Cruz Beckham's Cardiff Performance Challenges Nepotism Narrative
Cruz Beckham, the youngest son of David and Victoria Beckham, took to the stage at Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff this week, delivering a show that suggests he might just carve out a legitimate musical path beyond his famous lineage. The venue, a longstanding bastion of Welsh-language culture, provided an ironic backdrop given a commemorative ticket mistakenly welcomed fans to "Cardiff, England" – a geographical faux pas that set an initially inauspicious tone.
Earnest Stage Presence Defies Cynicism
It would be easy to approach Beckham's foray into music with skepticism, viewing his club tours as a calculated move by a "nepo-prince" seeking grassroots credibility. However, his on-stage demeanour tells a different story. Exhibiting unstudied enthusiasm, Beckham appeared genuinely moved by the audience's response, exclaiming "Bloody hell, wow" after one number and messing up his hair in a moment of authentic reaction.
During his song Tie Don't Fit, he directly addressed perceptions with the lyric "I promise I'm not an arsehole," delivered in a voice reminiscent of Lee Mavers. This straightforward approach, while perhaps obvious, reflects an artist grappling with public scrutiny while trying to establish his own identity.
Musical Exploration Shows Promising Range
Beckham's musical direction remains eclectic, veering from what critics might call "landfill indie" in tracks like Lick the Toad to introspective ballads. Yet within this varied setlist, moments of genuine intrigue emerge. For Your Love, co-written with producers Justin Raisen and Lewis Pesacov (known for work with Kim Gordon and Sky Ferreira), features a Beatles-esque pivot into psych-pop territory that warrants further exploration.
This psych-pop sensibility resurfaces in Wear and Tear, which blends dubby basslines with baggy rhythms, and Better Times, a sun-drenched potential hit where Beckham demonstrates surprising guitar proficiency. His fuzz-laden solo on this track proves both nimble and melodically astute, suggesting real instrumental chops beyond mere celebrity posturing.
Developing Artistry in the Public Eye
With only a few months of live performances under his belt alongside his backing band The Breakers, this Cardiff show represented just his second headline gig. Beckham is essentially workshopping ideas in real-time before audiences, a process typically reserved for rehearsal spaces rather than public venues. This developmental approach, while resulting in some uneven moments, also allows for spontaneous discoveries that might be polished out in more rehearsed performances.
The half-full venue clapped appreciatively throughout, responding to both the music and Beckham's palpable earnestness. While his tabloid profile remains amplified by recent family tensions, on stage he projects a different energy – one focused on musical exploration rather than celebrity drama.
As Beckham continues his UK and European tour through March, including upcoming dates in Bristol and beyond, he appears determined to "do it the right way" through club performances rather than leveraging his name for instant arena success. Whether this approach will translate to lasting musical relevance remains uncertain, but his Cardiff performance offered enough promising moments to suggest the youngest Beckham deserves consideration beyond the nepotism discourse.
