Willie J Healey - 10/11/2025

Oxfordshire’s effortlessly charismatic Willie J Healey is back with a UK headline tour for the first time since May 2024, and with new material to add to the already rich archive, now feels like the perfect time to do it. Kicking off his five-date stint at Brighton’s Concorde 2, Healey wasted no time setting the tone for the night. From the moment he stepped - or rather, danced - onto the stage, the 600-cap venue erupted into a wave of electric, retro-tinged energy. Healey’s set felt equal parts joyous and self-assured; the kind of confidence that comes from an artist who’s truly in his element.

Two local artists - singer-songwriter Kitty Perrin and four-piece Hollow Hand - opened the night, with their earnest vocals and catchy tunes setting the tone for the evening. Perrin stepped up first for a stripped-back 25-minute set - just her, an acoustic guitar, and a voice that drew in a crowd as the room began to fill. Her performance mirrored the intimacy of her recorded work, and featured ‘Stood Up’ (unreleased) and ‘Death Metal’ exploring themes of privilege, acceptance, and hating death metal. Between songs, Perrin spoke fondly about growing up in Brighton and visiting the venue “a million times”, being excited to play here for the first time, but more excited to support Healey, one of her favourite artists. After a quick changeover while the room continued to fill, Hollow Hand took to the stage, filling the space with warm harmonies and raw guitar lines for a 30-minute set. A standout moment was the performance of ‘Childhood Room’ - its beautiful three-part harmonies a moving tribute to the loss of a friend. Informing the crowd that this was their first of their five nights on tour with Healey, they let us know that they were “just warming up”, before closing with ‘Heaven Just Watched’.

When the house lights dimmed and the pre-show playlist faded out, Healey followed the band - comprised of Chris Barker, Callum Parker, Leo Clarke and Roy Lowe - onto the stage, with eccentric dance moves and a contagious grin showing just how delighted he was to be back. As ‘Little Sister’ kicked in, the crowd joined in with the soaring vocals, and this infectious, groove-laden energy carried the set forward. Tracks from 2023’s ‘Bunny’ proved incredibly popular with fans, while the setlist also featured recent singles such as ‘Heaven Now’ and ‘The Apple’, plus unreleased tunes “Bewnjamin” and “I Want You Now”. At one point, after cheering for a preview of a new song, Healey teased, “No old ones, only new ones - is that what you want?”, earning even bigger cheers.

A confident and engaging frontman, Healey’s lighthearted audience interactions made transitions between songs effortless; chants of “Willie, Willie” were met with “My parents are here!”, at which point he managed to locate his (very proud) mum in the crowd. Speaking to the locals later on, he also asked "Does everyone here still take the cycle lanes as seriously as they always have?”, earning laughs and nods from the Brighton crowd.

Most tracks stayed true to the laid-back, vintage feel of his releases, but carried a slightly punchier, more animated energy live, with a few of the softer spoken sections stripped back in favour of rhythm and momentum. However, the end of ‘Thank You’ brought a surprise - not a guest appearance from collaborator Jamie T - but instead an intense, high-energy instrumental break which contrasted with the mellow, dreamy feel of the studio version and was incredibly well received by fans.

Closing the set with one of his most popular tracks, ‘Fashun’, after 75 minutes of pure, infectious joy, Healey proved that he absolutely deserves to be a “big star” - and he certainly looked at home on stage. Every song felt effortless, the crowd completely engaged, and by the final notes, it was impossible not to leave smiling. Healey was able to turn a Monday night into a full-on celebration, and this performance confirmed he’s on the verge of something even bigger; a clear indication that he’s more than ready for his biggest headline yet at Camden’s Electric Ballroom on Wednesday.