Olly Murs at the O2 Arena

The former X Factor contestant and current judge on The Voice UK was in a party mood at the O2 as he brought his All the Hits tour to the venue as part of the celebrations to mark his ten years in the industry.

Appearing among the crowd seated and dressed in “nerdy” attire similar to that which he wears in the video for Moves, his 2018 duet with Snoop Dogg, the endearing “cheeky chappie” began with the said tune. It was a great way to open the show, incorporating Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You successfully into the mix.

Feel the Same and Kiss Me kept up the momentum, while Maria added an appealing Spanish touch to the proceedings. One of this writer’s favourite Olly Murs songs, You Don’t Know Love, was rather disappointing, though, as it was performed here as a more dramatic, remixed version and was not as enjoyable as the original.

“It’s good to be home, back in London,” announced the singer, clearly enjoying himself. He subsequently opened up about his struggles with depression and anxiety – admitting that he would have been too embarrassed to talk about it a couple of years ago – and looked back on his decade in music, showing a clip of his first appearance on X Factor in 2009 and recalling a European tour with Robbie Williams, among other things.

It was sweet to hear all these thoughts and reflections on what has been a real rollercoaster ride for Olly, but the likeable star probably talked a bit too much for this writer’s liking – although the crowd, made of up a wide range of ages, from children to middle-aged couples, seemed to love it.

The Essex-born star noted that this was his 13^th headline show at the O2, an impressive feat indeed; dedicated Thinking of Me to his “nana”, who was in attendance along with other family members; and brought out the winner of The Voice UK 2019, Molly Hocking – whom he mentored on the show – to sing a slowed-down version of Simply Red’s Stars.

At times, the energy level dropped a little, but was brought right back up with highly danceable modern pop classics such as Heart Skips a Beat, Troublemaker and Dance with Me Tonight, the final song of the evening.

Olly Murs doesn’t possess the most powerful voice in the world, but his undeniable charm, stage presence and charisma – plus the help of his three excellent backing singers – saw him through. Here’s to the next ten years!

Adrian Peel
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit Olly Murs’s website here.

Watch the video for Excuses here: