Lewis Capaldi makes return to stage joining Tom Walker at intimate gig
It's the first time since his Glastonbury 2023 performance
Last updated 6th May 2025
Tom Walker held the first of three intimate phone-free gigs recently, and there was a huge surprise in store for the fans attending. The gigs were organised by CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), and allow fans to see artists at a very affordable price.
As well as Tom, Nina Nesbitt was announced to perform at the gig, which cost just £12.20, the amount it costs to fund a call to CALM's suicide prevention helpline. However, there was a third surprise performer for fans, as they were asked to stay after the show for a special performance.
Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi appeared on stage in Edinburgh, for his first performance since his huge Glastonbury set two years ago. Following Glastonbury, he decided to take a break from music, to focus on his mental health, and has been out of the public eye for many months.
According to BBC Scotland, Lewis' appearance on stage does not mean a return to music. The intimate gig was a last minute decision by the singer who performed six songs including 'Someone You Loved'.
Speaking after the gig, Tom Walker said: "When Lewis confirmed he wanted to do it last minute, I was delighted. We've bumped into each other a few times over the years backstage at fezzys (festivals) and events and he's a total legend.
"I know how much pressure this industry can put on artists at times, especially after a bit of a break.
"So for him to be able to play a little secret gig in a safe space without all the phones, the noise and the expectations was perfect. I'm buzzing to have been a part of it."
As it was a phone-free event no footage of the show has been shared online, however, fans have been commenting on the experience after. One fans wrote on X: 'lewis capaldi coming out at tom walker oh i’m going to bawl' (sic)
Another wrote on TikTok: 'That’s so exciting!! I saw him perform on Friday and he was amazing 🥹'.
Also on TikTok, a fan shared a video accompanied by Lewis' song 'Forget Me', captioned: 'IM IN DISBELIEF 😭 #lewiscapaldi #forgetme #tomwalker'. (sic)
Someone replied to the comment saying: 'OMG I was there too it was incredible 😭❤️'.
Tom will now be performing at two more gigs in aid of CALM. The second gig takes place on Tuesday 6th May, with the third on Saturday 10th May.
You can hear songs by Lewis Capaldi on Tay FM.
Take a look through Lewis Capaldi's amazing career:
Career beginnings
Lewis learned to play the drums and guitar when he was just two-years-old, and started off singing in pubs at the age of nine. At 17, he decided to pursue a full-time career in music, and was discovered by his manager through his SoundCloud account.
2017: 'Bloom EP'
Lewis released his first EP 'Bloom' in October 2017, having worked on it with producer Malay and released 'Bruises' in March that year. He was then signed to Universal Music Group, and was long-listed for BBC's Sound of Music 2018, later supporting Rag'n'Bone Man on his European tour in November 2017.
2018: Supporting Niall Horan, festival appearances and 'Breach' EP
After supporting Rag'n'Bone Man, Lewis came to the attention of former One Direction star Niall Horan. The pair became friends and Lewis joined him as a support act for his 'Flicker World Tour' in March 2018, before going on tour as support for Sam Smith two months later.
Lewis took to the stage at various music festivals in the summer of 2018, playing Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Reading & Leeds Festival and TRNSMT. He also supported Kodaline in August 2018. Lewis then released his second EP 'Breach' in November 2018, containing songs 'Grace' and 'Someone You Loved', which became Lewis' breakthrough single and was Number 1 in the UK for seven weeks.
2019: Debut album, 'Someone You Loved' and BRIT Awards
Lewis released his debut album 'Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent' in May 2019, and it became the best-selling UK album in five years. He was nominated for the hugely coveted Critics' Choice Award at the BRITs 2019 (which has now been renamed to the Rising Star Award) but lost out to Sam Fender.
In October 2019, 'Someone You Loved' reached Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, which made him the first Scottish solo artist to top the US chart since 1981. The video for the song was released two months beforehand, and starred actor Peter Capaldi — who is a distant cousin of Lewis'. The singer was also announced as the opening act for Niall Horan's 'Nice to Meet Ya Tour', which was due to start in April 2020. In December 2019, Lewis recruited celebrities all over the world to help make a hilarious video to his song 'Bruises'.
2019: Headline tour
The album was certified Gold two weeks after it was released. Lewis' tour was announced before the release of his album, and he became the first artist ever to sell out an arena tour before his debut album was released.
Lewis also announced his mental health campaign for gigs, LiveLive. 'LIVELIVE' is a mental health support system, which is designed to help fans who have anxiety. The system offers them advice, time out and a gig buddy system is also available. The singer shared a number of Instagram Stories from his tour explaining what fans can expect from 'LIVELIVE'.
Lewis opened up to Grazia about mental health, discussing his scheme to alleviate anxiety at live music events. He said: "I want this to become a thing that can be at lots of shows. I was getting inundated with messages on Twitter and Instagram with all this stuff like 'I would love to come to your show but you know, I get panic attacks or I'm not very good in crowds'. Some people just don't want to come alone. And I just thought that it seemed like some people could miss the out on coming to shows, just because of their anxiety."
Due to this, the 'Hold Me While You Wait' singer announced LIVELIVE; an initiative ensuring that anxious fans would have appropriate support available at large shows, allowing them to feel more comfortable. The commendable scheme meant that for an extra 50p per ticket, fans would be able to receive on-site counselling, with a team available to meet fans at the door, escort them to their seats, and help those who want to leave the concert quickly later in the evening - avoiding busy crowds.
2020: Award wins
He was nominated at the Grammy Awards 2020 for the category of Song of the Year for 'Someone You Loved', unfortunately losing out to Billie Eilish for 'Bad Guy'. When his ex-girlfriend Paige Turley went into the Love Island villa, reports surfaced that his song 'Someone You Loved' was about her — but Lewis revealed it was about his late grandmother.
Lewis was nominated for four awards at the BRITs 2020: Male Solo Artist, Best New Artist, Song of the Year for 'Someone You Loved' and Album of the Year for 'Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent'. He went on to win Song of the Year and Best New Artist.
2021: Social media break
In January 2021, Lewis announced he would be taking a break from social media to focus on creating his second album, the follow up to 2019's 'Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent'. Lewis broke his social media silence in March 2021 to reflect on the previous year. He also announced he would be rescheduling his tour to 2022 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
2022: New music, live performances, TV appearances and album/tour announcements
In the update we were all waiting for, Lewis Capaldi revealed that his second album would be called 'Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent' and would be released in May 2023. That's not all, as he also surprised fans with the announcement of a tour in January and February 2023.
Lewis then released 'Forget Me' on 9th September. It was the first single to come from his second album and the first music he has released in three years. On 12th September, he also released a music video for the song, which fans of Wham! might recognise, as it is a recreation of their 'Club Tropicana' video.
Lewis and good friend Niall Horan also created a documentary in 2022, which follows then as they travel around Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Called Homecoming: The Road to Mullingar, the documentary was released on Prime Video on Friday 21st October 2022 and follows their road-trip and visit to Niall's hometown Mullingar.
Lewis also brought out his own range of frozen pizzas in 2022 — saying that lockdown inspired him to get into pizza making. He has two pizzas in the range, The Big Sexy Meat One and The Big Sexy Cheesy One.
2023: Breathtaking BRITs performance, waxwork and second album
The BRIT Awards 2023 with Mastercard took place on 11th February, with Lewis taking to the stage to perform at the ceremony for the first time since 2020. He was also nominated for Song of The Year at the 2023 BRITs, for his song 'Forget Me', however lost out on the win to Harry Styles and his hit track 'As It Was'.
Lewis then released his highly anticipated second album 'Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent' on 19th May 2023. It was the fastest-selling album of 2023, debuting at Number 1 in the UK and has been certified Platinum by the BPI with 300,000 sales in the UK. The album included a love song with Ed Sheeran called 'Pointless'.
Also in 2023 Lewis came face-to-face with his waxwork at Madame Tussauds Blackpool, saying: "It is weird to look at myself like this, I wish I'd never had this haircut, but it is forever immortalised in this wax figure. I love it," he said. "For fans, I think it will be great, they can come and touch my bum!"
2023: Performs at Glastonbury Festival and announces a break from touring
At the beginning of June 2023, Lewis shared a statement announcing that he would be cancelling his upcoming commitments in order to prepare for his performance at Glastonbury Festival. In the statement, he wrote that he needed time to 'rest and recover' before the performance that was three weeks away. In the difficult message, he also revealed: 'I haven't been home properly since Christmas and at the moment I'm struggling to get to grips with it all.'
On Saturday 24th June 2023, Lewis then took to the stage at Glastonbury Festival! He performed a selection of his greatest songs, including 'Forget Me', 'Pointless' and 'Before You Go'. Towards the end of Lewis' set, he began to struggle with his Tourette's Syndrome. Due to his tics, the singer struggled to sing his hit track 'Someone You Loved'. In an emotional moment, the adoring crowd began to sing the song at the top of their lungs, helping Lewis finish his set.
Three days after his performance, Lewis then shared a statement to announce he would be 'taking a break from touring'. In the emotional statement, he thanked the festival, as well as his fans for 'singing along when I needed it and for all the amazing messages afterwards'.
He said: 'The truth is I'm still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette's and on Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come.'
2023: Lewis wins a National Television Award for Netflix documentary
Lewis Capaldi announced his Netflix documentary in March 2023 — which gives a raw and honest view of Lewis' career pressures and mental health struggles. The programme is called Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now and was later released on Netflix on 5th April 2023.
In September 2023, it won the National Television Award for Best Authored Documentary. In a video message following his win, Lewis said: "Thank you so, so much if you voted, or even if you just watched the documentary. Thank you so much for voting and thank you for everyone who made it. A massive shoutout to my fellow nominees. You're all incredible. Making a documentary is not easy in the slightest, from what I've learned. It's an honour to be nominated alongside you. I'll see you soon."
He then shared a health update at the end of the year. Taking to Instagram, Lewis explained that he had been working with professionals to help manage his Tourette's and anxiety, adding that he has noticed a 'marked improvement' in his symptoms since taking a break. He also announced the release of 'Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent' (Extended Edition)', which includes five extra songs.
2025: Lewis returns to the stage after nearly two years
In early 2025, Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi appeared on stage in Edinburgh at an intimate phone-free gig, where Tom Walker and Nina Nesbitt were performing. This was his first performance since his huge Glastonbury set in 2023. He performed six songs including 'Someone You Loved'.
Lewis then returned to the Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage in the summer, and performed several songs as a surprise performer. The singer told fans: "Second time's a charm on this one. I just wanted to come and finish what I couldn't finish last time." Contrasting to his 2023, Lewis reflected on his performance in August 2025, telling us that it was: "Maybe the best day of my life."
Although he wasn't announced to perform at BST Hyde Park, in July 2025, Lewis joined Noah Kahan on stage to sing 'Northern Attitude', normally sung with Hozier.
A few days after his surprise appearance at Glastonbury, Lewis then announced a tour for September 2025. Starting in Sheffield on 6th September, Lewis continued on to Aberdeen, Glasgow, London (for three shows), Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Cardiff, ending his tour in Dublin, on 30th September. The tour completely sold out within a couple of hours of the tickets going on sale. Just days into his 2025 tour, Lewis then announced several summer dates for 2026.
2025: Lewis releases EP, complete with comeback single 'Survive'
In June 2025, Lewis made a huge return to music with a powerful track which delves into his struggles with mental health. 'Survive' dropped on Friday 27th, and Lew shared the track on Insta, alongside the caption: 'It's been a while.'
Then on 14th November, Lewis released his EP 'Survive', which featured four songs, 'Survive', 'Something In The Heavens', 'Almost' and 'The Day That I Die' — all of which were released as singles.
Also in 2025, Lewis met his very own LEGO Lewis likeness! The singer spent time at the LEGO Chalet of Play where he met the model made out of 41,254 bricks.
2026: Lewis released his first song of 2026
Lewis released his first song of 2026 on 17th April. The release of the song called 'Stay Love' coincided with his sold out performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Now read:
Find out more about Tom Walker's intimate phone-free gigs
11 things we love about Scotland's sweetheart Lewis Capaldi
33 of Lewis Capaldi's biggest career moments so far 🎶