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Strictly Come Dancing star comes to the Towngate
There’s no other British artist who plays to a larger TV audience than him. For three months of every year, he plays to an audience of millions. He’s the guy whose voice every knows – yet he’s also the guy who not many people know about.
Tommy Blaize is the voice of Strictly Come Dancing, the soulful man with the golden pipes who dazzles weekly with his stunning voice. And he’s been there for 20 years. Simple as that.
As lead singer of the BBC Strictly Come Dancing band, Tommy's powerful yet sensitive performances have helped create some of the most memorable TV moments of recent times. Singing live to a live audience every week, Tommy’s soulful sound is etched in the public consciousness.
He began his singing career at the tender age of nine with The Blaize Brothers, alongside siblings Tony and Darrin, where he first learnt to sing in front of a live audience, playing in clubs across the North-West of England for six years in the 1970s.
In a career spanning a remarkable 50 years, Tommy has gone on to work with some of the world’s most legendary and renowned artists, from Diana Ross to Queen; The Beach Boys to Amy Winehouse; Joe Cocker to Stevie Wonder. The list is as long as it is impressive.
With talent like his, and exposure like that, it’s remarkable that he isn’t a household name in his own right. Yet now, as he enters his 60th year, he’s putting all that right.
Rather than being the backroom guy who adds vocal magic to the works of Robbie Williams and more, he’s stepping out from the shadows for his first headline tour. He’ll be playing almost 50 dates across Spring, including a handful locally, where fans will get the chance to see the man with the golden voice at their local theatre.
His tour starts at Tamworth Assembly Rooms on March 20 and will visit the Towngate Theatre in Basildon on Thursday 18 April.
Tommy said: “This tour will be different to anything I’ve ever done before. As well as singing, people don’t know that I love to play piano, guitar, occasionally a bit of ukelele, and anything I can get my hands on really. I’m known as a soul, blues and jazz head so there’ll be lots of the songs I love singing, some songs I’ve sung on Strictly, maybe a couple from my album. I’ll also be telling one or two stories from my career, taking questions from the audience. It’s going to be relaxed, fun and hopefully we’ll get the audience involved too in a couple of numbers too.
“For me, it’s about being in intimate venues and having that direct relationship with the audience. People are used to hearing me sing on a Saturday night on the telly in their living rooms but don’t get to see and hear the real me doing my thing, live and direct. That relationship you build with an audience over the course of a show is a special thing; they get to come into your world for the evening.”
It's remarkable to consider that Tommy has played with some of the biggest stars in the world at some of the most prestigious concert halls, yet this will be the first time he goes it alone. And as well as those dulcet tones, he’ll also be sharing stories from his remarkable career – whether those are about Strictly or some of the A-List stars with whom he’s worked.
“It would be telling to give too much away... but let’s just say I’ve been in the music business for 50 years and been singing on Strictly for more than 20 years, so I may have a tale or two.”
The set list will feature audience favourites, as well as songs that might be less familiar – but that have a special connection to Tommy. One example is a tune he sang as a boy: “When I was 10 years old, I sang a song called ‘That Lucky Old Sun’ at a concert in a social club in Liverpool to an audience of around 150, including my mum, uncles, aunties etc. People in the audience started crying but I was too young to understand why. Had I done something wrong? It’s been a special song to me ever since and it’s definitely going in.”
At each show, fans will get the chance to get selfies, autographs, and have a word with the man himself. He’ll do a meet’n’greet after each show, so that he can thank fans for spending the evening at his show.
“It’s a genuine pleasure having the chance to meet people who have parted with their hard-earned money to come and see me perform. I’ll be hanging around after every show for a chat with whoever wants to come and say ‘hi’!”
Looking back, it’s funny to think that he’s been one of the few mainstays of Strictly, featuring on the show for 20 years. When he was first offered the gig, he almost turned it down – he wasn’t at all convinced that people would want to spend their Saturday nights watching ballroom dancing from the comfort of their couch.
“Strictly is totally unique in how it brings so many different people together. It’s something you can watch with your 10 year old, and your nan. There’s dance, music, entertainment, sparkly outfits, lights, glamour, challenge, jeopardy, elimination. It’s the full package really in terms of Saturday night entertainment. And everybody has an opinion on what they’re seeing so it gets people talking.
“I wouldn’t say I have a favourite, but it’s incredible to see how the show has evolved from Series 1, all the way to where we are now at Series 21 and counting. It just keeps getting bigger and better every year.”
It’s not just Strictly, however, that’s kept Tommy busy. He’s worked with some of the world's greatest artists and one of his favourites was Robbie Williams. “I was lucky enough to be asked by Robbie Williams if I would join him on his ‘Swings Both Ways’ world tour. It was a special one as I would come out to the front of the stage every night and duet with him. I also got to play some keys too – which can be rare. He’s a lovely bloke and made us all feel very involved and included.”
The man who lists his biggest influences as Louis Armstrong, Sam Cooke, and Marvin Gaye – and whose voice can be compared to those greats – has spent a lifetime supporting the biggest and best. Now, finally, it’s his time to shine, on his debut solo tour.
TOMMY BLAIZE
Thursday 18 April 2024, 7.30pm
www.towngatetheatre.co.uk
