Live Review: Lewis Capaldi - The O2, London 16/10/2025
Lewis Capaldi’s defiant return to an O2 Arena full of raw emotion.
After two years away from the spotlight, Lewis Capaldi is back stronger than ever. His 200,000 capacity sold out 17-date UK arena tour is his momentous return to touring, hitting London with a run of 3 shows at the O2. Support act Aaron Rowe hails from Dublin, and, similarly to Lewis, honed his craft in the city's pub circuit. His big break came playing a gig at a Dublin pub last year, where Lewis happened to be on a stag do and saw him performing. Known for his raw songwriting ability and family reference in his songs, ‘Talking with you’ was movingly dedicated to his uncle, his debut single is the set closer ’Hey Ma‘, which reflects on moving to London after ten years of playing in pubs in Dublin.
Main support Skye Newman enters the stage with a loud shout of “I’m home“. Her South-East London background shaped her music through its diverse cultures, resilience and the struggles she witnessed. ‘Family Matters’ is introduced as the song that made her, she says “If you relate to this then I’m really sorry“. She narrates her family’s struggles with drug addiction with a sobering bluntness with the main refrain ‘But it is what it is’ ringing through the arena.
Lewis confidently starts his set with the triumphant new single ‘Survive’, which became the fastest selling single of 2025 and is his sixth number one. The emotional refrain ‘But when hope is lost, And I come undone, I swear to God, I'll survive‘, and there is a palpable feeling of support from his devout fans and relief that he is back to his best. The song truly embodies his defiant return to Glastonbury where he faced his demons and declared "I just wanted to come and finish what I couldn't finish last time”.
His assurance is well placed as this week Lewis announced his biggest ever UK & Irish headline shows for next summer. Kicking off in Dublin’s Lewis will take on ten huge shows including London’s 65,000 capacity British Summertime Festival in Hyde Park. Surely a Glastonbury headline slot is not too far away, and would mark a phenomenal full circle.
Imposing large screens are used to their full effect and most evocatively when showing close-ups of the emotional crowd. Addressing them he quips: “You’re here with your ex, but fuck it you’re fine”, with his trademark cheery and sweary repartee, announcing ”We are playing a fuck ton of songs, hope you don’t bore easily, it’s a lot of ballads!“. This leads aptly into the breakup classic ‘I Wish You The Best,‘ his voice showing every emotion, all further strengthened by the simple staging accompanied only by a piano.
‘Almost’ is the first of 3 new songs, joking that it was met by vacant stares when he sang it in Sheffield, and that “If you don’t like it then I won’t release it“. The lyric ‘I only think of you all the time, I almost never fall asleep wishing you were here with me‘ hits hard with the relatable feeling of infatuation. ‘Bruises’ inspires the first full epic singalong of the set, Lewis with swirling smoke around him singing the evocative ‘There must be something in the water, you keep my head from going under‘.
New song ‘Something In The Heavens‘ is released this week, so as Lewis says “If you don’t like this one we’re really fucked!”. On cue everyone’s wristbands light up and on the chorus, pink confetti rains down on the euphoric crowd. ’The Day That I Die’ is another new song, and sees Lewis playing this self-proclaimed most personal song he has ever written on the piano. He bares his soul to the crowd “This was written at the start of my time out, I wrote it at a time when I didn’t know if I’d be around”. The refrain ‘Don’t cry, don’t cry/ on the day that I die’ follows him addressing his family members about his state of mind.
Tonight, the most powerful moments see Lewis alone on the stage, highlighting his cheeky charm, telling the audience with a wink that ‘Before You Go‘ is the final song. Inevitably, the final song of the encore is anthem ‘Someone You Loved‘, the most streamed song of all time in the UK, met with rapturous applause and providing a truly heartfelt close to this absolutely sublime performance tonight.
Words by Brendan Sharp
Photography by Stefania Mohottigt
