Paolo Nutini, The 02

Paolo Nutini's headline performance at the 02 Arena this October is conclusive evidence of the singer-songwriter's transformation from teen heart-throb into bonafide soul superstar. You don't play the 02 unless you're big. Really big.

Where once the Paisley-born musician was known for melancholic piano-led ballads like Last Request and adored by housewives everywhere; since 2009 he has been remaking himself as the genuine article.

2014's Caustic Love, which went straight in at number 1 and swiftly went platinum, marks new ground. His voice was always powerful, but on this album, the tousled Scot has grown-up. Lead single, Scream (Funk my life up) is the sound of a man who knows he's arrived. The soulful melody, Nutini's crooning, lightly croaking voice, and braggadocio lyrics ('Hell I don't even know her name but yet she sticks to me/And in the climax she would scream with me' ) sound more authentic than you might ever have believed possible for Paolo Nutini. 

Believe it: he's the real deal now.