One of my very favourite things is to do is to discover things.
A hidden lake tucked away off a beaten track because we took the left turn instead of the right? The happiest accident.
Looking for that coffee shop a friend recommended but instead being coaxed into a different one by the little old man running it? I'm halfway through the door.
Watching an unknown support act for your favourite artist and end up having one of their songs stuck in your head all the way home? Pure magic.
That is exactly what happened when I went to see Halsey at KOKO in Camden back in September. If I'm being completely honest here, it didn't even cross my mind that there was going to be a support act because I was laser focussed on seeing Halsey perform. I was also super distracted and found my mind drifting to my (now current) university where I should have been having my first night of freshers. Instead I was crammed into a tiny venue, clutching an overpriced cider and feeling the adrenaline build. Unconventional but I wouldn't have had it any other way.
We hung near the back, which in that venue didn't feel far away at all, and heard a voice boom over the speakers to give it up for the support act, Matt Wills. The set started and I was surprised how much I was enjoying it but the moment that really sold it was when he bent down to pick up a bottle of wine, I knew I was going to like him. I'm just kidding obviously, but it was a nice touch. He had a cheeky on stage persona despite being very nervous and soared through his set list with the confidence of a more established artist. It was fun, unexpected and utterly the right choice to get us ready for Halsey.
After he had finished his set and thanked Halsey for letting him open for her, I turned to my friend and remarked how much I liked the song Ellie grab your gun and promptly followed him on twitter. Then it was time for Halsey, she blew me away in the hour and a half set as I was expecting her to, but it was a surprise that I was still murmuring the Ellie grab your gun song on the train home. To my delight it was on Spotify along with a few other songs which I downloaded for the 7 hour train journey back home and the rest as they say, is history.
It's been a few weeks since that gig and I haven't stopped listening to Matt Wills since. Everyone I show him to remarks on the familiarity in his voice and like myself are eager for more songs. I already know that Matt Wills will be a part of the soundtrack that will define my first year at university. It's cliche but I've already stayed up until the early hours lying on my bed with my flatmates, fairy lights twinkling in the background and abandoned drinks on the floor with his soft tones in the background.
Halsey summed him up perfectly by saying she thinks he will be a big deal; so now all there is to do is wait for everyone else to catch on and wait for some new music.
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