REVIEW | JAMES ARTHUR DELIVERS AN EMOTIONAL AND ELECTRIC NIGHT FOR THE TEENAGE CANCER TRUST AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL

By Rishma • On Reviews

Night 3 of the Teen­age Can­cer Trust Con­cert Series, 26 March 2025

The Roy­al Albert Hall, already a ven­ue steeped in his­tory, became a stage for raw emo­tion, soar­ing vocals and unshake­able pur­pose on Wed­nes­day night as James Arthur head­lined the third even­ing of the annu­al Teen­age Can­cer Trust con­cert series.

From the first notes of “Bit­ter Sweet Love”, the energy in the room was palp­able. Fans were out of their seats, arms raised, singing back every lyr­ic with devo­tion. Arthur, known for blend­ing pop, R&B and con­fes­sion­al song­writ­ing, com­manded the stage with heart­felt intens­ity. But this wasn’t just anoth­er tour stop. This was personal.

“I need to take this in for a minute, not just for us, but for this amaz­ing cause,” he said, paus­ing to soak in the icon­ic ven­ue and the audi­ence ral­ly­ing behind Teen­age Can­cer Trust’s life-chan­ging work.

With a set­l­ist that spanned early hits like “Impossible” to new­er tracks such as “Cel­eb­rate” and “ADHD”, Arthur delivered not just a show, but a shared emo­tion­al exper­i­ence. The night took a poignant turn when he paid trib­ute to a friend and long­time team mem­ber, recently lost to can­cer, before per­form­ing “Car’s Out­side”. It was a power­ful remind­er of why these con­certs exist: to hon­our, sup­port and fight for young people affected by cancer.

James also used the spot­light to speak can­didly about men­tal health. “To be vul­ner­able is to be cour­ageous,” he told the crowd, before launch­ing into “Train­wreck”, a song that echoed through­out the hall like a col­lect­ive confession.

Spe­cial guests Venus Grrrls opened the even­ing with goth­ic, grunge-fuelled force. Their per­form­ance was both power­ful and deeply per­son­al. Front­wo­man GK, her­self sup­por­ted by Teen­age Can­cer Trust dur­ing her own can­cer jour­ney, brought vul­ner­ab­il­ity and strength in equal meas­ure. Before per­form­ing “Glisten”, she shared a moment of humour and heart: “This is a love song, and the only spell I’ll cast to make someone fall in love with me.”

The event was hos­ted by broad­caster Gaby Logan, who brought warmth and sin­cer­ity to the stage. “Young people shouldn’t be wor­ry­ing about can­cer,” she said. “They should be wor­ry­ing about exams, first dates, job interviews.”

Touch­ing stor­ies from young people sup­por­ted by the char­ity reminded the audi­ence why these events mat­ter. One such story came from Claudia, who spoke about her battle with a rare sar­coma. “Teen­age Can­cer Trust sup­por­ted me when I lost my hair, dur­ing my treat­ment, and even more after­wards when I needed it most,” she said, prompt­ing heart­felt applause across the room.

Now in its 23rd year, the Teen­age Can­cer Trust con­cert series, foun­ded by The Who’s Roger Dal­trey CBE, has raised over £34 mil­lion to date. This year’s line-up includes The Who, The Corrs, Frank Carter, and a spe­cial Erased Tapes night fea­tur­ing Pen­guin Café, among oth­ers. Look­ing ahead, Robert Smith of The Cure will cur­ate the 2026 edi­tion, prom­ising yet anoth­er land­mark year.

These con­certs aren’t just gigs. They are life-chan­ging events. For the audi­ence, the artists, and above all, for the young people who find them­selves facing can­cer at a time they should be liv­ing life to the full.

As the final notes of “A Thou­sand Years” rang out, accom­pan­ied by a sea of phone lights held high, it was clear that this night was more than music. It was a shared moment of hope, remem­brance and sup­port, shin­ing a spot­light on a cause that needs it more than ever.

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Rishma

Edit­or / PR Con­sult­ant at No Bounds
Rishma Dhali­w­al has extens­ive exper­i­ence study­ing and work­ing in the music and media industry. Hav­ing writ­ten a thes­is on how Hip Hop acts as a social move­ment, she has spent years research­ing and con­nect­ing with artists who use the art form as a tool for bring­ing a voice to the voiceless.

About Rishma

Rishma Dhaliwal has extensive experience studying and working in the music and media industry. Having written a thesis on how Hip Hop acts as a social movement, she has spent years researching and connecting with artists who use the art form as a tool for bringing a voice to the voiceless.