Cruz Beckham: Real Talent, Not Just Nepo Baby!

It was an incredibly nervous Cruz Beckham that was backstage at Mama Roux's in before his first ever headline gig.

London, he felt, would be too judgey for the first concert in his 15-date tour with his band The Breakers.

As the youngest son of celebrity royalty, David and , it will come as no surprise that he has been dogged by the '' label like his siblings, Brooklyn, 26, Romeo, 23, and Harper, 14, for his entire life. 'I was so nervous and sweaty,' he told us afterwards.

We were as worried as he was to be frank. Would he and the band he got together two years ago just fall flat on its face? Might this be another catastrophe like 's much mocked wild-life photography book - What I See - with its out of focus snaps and child-like captions?

Or was this going to be the moment 21-year-old Cruz stepped out from behind his parents' shadow to truly kick-off his dream to be a rockstar?

The Cruz Beckham and the Breakers crowd that we first encountered at the dark and intimate music venue didn't bode particularly well either.

Alongside the seasoned gig goers there were plenty of middle-aged men in David Beckham football shirts nursing their pints alongside women of a similar vintage - clearly Spice Girls fans back in the day. 

Then there were the usual gig-goers in their skinny jeans and zip up hoodies - who were likely to be just as cynical as we were.

As it turned out the true Cruz Beckham fans were the young teenage girls, who arrived in their droves, knew all the words to his small but impressive repertoire and were near hysterical in their desperation for him to arrive.

But it was when he stepped onto the stage that the atmosphere really began to change. It wasn't just the 14-year-olds that swooned - we did too.

Way better looking in person, wearing a billowing red shirt, stripey tie and tailored trousers he looked more like a 50s Hollywood heartthrob than Gen Z pop star.

'I just want to thank everybody for being here,' he said, clearly overwhelmed by the packed-out venue, 'This is my first headline gig. You are all amazing.'

Sadly just when we thought everyone had forgotten he was the son of a famous footballer and former Spice Girl, he was hit with a joke about his mother's musical roots.

'Sing us a Spice Girls song,' an over-excited heckler shouted from the throngs.

No doubt bracing himself for some reference to his famous pop star mum, Cruz handled it gracefully and whispered back into the microphone, 'I don't do requests,' before launching into his own song. Ouch!

There was of course one woman whom he did not ignore - his 31-year-old Brazilian-German girlfriend, Jackie Apostel.

Standing at the side of the stage, the singer-songwriter and music producer was initially brought in to help Cruz write his upcoming album, but fell head over heels in love with him and they've been inseparable ever since.

Dressed casually in a Cruz Beckham and The Breakers baseball cap and strappy white top, a true 'band wife', Jackie mouthed the words to every song.

Keeping out of the spotlight, Jackie filmed parts of the performance on her phone and was seen pinging off pictures to various contacts on her WhatsApp - no doubt to his doting parents.

Fashion designer Victoria Beckham is known to be particularly fond of Jackie and it's no wonder, as she diligently ensured Cruz' mother didn't miss a note.

But no one, it seems, adores Jackie more than Cruz.

Midway through his set, he smiled and told the audience, 'This one's for my girl' before launching into a never-before-heard love song about her.

One lyric – referencing 'the scar on your back' – appeared to allude to Jackie's spinal fusion surgery for scoliosis last year.

'I'm melting' she admitted from the wings.

Clearly more than just his muse, she is his support system and Cruz appeared visibly buoyed by her presence nearby.

'He was so excited to be here,' a beaming Jackie confided in fans afterwards, 'He was aware in London there would be lots of judgmental people in the crowd, so he didn't want to do the first gig there'.

He was right. We were all too ready to judge him as just another talentless nepo baby. But the Cruz Beckham we met last night was far from it. Naturally cool with a great, sexy voice, he has undeniable star power.

Alongside his own catchy rock ballads, including Optics, For Your Love and Lick the Toad (three singles that have already been released on Spotify and which are gaining popularity fast) he performed cover versions from his idol John Lennon's Revolution and Bruce Springsteen's, I'm On Fire.

After Cruz declared 'Let's have some fun', the Breakers let rip on several of their unreleased tracks, such as Caroline, Waste Your Pain, John Lennon and Tie Don't Fit.

He finished the hour-long set with a second performance of his most recent single, For Your Love, before encouraging us 'to come hang out afterwards' with the band. Did he we wondered, really mean that?

Turning to our right, we caught the eye of a fellow young professional who we'd been dancing along with all night.

'Oh my' she admitted. 'I think I fancy Cruz'. Embarrassing as it is to admit, so to our surprise did we.

What was it about him? Well, despite his admission to being nervous, he had the stage presence and confidence of a young Mick Jagger or an up-and-coming Harry Styles.

Even better, he had the grace to come out to speak to every fan after the show, thanking them ten times over for attending his first gig.

After an hour of hugging, signing merchandise and posing for pictures, there wasn't a single fan who hadn't been spoken to.

Yes he was flanked by two bulky security guards (not the usual level of protection for a newbie indie band), at the stage door. But he had none of the arrogant attitude that often comes with that.

Things became a little less rock and roll when his father's former Manchester United teammate and best friend, the somewhat uncool Gary Neville and former lioness Jill Scott, came to congratulate him, but by that stage we didn't care. Indie cool kid Cruz Beckham had won us over and we were smitten.

As the waiting paparazzi swarmed he showed how much of a seasoned professional he was by pausing for the obligatory photograph.

His bandmates, bassist Dan Ewins, guitarist Telmos Seixas and drummer Dario Scotti meanwhile, appeared amused by the spectacle – laughing as the photographers shouted his name.

After piling into the grey transit van, Cruz, Jackie and the Breakers swerved the two-hour drive back down to London and had a night out in Birmingham to celebrate.

In true life on the road style, Cruz had booked into the modest £130 a night Radisson Blu hotel.

'Cruz is buzzing,' his bandmates gleefully announced over a hungover full-English the next morning.

The youngest Beckham son and his girlfriend never made it down to join the group but were later seen putting their bags into the tour bus at midday, headed home for the capital.

And what of us?

Well, we left with limited edition ticket stubs in our pockets - handed out to fans at the door with a personal message from the musician, which read: 'Birmingham, you're my first announced show ever. We're basically bonded for life.'

Oh, and an unexpected newfound love for Cruz Beckham.