Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The demand to see sombr on his debut headlining tour is so tremendous, many of the venues had to be considerably upgraded, and regardless of that happening, he could’ve probably filled any arena on earth.

In other words, getting to see the burgeoning singer/songwriter in as close of a space as Radius was probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and following 80 minutes of encountering “The Late Nights & Young Romance” firsthand, alongside a killer live band and a set resembling a late-night TV show, there’s no doubt he’s going to be a full-fledged superstar.

Though he’s a relatively youthful guy, 20 to be exact, sombr seems to have an old pop and rock soul, already drawing comparisons to the legendary likes of David Bowie, Brian Wilson, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead and Elton John, who personally endorsed him after the native New Yorker simultaneously landed a pair of Top 10 U.K. singles (and has since scored a third).

In America, he’s blowing up as well, from viral beginnings on TikTok a mere few years ago to quickly appearing in the same conversations as Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Conan Gray, Benson Boone, Phoebe Bridgers and today’s leading troubadours.

All anyone had to do was read the room as he confidently entered to “i wish i knew how to quit you,” sparking a significant sing-a-long, even when it came to tracks that weren’t necessarily the hits off his extremely promising debut long-player, “I Barely Know Her.”

There were plenty of those as well inserted towards the end, yet in the meantime, sombr demonstrated swagger and sensitivity throughout “we never dated,” “do i ever cross your mind” and “in your arms.”

The predominately female fan base seemed to lose their minds during the melancholy ear candy of “undressed,” plus kept “crushing” for such melodic gems as “canal street” and “under the mat.”

Screams resumed at near roof-raising volumes across the alternative pop bounce of “back to friends” and the dance floor banger “12 to 12” as sombr soaked it all in with awe and appreciation, while faithful filed out in amazement like they just left a stadium.

For additional information on sombr, visit sombrMusic.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Radius include Loud Luxury (Oct. 3); Klangkuenstler (Oct. 4); San Pacho 360° (Oct. 10); Dombresky and Walker & Royce (Oct. 11); RuPaul (Oct. 18); Hugel (Oct. 24); Dimitri Vegas (Oct. 25); Apollonia, Toman, Traumer (Oct. 31); Josh Baker (Nov. 1); Black Tiger Sex Machine (Nov. 8); Sammy Virji (Nov. 14); Mersiv (Nov. 15); Lost In Dreams Chicago (Nov. 22); Green Velvet (Nov. 28) and Duke Dumont (Nov. 29). For additional details, visit Radius-Chicago.com.

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