Tickets are now available for Tom Abisgold at The Grace!
“I’m not a character. I’m not playing anybody. This is who I am, and these are my songs.” At 19, Tom Abisgold has already done more as an artist than many people do in their entire lives. From the bright lights of London’s West End as lead guitarist of the stage production of School Of Rock to touring the nation and amassing legions of fans as part of Chapter 13, it’s been a frantic few years. But now he’s decided to take things into his own hands. He is stepping out into the world as just Tom and showing everybody what he’s made of when all the glitz and glamour is stripped away. This is the start of a new chapter. But behind the scenes, there is much more to Tom than you would anticipate based on where you have seen him before. Behind these commercial successes, his charming demeanour and those striking hazel eyes is a truly special artist primed to take things into their own hands in their own stark manner. What you see on the surface with Tom is certainly not what you get. Using the music he loves so much to express darkness and depth that he would probably have kept to himself otherwise, he has been waiting for this exact moment to express himself all his life.
“It feels weird to say that I’ve still only just started because I’ve been doing this stuff since the age of 12,” Tom laughs. “But I think I’m now at an age where I can be more open. I look back on what I have done before as moments prepping me for right now. And now it’s just me out on my own.”
Raised on what he calls “The classics and greats from all eras”, he combines timeless sounds with a warts-and-all delivery on his upbringing, all of the good and the bad, to create a truly unique sonic experience. Tom strives to stand out as an artist without fear or limitation. From the jaunty and self-effacing ‘died @ 18′ to the highly catchy and quippy ’soggy cigarette’, this is the sound of being young, free and unafraid in 2023. Willing to face off against the ups and downs of growing up in the limelight whilst also not allowing the darkness that festers below the surface sway his ambitions, the result is some of the most effervescent, complex and individual music you will hear this year or any year to come.
“I don’t want to do something that someone else can do better than me,” Tom admits. “There’s no point in me trying to sing or write like someone else because someone else will have done it already. And imperfection is a huge part of how I develop and make music. The ‘died @ 18’ riff was a mistake, for example. Making music in such a way has shown me how life-affirming it can be. Life is full of mistakes, and mistakes will always be here. And all those imperfections make me feel like someone can go, “I have never heard anything like that before”. That’s how I want people to react.”
Through his music, Tom masterfully navigates the delicate balance between authenticity and entertainment. By infusing his songs with an undeniable sense of liveliness, he invites his listeners to dance and sing along, enveloping them in an experience that transcends mere sadness. Tom recognises the importance of providing solace without overshadowing the joyous moments that define youth.
Rather than unloading on social media, clamouring for attention and affection, he instead puts all of his heart, soul and pain into the words he writes and the notes he plays. Pulling as much from his troubled childhood as growing and learning about who he is in the most unconventional of circumstances, the result is the sort of vulnerable and vital storytelling that artists twice his age would struggle to express. Peeling back the layers of perception and exorcising demons as he goes, these are all the things that make his such a star, and then some.
“I’m very lucky I now have a place where I can get things off my chest in a way that I know a lot of people my age don’t have,” he concludes “being able to put these emotions in, deal with the things I have been through over the years and feel that these songs are purely about me is a big part of why I am doing this. I know this is my chance to just go for it.” Tom’s story embodies the essence of triumph over challenges, sure to spark a fire within the hearts of the young and restless. Get ready, because Tom’s captivating saga is bound to captivate a whole generation, leaving an unforgettable mark on their souls.
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