Toby Bryant
Fresh from a second stint in the Britain’s Got Talent limelight, Bars and Melody have headed out on ther U.K. Lighthouse Tour.
The duo’s name was lit up on prime time television again this month as Charlie and Leondre returned to The Champions version of the talent show where they found fame in 2014. Success once again as Bars and Melody took their place in the final warmed fans up for the 13 date European tour.
As the two took to Newcastle University’s Students Union on Wednesday night, the rows of Geordie fans in the venue clearly haven’t slept on the band in the five years in between those Britain’s Got Talent appearances. Singles from records Generation Z in ‘Fast Car’ and ‘Unconditional’ come alongside deeper cuts such as Teen spirit‘s ‘Battle Scars’ and breakthrough single ‘Hopeful’, whose place in fans’ hearts is clear to see as the North East crowd bellow back the chorus of “take this music and use it, let it take you away”.
As well as working on their new material since 2014, Bars and Melody’s online following has grown into the millions. Viral covers from the bands YouTube make the setlist such as Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ and The Chainsmoker’s ‘Don’t Let Me Down’, which Leondre re-writes the verses of.
Now, as long-awaited record Choke nears release (Charlie’s parting words are a promise it’s coming ‘very soon’) the band are finding their own voice more than ever. “It’s a lot more of a mature vibe”, he told CelebMix last year. “People aren’t going to expect what’s coming.”
With singles such as ‘Lighthouse‘ and ‘Waiting For The Sun‘ now out in the world, fans have clues as to what Choke is going to sound like. And if Wednesday night in Newcastle is anything to go by, they are ready for it too. It’s those Choke singles that make up the duo’s encore and as Leondre re-emerges with his Lil Peep merch on full show, the rapper’s influence clear to hear on the new tracks’ verses, and Charlie bounds back onstage flipping his microphone – it’s in the Choke tracks that Bars and Melody are the most confident in themselves. Singles ‘Put Ü First’ and ‘Allergic To The Sun’, released over the past 12 months, are also highlights of the evening.
Are you a Bars and Melody fan? Have you been to see The Lighthouse Tour? Let us know @CelebMix on twitter.
