“Look around us; this is fucking mental.” They’re the words that fly out of the mouth of Will Joseph Cook as he steps to the stage for a headline night at London’s Heaven and there is an unmistakable sense of occasion. Whether it’s the bustling gathering of teenage fans flocking to the venue right from the moment the doors open, or the conversations that fly with Get Inuit’s Jamie Glass sitting behind the merch desk, there’s an overriding sense that this is a moment we should all note down. A pop purveyor laying everything on the line and living in a moment that many would have put in their diaries or circled on their calendars – this is the moment that Will Joseph Cook has been building up to. As the screening hits kick in, and debut album ‘Sweet Dreamer’ lives with all gathered – there’s a truly undeniable sense that we’re witnessing something special.
Special is exactly the word that radiates out of opener Ten Tonnes. Glossed in that defiant screen of one person laying their soul across the line with music bursting at every moment, he delivers a set that’ll seize the moment at any other venue with a wink and a knowing smile. There’s something distinctively accomplished to every move Ten Tonnes makes, whether it’s the full-on Jamie T-esque gritting kicks of numbers like ‘Cracks Between’ or ‘Born To Lose’ – every moment is engrossing. Pulling you into a world that dips through stripped-back moments and scratch hooks galore, as a starting course Ten Tonnes more than deliver – while pointing to a future where venues like this will become child’s play in the grand scheme of things.
Those are the moments that Will Joseph Cook lives in now, seismic yet measured in an undeniably raw yet uplifting manner. The slews of teenage fans gathered bow down in a seismic clarity as he takes to the stage and the route from them is nothing short of spectacular. Sizzling from the get-go, opener ‘Sweet Dreamer’ elicits rapid responses and what follows is a tour de force in defining modern pop that ultimately places Will Joseph Cook in a field of his own. Whether it’s the shimmering unbridled joy that erupts through ‘For Thursday’ or the chiming tropical refrains of ‘Alive’, Will Joseph Cook’s portfolio of day-like pop bangers shine through at every moment. The very moment he steps on the stage is an invitation into a whole ‘nother world, one that doesn’t sit there and consider but dives right on into things while maintaining that measured realisation of hook-tastic wonder.
Sizzling throughout, there are bodies on the shoulders when belting out to the instantly classic refrains of ‘Biggest Fan’ or ‘Take Me Dancing’ – the latter greeted with a sing-along refrain that almost drowns out Will as he croons in style through his mic. Swaggering with an effortless charm, his dips across debut album ‘Sweet Dreamer’ are glorious, whether it’s the opening line in the sand of the title track itself or delves into early EPs and album cuts, this is Will Joseph Cook living the life he’s been singing about for years now. Sweet, heavy-hitting yet indisputably necessary for here and now – it’s the moment a modern pop price solidifies his standing with aplomb.
Screams ring out, bodies fly in unrivalled joy, and one message becomes clear. Will Joseph Cook’s combination of pop’s varied sides and shades is purely unavoidable, and we should all get to grips that our soundtrack is primed in place. Effortless and surging with the sense that this is only the beginning, Will Joseph Cook’s turn in Heaven is a tantalising appetiser to the globe he’s about to conquer. Pop with personality has another crowning nod, and its next step is an utterly unmissable one.