Walking onto the underground stage at the trendy The Social in London, Fred Roberts casts a bashful figure for his first-ever headline show – you may not think he’s armed with some of the most exciting rising pop tracks around.
The 20-year-old rose to prominence on The X Factor: The Band in 2019 but as he cruises through 40 minutes of his own material, it’s clear the star has shed the reality show skin and is here on his own terms.
Roberts eases into his debut show with an unreleased soft rock offering before leaning into a thumping second flick. By the time he longingly mourns a ‘wasted youth trying to figure this out’ on the bridge, The Social has become his own.
During the short set, there’s very much the feel that the 150-strong crowd are watching the start of something special. The singer is caught off-guard as some fans chant the opening lyrics of unreleased ‘Rewind’ before he can even grab the mic and a cover of The Stereophonics’ ‘Dakota’ goes down a treat.
Roberts only has two singles to his name so far but what has earmarked the star as one to watch are his heart-to-heart tales of teenage love. That trademark is present throughout the night as he moves from lamenting having to keep a queer relationship a secret into longing ballad ‘Naive’.
The two released singles to date are highlights of the night, ‘Runaway’ is greeted by a riotous reaction and ‘Say’ is nothing short of an arena-sized banger, but the very best moment of the night comes at the end.
Introducing ‘Sound of My Youth’, Roberts sheds any last nerves, unclips the microphone and dives into an anthemic chorus. It’s the type of track that shoots rising stars into the limelight and, as the singer gives a knowing smirk in response to the final song’s applause, you get the feeling Fred Roberts might just know he has something special too.
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