Fresh off the back of a wave of support for his latest single “Little Bits”, which found airtime on BBC Radio 1, Radio X, and Absolute Radio, as well as on air support on Sunday Brunch, MTV Gonzo, and MOTD X, Sunderland’s Tom A. Smith has now returned to announce the details behind his latest collection ‘EP3’, alongside the euphoric new single “Weirdo”.
As well as the new single “Weirdo”, ‘EP3’ will also feature the recent singles “Little Bits” and “Like You Do”, the latter of which was co-written with Miles Kane and co-produced by Miles Kane, Oscar Robertson and Dave Bardon; a cover of Swedish House Mafia’s “Don’t You Worry Child”, and the demo track “Me”, which is the original version of what became “Like You Do” before Miles Kane got involved and helped Tom take it in a new and exciting direction. Tom has also just been announced to appear at this year’s Glastonbury Festival on the Left Field and played BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Dundee last month,
Speaking about the new EP, Tom said, “I don’t really set out to have a certain theme or style when I’m writing and recording tracks. I just like writing Bangers. I love working with Larry Hibbitt and I’m proud of our creations for EP3. The track I wrote with Miles Kane on here is just absolutely massive and you can see the fantastic reaction every time we play it live. The EP also has my favourite song I’ve ever written lyrically on it (The Worst is still to come) and it’s particularly close to my heart. My cover of Don’t You Worry Child is a live favourite and thought it would be great to share it after plenty of requests”
While Tom’s intentions have always been focused around a driven indie-rock aesthetic, his latest single “Weirdo” feels far more playful with its inspirations. Very much following in the footsteps of an 80s New Romantics-style production, this new offering perfectly suits the bigger and more crowded stages he has been performing on recently.
Adding about “Weirdo”, he said, “I like Weirdo a lot, I’ve always wanted to write something a little bit silly and can tell from the reaction to it live that it makes people smile. People can relate to it because we’re all Weirdos in a way.”
Tom’s picked up some great One To Watch in 2023 nods including BBC Introducing North East, Matt Wilkinson at Apple Music, the Daily Star who exclaimed – “Guitar music is back, alive and kicking with the likes of Sam Fender and Tom A Smith keeping it alive. Smith’s work so far has seen quality riffs, great vocal qualities and a strength in sound, scope and style that should hopefully steer him up the rising ranks. There is clear direction for his music and with a slot on BBC Music already, Smith could be seeing that rise flare up sooner rather than later. His work is tremendous, and the best place to start is Dragonfly.” and THIS FEELING’s Big in 2023 picks for GIGWISE who said Tom has ““Achieved more at 18 than most do in a lifetime, and he’s just getting started. An exceptional talent and human being.”
‘EP3’ will follow an incredible whirlwind of live performances throughout the last year, including being selected by Elton John to join him at his British Summer Time show at Hyde Park, appearances at Glastonbury, Barn On The Farm, F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and opening Leeds Festival to more than 6000 music fans. He was also announced as Apple Music’s Up Next artist for September and Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Artist of the month.
Having already played a ton of gigs throughout the last two years, including supporting Courteeners, Miles Kane, Martha Hill, Vistas, Blondes, The Pale White, Eliza and The Bear, Gang of Youths, whenyoung, Cat Empire, and Sunset Sons, as well as shows at The Great Escape, Stockton Calling, Sound City and Neighbourhood Weekender, Tom A. Smith looks set to continue his busy live schedule throughout 2023 as well. See below for the full list of upcoming dates.
November
5th – Glasgow – SWG3 Poetry Club
6th – Edinburgh – Sneaky Pete’s
8th – York – The Fulford Arms
9th – Hull – Adelphi
11th – Sheffield – Sidney & Matilda – sold out
12th – Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club
14th – Liverpool – Kazimier Stockroom
15th – Nottingham – The Chameleon
16th – Leicester – Duffy’s
17th – Bedford – Esquires
18th – Plymouth – The Junction
19th – Exeter – The Cavern
21st – Brighton – Komedia Studio
22nd – Southampton – Heartbreakers
23rd – Oxford – The Bullingdon
24th – Cardiff – Clwb Ifor Bach
26th – Bristol – The Louisiana
27th – Birmingham – Sunflower Lounge
28th – St. Albans – The Horn
29th – London – Camden Assembly
December
1st – Margate – Olby’s Soul Café & Music Rooms
2nd – Guildford – Boileroom
3rd – Tunbridge Wells – Tunbridge Wells Forum
4th – Cambridge – The Blue Moon
5th – Norwich – Norwich Arts Centre
6th – Manchester – The Lodge @ The Deaf Institute
7th – Middlesbrough – Empire
8th – Sunderland – The Fire Station – sold out
9 – Sunderland – The Fire Station
Despite still being a teenager, Sunderland-based newcomer Tom A. Smith has already achieved more than most artists do in a lifetime. He played his first ever gig aged just eight, supporting local psychedelic rockers Detroit Social Club at legendary Newcastle venue The Cluny, performed at Glastonbury before he was even in secondary school, and Tim Burgess handpicked him to play his stage at Kendal Calling, making him the festival’s youngest ever performer. He has played live with local hero Sam Fender and Catfish & The Bottlemen, as well as supported other Northern acts on the rise like The Lathums and The Mysterines.
Tom A. Smith’s self-uploaded performances have won him fans amongst rock and roll royalty. The week David Bowie passed, Bowie’s widow Iman shared Smith’s cover of Bowie’s Lazarus online, commenting on the emotional impact of Smith’s rendition. Blossoms recognised him from one of his videos as he was watching them from the crowd and invited him backstage, while Morrissey – not a man known to lavish praise or endorsements on others – played Smith’s cover of Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want as his walk on music on a recent US tour. Nile Rogers, James frontman Tim Booth, indie legends The Coral, and many more besides have shared footage of his performances across the globe.
“It’s never normal. Every single time it happens it’s surreal,” reflects Smith on the countless pinch-me moments of his career so far. “Music is always what I wanted to do. I just fell in love with it. I asked for guitar lessons when I was four. It’s all I’ve ever known.”
Having achieved so much so soon you might think Smith would be content to rest on his laurels a bit. Been there, done that sort of thing; fire up the PS5 and tell your mates about that time you played Glastonbury. All his achievements so far have done though is to stoke Smith’s creative fire and make him want to achieve more as an artist, a performer and a songwriter.
