Live review: Role Model waves Longest Goodbye to indie-tinged pop-angst

While rounding up his short but virally sweet UK tour, the ending would happen to take place in Yorkshire’s largest city, Leeds.

Tucker Pillsbury, aka Role Model (possibly uniquely accredited with the most Americana given name possible), had only three UK cities down for the promotion of his deluxe album, as the statesman even jokingly declared himself that he was back with only three more songs.

But those emphatic three were enough to warrant a trio of dates spanning and lengthening his English miles, with his spurring trip ending in the cramped confines of Leeds’ O2 Academy.

The question going into the highly anticipated show wasn’t whether he could fill the sticky academy dancefloor; it was whether he could translate his viral, folksy introspection into a sweat-drenched Saturday night communion here in the heart of Leeds.

Tucker, ready to take on any venue that accepts his overwhelming credentials, opened his scintillating showcase of fairly fresh fame with the starkly struck tension of Writing’s on the Wall, a pulsating track that immediately sets the tone of an intimate country twanged party roadside to an old-fashioned diner equipped with all the neon festivities that inherit that nostalgic Hollywood America that the country has seemed to lose along the way over the last few hectic years.

But this time machine of a primitive party in the U.S.A. seems to acknowledge this firmly set fact, as the matter of Tucker’s own earlier backlog has, too, been sacrificed for his new and evidently clearer created persona, as the artist from across the pond seems more at ease than he ever has, as the days of hazy bedroom pop of old are no longer written within the lines of his stacked setlist.

Since the trading in of his laidback lockdown synths that kept most of us entertained while remaining behind the prison of doors and walls of 2020, the singer-songwriter has tasked himself with this latest reinvention that atones closer to the likes of 70s-inspired acoustics with a joyful pop twist, sharing many a similarity with The 1975’s last contribution to the music scene, Being Funny In A Foreign Language, and is perhaps the reason Tucker has included his cover of their Somebody Else cemented within his startling show of purity.

Yet for Tucker and his creatively churned reimagining of this niche managed to take that inspiration wholeheartedly, turning it into his own piece of ingenuity, as the stripped-back palette of Kansas Anymore has navigated himself a path to alt-pop stardom, all the while inviting a new generation of music lovers along the way as he securely leads a sea of fans decked in vintage denim and sparkly cowboy hats along for his carefully curated journey of apathy.

This prudently reimagined adventure across the states embraces that thorough Route 66 open-top cruiser emotion that blazed into the forefront of our youthful imagination of this magnificent yet flawed country that always felt so far away.

Yet tonight within the Academy many of us (if not all of us), including me, were able to catch that untouched glimpse of pure Americana melancholy through tracks like my own personal highlight, Old Recliners, as the entangling of these melodies can only be compared to the faithful memories of reruns that took over our boxed TVs of the past, as the emotion sold tonight was only comparable to the proud films and shows of old.

As this vintage venture of crossing the Atlantic only encouraged Tucker’s showmanship, only parallel to the likes of an old-fashioned Ford Mustang, as the talented musician stalked the Yorkshire stage with a low-slung, electric energy, a white-boy boogie that channels less indie-rock idol and more Elvis-lite, and from his unmistakeably pearly whites shining a new light within the venue, he was more than delighted in his reception of deafening shrieks from the circling crowd.

The brilliant backing band that stood firmly behind Tucker and his hypnotic guitar was a tight and relentlessly punchy hivemind that managed to ensure tracks like the hard-hitting Scumbag and the spellbinding charm of Look at That Woman had a live, untarnished grit that churned up the dirt on the underside of the album’s underbelly, creating a beautiful live mesh of polished studio favourites.

Some Protector was certainly another anthem of bright magnitude within Tucker’s all-equipped shining setlist, as it stunned a vivid sentiment that encapsulated the academy in the palm of Tucker and his band, as its raw emotive vocals transformed the gentle studio version into a larger-than-life singalong, as the sound of 2,300 souls collectively mourned a relationship that wasn’t theirs.

But you seriously can’t talk about Role Model in the year 2025 without talking about the sacred ritual that occurs every night when the tunefully brilliant Americans roll into town.

The main event, the rising sea of phones, was here. As the untouched genius of viral hit Sally, When the Wine Runs Out sprawled out across the academy. As each night of his tour is now a momentous occasion, becoming a piece of social media lore, a hyper-specific, country-tinged anthem that requires a dance partner of any calibre, ranging from the likes of Lewis Capaldi, Charli XCX or just fans of Role Model that have been blessed with the pick of the bunch.

This time, Tucker's chosen Sally wasn't a celebrity but rather a fan who was overjoyed to be a part of this acclaimed social media ritual.

The fan clearly elevated to another plane of existence, given by the pure joy that covered his smiling face, with a grin reflecting only his idol’s pearls before him, as the two danced it out in front of a waving ocean of hands and phones before them.

While not every show needs to be accompanied by a celebrity appearance, this moment the fan had will forever be cherished, and I believe this balance allows the moment to feel more intimate between the artist and his forever-dedicated fanbase, as I’m sure many in the audience will still hold out hope that one day they may be asked to be hauled onstage to share the microphone and the spotlight with their hero.

The final encore was a powerful yet joyful celebration of Tucker’s American festivities as Deeply Still in Love saw out the spectacular show of genre-binding talent, as the Maine man of the moment broke through the tension once more for one last emphatic singalong.

The dizzying set piece of speeding guitars and an ever-so-talented artist more than equipped to sprawl any stage that he sets his eyes upon unequivocally proves that Tucker is more than likely set for the big leagues in any nation he sets foot in, as the challenging balance of composing a varied setlist of internet favourites was more than just an instance of fragility compacted within the honesty that cuts through the noise; it was a blessing of memory to all in attendance.

Role Model is certainly more than just another TikTok sensation; he’s an authentic conduit for late-stage relationship dread, a talented artist only prepped to go further on up in the music world, as the yellow brick road will lead him straight to genuine rock stardom.