage, interacting with both the crowd and his band.
Hearing the older songs was still exciting, and you could feel that for many, these songs were what established their love of Templeman.
As the set progressed, the young singer went on to perform two of my personal favourite songs; ‘Film Scene Daydream’ and ‘Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody’.
They are both upbeat songs with catchy choruses, and were elevated on a live stage by the crowd belting out the lyrics and Templeman encouraging everybody to jump up and down as the beat dropped.
Templeman was also keen to showcase a couple of unreleased tracks which are set to be a part of Mellow Moon, including the title track and another teaser, ‘Candy Floss’.
These previews gave an exciting insight on the direction of the project, making me, for one, even more excited about its release.
Towards the end of the set, Templeman and bassist Cameron Owden performed an incredible cover of Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, particularly compelling the crowd as mosh-pits began to open in the middle of the venue and everybody screamed with excitement.
This was followed by Templeman’s late-2021 single ‘3D Feelings’, a track “about being reminded of your past self in different ways.”
The energy was still high and so the crowd were once again compelled to dance and chant along as the singer continued to interact with them and his band.
Returning to the stage for the encore, Templeman went on to play his latest single ‘Broken’.
Another one of my personal favourites, this song has an instantly infectious melody, inciting the crowd to jump around and sing at the top of their lungs together.
To finish the set, Templeman closed the night with probably his most popular song, ‘Happiness in Liquid Form’.
With another infectious melody, the Bedfordshire native let the crowd sing the final chorus by themselves and successfully, the crowd loudly shouted the lyrics back to Templeman and his band.
After the concert had finished, Templeman even made the time to meet happy fans outside of the venue, warming them into a hug, signing merchandise including concert tickets and posters and thanking them for coming to the show.
With this incredible concert, it feels like 2022 concert season is well and truly underway.
Templeman and his band put on an unforgettable show and we hope to welcome him back to Nottingham soon.
Mellow Moon, Alfie Templeman’s debut album, is set to be released on May 27 2022 and will be available to stream or buy on all major platforms.
All images courtesy of Hannah Adams.