John Newman: Live at The Academy

John Newman has made little secret of his disdain for celebrity life. Like it or not, however, he’s on his way to mainstream fame. Or so you might conclude from the impressively diverse audience that has turned out for his Irish debut: couples of all ages, teenage girls, lads chugging pints, screaming middle-aged women and sheepish husbands. And that’s just the queue for the toilets.

Newman doesn’t disappoint. A curtain falls aside to reveal the 23-year-old Yorkshireman, sporting his trademark quiff. He works the room with confidence, all swagger and street-smarts. The singing’s not bad either – brash and ballsy, it clearly comes straight from the heart.

Newman performs his chart topping Tribute album in its entirety, more or less. Naturally, the loudest cheers are for hit singles, ‘Love Me Again,’ ‘Cheating’ and ‘Losing Sleep’.

Still, he isn’t the complete package just yet. Tunes can blend into one another somewhat, and the house piano starts to get on your nerves after a while. A busy summer of festival dates no doubt awaits. Don’t expect to see Newman flanked by squads of scantily clad dancers however. Far too cool for such nonsense, he is happy to leave the hyperventilating to his fast-expanding fanbase.