It’s not every day you get to see the lead singer of your favourite childhood band embark on his solo career, let alone interview him. On 12 November, I had the pleasure of doing both ahead of the release of his debut solo album, The Panic Years, next February.

What was seemingly an ordinary Tuesday night, was, for me, one of the most anticipated nights of my year. Simpson and I sat in G2 of Glasgow’s The Garage and talked briefly before he took to the stage for a sold-out show on his first-ever solo UK headline tour.

I have witnessed Bradley Simpson go from the OVO Hydro with The Vamps, to The Garage on his own, playing to his most adoring fans. Having been in the business for over ten years now, Simpson is no stranger to the stage. He took to The Garage with impressive confidence and played a wonderful set.

During our chat before the show, Simpson explores in his feelings about jumping straight from a tour with the band to one on his own. “It [touring with The Vamps] is so different to my stuff, even like, musically and then stage or performance-wise,” he said. “It was nice to kind of, like, jump out of it and into something completely different. I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Confessing to me that he had his first legal pint in The Garage – something he later told the crowd – he referred to it as a ‘rite of passage’ venue, continuously expressing his gratitude towards the crowd, and his excitement about playing in Glasgow. His stage presence has only improved with time, and the confidence and love for what he does radiates from him.

Opening with unreleased track ‘Getting Clear’, he reveals to me he hopes that it resonates with fans: “I tend to write about love, like a soppy twat, but ‘Getting Clear’ was the first song that I wrote about moving into a new part of your life. Not necessarily just this point that I’m in now, but everyone goes through stages where you have little epiphanies, or like, you feel you’re getting to know yourself a bit better. It’s kind of like a self-discovery song.”

Despite half of Simpson’s set being unreleased, he instantly had the crowd singing back the lyrics. Something so special about having a loyal fanbase is that they will follow any work you produce, and I saw that shine through massively. He dove straight into ‘Daisies’, a song which was never supposed to be a single, but received such a great reception from the crowd. Simpson feels it’s definitely a fan-favourite already.

Throughout his set, he performed covers of Chappell Roan’s ‘HOT TO GO!’ and ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac. These were excellent choices, especially ‘HOT TO GO!’ as the crowd of predominately teenage girls all became one as they did the viral dance. I saw friends turn to one another and dance to each other, creating a really fun and endearing moment in the show.

Something I was really interested to know was what Simpson had in his own headphones during the process of making The Panic Years. He told me Charm by Clairo was on repeat. This was a sort of ‘when two worlds collide’ moment for me, and, because of that, I’m even more excited to listen to The Panic Years. “I feel like it [Charm] is one of those albums you can put on and not think about anything, it’s so good,” he explains. “I was trying to find music like that while writing the album, where I could just switch off.”

It’s so exciting to hear Simpson take a step into something so serious with this album, and the passion he has for his work is extremely present in his live shows and pre-released singles.

Bradley Simpson takes The Panic Years on the road in 2025 and will play Glasgow’s SWG3 on 11 May.