Tom Walker at Hackney Church

A balcony can either be the best place to enjoy a gig or the worst, depending on your preference, as well as the venue itself and the view being up top offers. Thankfully, in the gorgeous and ornate surroundings of Hackney Church, up on the balcony was arguably the best possible place from which to enjoy a beautifully candlelit evening of piano pop, courtesy of Tom Walker and his accompanying pianist Pete Lee.

With a grin upon the singer-songwriter’s face as rapturous applause rings out for his entrance, Walker greets the receptive audience accordingly – “London, how are we doing?!” He nobly promises not to knock any (decidedly real) candles off stage, and heads straight into the first track of the night, Wait For You.

Remarking on the beauty of the church and the fact that the PA system is white – he’s not wrong, those are pretty rare – he fittingly segues into Holy Ghost. Throughout the night, some songs are performed with an acoustic guitar, some without, yet all are delivered with the passionate and heartfelt vocal delivery Walker is known for, as every track reverberates around the stunning space.

The set really does run the gamut of emotions – as a newly married man, there is love in Just You and I and Better Half of Me (some of the biggest singalongs of the night), there’s encouragement with The Best Is Yet to Come and defiance with Burn.

Walker regularly expresses his gratitude, genuinely seeming very appreciative of the great turnout. There is an instant when the mood turns solemn, as he explains that Lifeline was written following the passing of a friend, which no one saw coming. Fittingly, there’s a shoutout to the charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), and a plea to ask for help and not be too proud; a touching standout moment of the set.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Tom Walker gig without his biggest song: Leave a Light On is saved for the encore, and there isn’t a single person in the place not singing along to the iconic chorus as the show draws to a close.

With performances by candlelight becoming ever more frequent in London (and being plastered across Tube station advertising boards citywide), Walker gave a masterclass in how to do it right: let the music speak for itself, no bells and whistles needed.