Hundreds brave rain for Tom Grennan's Big Issue busk in Coventry – including his nan

Tom Grennan turned the clock back 12 years to his pre-stardom days with a busk for Big Issue on the streets of his beloved Coventry.

An amber weather warning was not enough to deter the hundreds of ecstatic fans who greeted the UK chart-topper at the city’s FarGo Village.

• From Oasis to… who? Why we need help nurturing our next generation of northern music stars
• ‘When I was mentally ill, I could only listen to hard techno’: Why is music so important to us?

The indie-pop artist was there to entertain, but also to deliver a message close to his heart. “It’s tough out there, man. The world we’re living in, the country we’re in right now – it’s just tough. That’s where the Big Issue steps in, and I really, truly, couldn’t thank them enough for that,” he said.

Grennan chose Coventry as his ‘busker base’ despite growing up more than an hour away in Bedford. “I fell in love with this city because of that community sense. Everybody wants to help their neighbour, and that’s how I felt when I first came here,” he said.

Tom Grennan has made Coventry his adoptive home. Growing up, he visited his grandma in the city, but it was when Grennan’s manager took him to a Coventry City game in 2018 that the singer’s bond formed. “I went to Coventry and I got goosebumps,” Grennan said during a Big Issue cover interview earlier this month. “I fell in love with the community, and what the club meant to the people, and obviously to the city.”

He added: “I never got to meet my great granddad, but hearing stories about him, what he did for his family and definitely the city of Coventry – like amazing, amazing stories.”

Grennan’s grandma, who had a front row seat at the performance, said how happy she was for him to be drawing crowds in her hometown. Anne, who grew up on Cox Street less than a mile from Thursday’s gig, said: “I remember the first time he went busking. He came home with £22! When I told his mum, she said that I should send him back out the next day.”

Fans sang from start to finish of the 30-minute jam, including new single Higher – which Grennan revealed to the Big Issue is the product of a new attitude to his music.

Production manager Gaz Olden said it was his eighth time seeing Tom live. “My daughter is his number one fan, she drags me along to as many shows as she can. You can’t go and see someone eight times and not fall in love with their music,” said Olden.

The venue was bursting with energy all evening, with fans showing their love for Tom and his “keep it real, support those less fortunate” message.

Iqra Bashir, a Coventry University sociology student, said: “It was really good – a family event with kids and parents sharing a special moment together. The energy was amazing. Tom was fab. I am so pleased to have seen him live and so close.”

Grennan added: “The Big Issue for me is a magazine that gives people a chance. It gives people jobs.”

Big Issue is demanding an end to extreme poverty. Will you ask your MP to join us?

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.