Tom A Smith has already tasted music success playing at big festivals and with big names, despite having only very recently passed his 18^th birthday. An early starter, Tom and his huge voice, sheer potential and stage presence has been spotted and admired since the lad was a pre-teen.  

After that frustrating kick your heels period we have all gone through, Tom released the well received EP1 earlier this year and given his current creative purple patch, Tom’s new EP is already on its way, with Could I Live With Being Fake the first track out of the traps. This man is on fire. Listen and sizzle. Wear oven gloves.

There’s a delicious statement of intent in Could I Live With Being Fake from the off, a scuzzy start and then a banging forceful guitar riff. Whatever you might say about Tom A Smith, the music, and indeed the man himself presents as someone who knows exactly what he wants to say and where he needs to be. Wolves was the track from the first Tom A Smith EP which made many people (including me) sit up, and it was as biting a response to the covid sentiment to “let the bodies pile high” as any I’ve heard. Amazingly for such incisive and thoughtful social commentary, Tom told me that his lyrics always come together for him very quickly.

The new EP like the first was again expertly produced by Larry Hibbitt, a producer into the huge full sound, and so it proves with Could I Live With Being Fake too. This is a track which grabs you by the throat from the speakers and instructs you to listen. Tom A Smith has a voice which demands you sit up straight, and so the production is perfect for this biting track. As EP1 demonstrated though, Tom is not one to be defined by a particular style or genre; there’s ballad, folk, rock and biting indie and more all bursting to escape his creative brain.

Could I Live With Being Fake has a lyric which is self explanatory. In all life paths we come across options which might compromise our integrity, but the concept of ‘selling out’ is publicly scrutinised in music. In my own modest career path, I could have been much more wealthy, but I think my 18 year old self would be pretty chilled with the man I am now (albeit no doubt sadly astonished with my plump form) so that’s a definite result. I’d much rather be fat than corrupt. There’s little doubt that the world would be a better place if more of us reflected more often about what their youthful self might think. A little free tip for living, dear reader.

It’s a total pleasure to see Tom A Smith and his band move from new experience, to new best gig, to be proud support to amazing artists. At present Tom is doing his upmost to get himself on a stage near you and zip around the country sharing his craft and learning more. Currently Tom is supporting Sunset Suns, in May he has some dates with Miles Kane, and with slots in festivals dotted about. There’s no excuse, hunt down a gig and catch Tom’s explosive talent live.

Chris R

* images have been taken from Tom A Smith’s social media