Lewis Capaldi stunned festivalgoers by making an unexpected appearance during band The Vamps’ gig on Wednesday evening as part of the Kew The Music series of shows.
The Scottish singer had announced last month that he was taking time out to focus on his mental well-being after experiencing a difficult performance at Glastonbury Festival due to his Tourette’s Syndrome diagnosis.
It was quite a surprise therefore to see the Before You Go hitmaker, 26, briefly rock up on the stage in Richmond upon Thames to give lead singer Brad Simpson, 27, a hug as they performed their song Risk It All.
The crowd screamed loudly at the sight and videos of the moment soon began circulating on social media.
lewis capaldi loves a bit of risk it all pic.twitter.com/lnuNU7QvnL
— The Vamps HQ 🎶 (@VampsHQ) July 12, 2023
Many also flocked to the micro-blogging site to weigh in on it.
“Woah. Did that really happen?” Wrote one person. “It’s just funny how quickly Brad went from hugging Lewis Capaldi to singing Risk It All.”
imagine a the vamps and lewis capaldi collab pic.twitter.com/OmjUhUqiwP
— dayane (@_lovelytris) July 12, 2023
“Thought I’d imagined the whole thing,” penned another, followed by a crying with laughter emoji.
“Imagine a The Vamps and Lewis Capaldi collab,” penned another, along with a picture of cartoon character Homer Simpson looking wistful as he washed up dishes.
“The fact that this probably won’t come as a surprise doesn’t make it any easier to write,” Capaldi wrote in an emotional statement shared to social media at the end of June.
“I used to be able to enjoy every second of shows like this and I’d hoped 3 weeks away would sort me out,” the note reads. “But the truth is I’m still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette’s and on Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come.”
In the weeks leading up to his Glastonbury performance, Capaldi said he was resting to prepare for the festival.
Capaldi appeared to struggle during his performance while singing his hit, Someone You Loved, when the audience stepped in to help him finish the song.
He wrote about feeling fortunate that he is in a position to be able to take time off, even as he expressed regret that he had to.
“I’m so incredibly sorry to everyone who had planned to come to a show before the end of the year but I need to feel well to perform at the standard you all deserve,” Capaldi wrote. “Playing for you every night is all I’ve ever dreamed of, so this has been the most difficult decision of my life. I’ll be back as soon as I possibly can.”
He previously opened up about his struggles with the neurological disorder that causes involuntary movements and sounds in the Disney+ documentary How I’m Feeling Now.
