Last year, Joshua Bassett released his album, “The Golden Years”. The collection of music is a mature look at the personal growth and heartbreak that he lived through in the last four years. Artists usually proclaim that their body of work is some of the most personal music that they have released, but the 11 songs on the 24-year-old’s first album is bursting with pain, joy, and self-acceptance.

Inevitably, with a great album, there has to be a tour, which I attended on the 18th of January at the O2 Institute in Birmingham. So, did the concert live up to the expectations of the personal album? 

The Golden Years Tour was a thematic journey that wasn’t just about promoting the songs that were on the album. The concert felt as though it was a mass-produced therapy session with the artist and the crowd. I have slowly started to get back onto the concert scene, and sometimes it feels as though there are some shows where the artist runs through their greatest hits. However, Joshua Bassett changed my perspective on what I thought a concert could be. Each song is interwoven with the other, creating a narrative that is all about Joshua’s personal growth that started all the way back in 2020. I was expecting him to sing his songs, talk to the audience for a little bit and then call it a day, but the artist was brutally honest, wickedly funny, and infectiously positive for every second of his show.

Bassett knows how to create an atmosphere where everyone in the crowd feels free and safe to express themselves. The Birmingham show had a diverse audience that was allowed to dance and be free.

What made the concert unique was how comfortable Joshua was with the audience. Bassett had long conversations, bearing all about his personal life, addiction, and inner battle that he has waged for most of his life. Surprisingly, Joshua casually allowed a few lucky audience members to come up on stage and dance to his song “Circles”. He also ventured into the crowd numerous times, giving his fans a personal memory to cherish forever, making his show a truly unforgettable experience. 

However, he may have headlined the tour, but Joshua didn’t come alone. Bassett’s support act, Thomas Day, had the hardest job of the day. Thomas Day had to warm people up who had been queuing out in temperatures that plummeted to minus three degrees and get people excited for this show that had been postponed for four months. Thomas did this perfectly, kicking off the concert by being the ultimate hype man.

 This was a great show that was an unforgettable experience that I always look back on. Joshua Bassett and Thomas Day know how to put on a show for the ages. I can’t wait to see their future tours because The Golden Years was a brilliant concert that resets the standard of what a concert should be.