Sir Tom Jones

Friday saw the first of this year’s Newmarket Nights. The combination of horse racing and live music is certainly very popular. I arrived reasonably early only to find a tail back nearly a mile long just to get into the venue. The roundabout just outside was total chaos, how there wasn’t any accidents is a miracle. 35 minutes later I finally get parked but sadly have already missed the first two races.

Just before 9pm Sir Tom walks on stage to great applause. He looks genuinely surprised by the huge crowd that have come to see him. Seated and accompanied by the keyboard player he kicks off the I’m Growing Old from his 2021 album Surrounded by Time. He proudly tells the audience that he’s the oldest person to have a number one album. This is quickly followed by Tower of Song and Not Dark Yet where he is joined by his band.

Sir Tom’s voice is soundly really powerful when we get It’s Not Unusual. It’s a real crowd pleaser and has many singing along. This is followed by the equally popular What’s New Pussycat? I was surprised both songs featured early in his set. For many this is all they came to hear as there was a noticeable amount of people leaving when the songs had finished.

Before each song Sir Tom gives a short backstory about how the song came about and who he has worked with, it’s a who’s who of the music business.

Sexbomb has the crowd dancing. At one point a washing line of knickers was being passed about the crowd. There was a kerfuffle when some poor soul missed the opportunity to pin their briefs to the line. Happily they were finally pinned to the line. I’m not entirely sure why one guy decided to strip off, I guess he was just having a good time.

The set is brought to a close with the favourites, Delilah and the Prince cover, Kiss

For an encore we are treated to three songs, Green, Green Grass of Home, One Hell of a Life and Strange Things Happening Every Day

Over all, it was a wonderful evening, a mix of classic hits, surprising covers, and personal stories, creating a captivating experience to remember .The Defy Expectations tour theme is fitting, as Sir Tom continues to impress with his enduring talent and energy, his voice is as strong as ever. While perhaps not as physically energetic as in his younger days, Sir Tom still commands the stage with a powerful presence and without doubt this was one of the best shows I’ve seen this year.

Sir Tom’s Defy Expectations tour continues until 21st August 2025

Setlist

I'm Growing Old

Tower of Song

Not Dark Yet

It's Not Unusual

What's New Pussycat?

Sexbomb

You Can Leave Your Hat On

Pop Star

One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)

Across the Borderline