I went to see Conan Gray at the O2 Apollo and 'Found Heaven'

After selling out Madison Square Garden and the Kia Forum earlier this year and with a sold-out Wembley Arena date to come this weekend, Gray performed the smallest show of the ‘Found Heaven on tour’ for the ‘Manculians’ as Gray pronounced it. While he was in his element inside the intimate O2 Apollo, it’s safe to say that it wouldn’t be a shock to see Gray performing at bigger venues on his next tour.

Already a seasoned performer with five world tours and numerous major festival appearances under his belt, Gray’s set was incredibly well-executed and with 22 tracks performed in the space of 90 minutes, it ensured the audience remained hooked until the end and gave the whole experience a rollercoaster-like feeling from the outset.

As Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ played in the background, the arena erupted as the lights went out and Gray stepped on stage to kick things off with ‘Fainted Love’ and it’s safe to say at that point the O2 Apollo had ‘found heaven’.

Donning sparkling leather trousers that captured the eye, Gray cut an energetic and confident figure on stage, keeping a relentless pace to begin the set as he fired through the upbeat and vivacious tracks in ‘Never Ending Song’, ‘Wish You Were Sober’, ‘Eye Of the Night’ and ‘Killing Me’ in quick succession to set the tone for what was to be a thrilling night of live music.

Gray’s devoted army of predominantly younger fans made their presence felt throughout the night as the singer encouraged the crowd to sing their hearts out, and they did so in style. From ‘Fainted Love’ to ‘Alley Rose’ in the encore, there wasn’t a chorus left unsung, no attendee left sitting and the walls and floor of the venue were given little respite from the voices of the 3,500 in attendance.

However, I believe that the audience relates to Gray for much more than his music - his willingness to express his vulnerability is something that resonates with his devoted fanbase. After a frenetic start, the pace dipped as Gray addressed the ‘Manculian’ audience and brought out his guitar. The singer told the tale of his childhood prior to ‘The Story’, reminisced about life growing up in the small town of Georgetown, Texas (‘Holidays’), and spoke about being ‘delusionally afraid’ of losing his friends ‘Astronomy’.

As Gray closed out the evening, songs such as the 80s sounding ‘Boys & Girls’, the anthemic ‘Memories’ the reflective ‘Heather’ and the uplifting synth-pop hit ‘Maniac’ offer a nice variety of hits before the evening closes with the aforementioned ‘Alley Rose’ to wrap up a great performance from Gray.