Lewis Capaldi Triumphs in Emotional Nottingham Comeback

Kelsey Hind
Sep 28
5 min read

Nottingham Motor Point Arena - 26th September 2025

WORDS / IMAGES KELSEY HIND

Lewis Capaldi Triumphs in Emotional Nottingham Comeback — photo credit Kelsey Hind

Lewis Capaldi, the 28-year-old Scottish singer and songwriter, made his much-anticipated return to the stage after a two-year break from touring. Capaldi is one of the most recognised modern musicians in the UK, boasting over 30.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone and the winner of the Brit Award for Best New Artist in 2020. His most popular single to date is by far “Someone You Loved”, going straight to number 1 in the UK for seven weeks and being certified platinum 10 times in the UK. After taking time off to recover from his mental health struggles, he returned to the stage with special guests including Skye Newman, Bradley Simpson, and Aaron Rowe. I attended the Nottingham Motorpoint Arena show on Friday, where Bradley and Aaron were the opening acts for Lewis. First up, we have Aaron Rowe.

AARON ROWE

Aaron Rowe, a 25-year-old singer and songwriter from South Dublin, kicked off the night with his stunning vocals and acoustic guitar, creating a very welcoming, calming atmosphere as people found their seats and got their drinks ready for a night of singing and dancing. Aaron is an incredibly talented young man, and it was a pleasure to watch him perform. What was lovely to see was the audience participating and showing their appreciation for the opening acts. Oftentimes at shows, audiences disregard the openers because they don’t know them, but not at this show! Everyone was dancing along, even if they didn’t know the words, and showed their appreciation by applauding him after each song. As a musician myself, seeing support for the smaller artists warms my heart (I may be calling him a small artist, but he still has a staggering 124,000 monthly listeners on Spotify!).

At the end of his set, Aaron took a moment to express gratitude to all the staff and security working that evening. He said, “I just turn up and play a couple of songs for you all, but the staff are what make these events happen, so everyone give the staff and security a round of applause.” The security at this show was attentive and focused, which is crucial in such a large venue.

Aaron has recently released his debut EP, “Exodus”, and I highly recommend giving it a listen. Unfortunately, there was no set list available for this set; however, here are all the songs on his new EP:

HEY MA

TALKING WITH YOU

LOSE LOSE

DRAWING THE LINE

THE LANE

BRADLEY SIMPSON

Formally known as the front man of the band The Vamps, Bradley Simpson, a 30-year-old singer-songwriter from Sutton Coldfield, England, was the second opening act for Lewis.

This was my first introduction to Bradley’s solo music, and I have to say I was incredibly impressed by his performance! His style of music is much more electric and upbeat in comparison to Lewis and Aaron’s music. It has a great beat to it, and the audience was loving it, dancing along and having a fantastic time. I want to take a moment to appreciate the beautiful instruments they were playing! Bradley was playing a stunning Fender guitar, and bass player James Attwood played a gorgeous, well-loved bass and Fender guitar. James gave me a Rolling Stones 60’s kind of vibe, and I loved it! The drum kit with his name on it was a nice touch and really stood out. The drum kit was also stunning!

It was clear to me as I was watching them perform that they knew what they were doing and how to put on a great show; the only thing I could have wished for was a little more interaction with the audience! Overall, I really enjoyed his performance, and I would jump at the opportunity to watch him perform again.

Unfortunately, there was no setlist available for his set.

LEWSI CAPALDI

Now it's finally time for the man of the night, Lewis Capaldi! I am very familiar with his music; I mean, who hasn’t heard of Lewis Capaldi? However, this was my first time watching him live, so I was incredibly excited to have the opportunity to photograph him at Nottingham Arena.

As many of you may already know, Capaldi was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome in 2022. He has been very open about his condition, speaking publicly about it, which has brought significant awareness to the effects Tourette's syndrome can have on a person's life, both physically and mentally. In 2023, Lewis suffered a Tourette's episode on stage. In a news interview, he described that day as “a horrific experience” and “like one of the worst days of my life.” After that show, Lewis decided he needed to take time off from touring for the sake of his physical and mental health. In an Instagram post, he stated, “I'm very sorry to let you know I'm going to be taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future… the truth is I'm still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette’s, and I need to spend more time getting my mental and physical health in order so I can keep doing everything I love.”

Fast forward to today, and Capaldi proved that even with all the time off, he can still put on an incredible show, kicking off the night with his brand-new single “Survive.” This song is so raw and emotional, expressing his desire to continue performing, even at a personal cost. Almost immediately, tears were flowing and emotions were running high, but he also lightened the mood with jokes and positivity. I was honestly stunned by his voice; it was remarkably similar to the recorded versions of his songs. Lewis is an incredibly talented individual.

During his performance, he played a new, emotional song on the piano about his mental health struggles, describing it as “one of the darkest times of my life.” The song, titled "The Day That I Die," conveyed that taking time off was the best decision he could have made, and now he is “feeling great.” This new song was intensely dark and emotional; he didn’t hold back at all, and once again, the audience was in tears hearing these heartfelt lyrics. Experiencing this live, with all the wristbands twinkling like stars in the night sky, was simply beautiful.

As we all know, concerts would be nothing without the audience! I want to mention Teddy, whom I met that night. She was standing by the barrier, and I had to capture some shots of her. Her smile lit up the room, and witnessing her excitement throughout the concert made my job worthwhile. She was so supportive of all three performances that night, singing along to every single song and giving it her all.

The atmosphere in the arena was absolutely incredible. Each person was so supportive of Lewis and proud of him for making his return. Many people got up from their seats to applaud him, and some even shed a tear. It was beautiful to see such a supportive community.

I have followed his journey online, and I am incredibly proud of how far he has come in his recovery. I wish him nothing but the best for the future, and if I have the opportunity to see him live again, I would be absolutely delighted.

SETLIST: