Ed Kowalczyk – Islington Academy 2010

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Live front-man Ed Kowalczyk re-emerged onto the live scene in a very low-key manner in 2009, playing tiny solo acoustic gigs around Europe and the USA without much fanfare or publicity.

Now with his debut solo album, Alive, while Live are on indefinite hiatus he is undertaking a full World tour, kicking off the European leg in London. With just the one solo album to his name a handful of Live classics were expected to make up the rest of the set, but it was hoped would not outnumber the excellent, fresh material from Alive.

Kowalczyk also brought with him a brand new band, including his brother Adam and James Gabbie on guitars, Chris Heerlein on bass and Heerlein’s brother Cory replacing Ed’s usual drummer Ramy Antoun. For such a fledgling outfit they were very coherent and delivered a confident performance behind a clearly rejuvenated Kowalczyk who barely stopped smiling for the entire show.

Eight Live tracks were interspersed with ten of the twelve songs from Alive, which were just the right proportions to showcase his new material, but give all the old Live fans something to sing along to. The choices were perhaps quite obvious. Tracks like The Dolphin’s Cry, All Over You, Lightning Crashes and I Alone will be amongst the first titles on the tracklist of any fan’s Live greatest hits CD, but amongst ten new songs with which most fans will be unfamiliar, to have then played obscure album tracks from Live’s catalogue might have resulted in an unaccessible set for many.

As it was it might just as well have been Live performing, such was the response and enthusiasm from the crowd, which Kowalczyk visibly fed from. Despite the small Academy stage he tried to move around as much as possible and put as much energy into his performance as he used to with Live; his voice as good as ever. Live fans will not be disappointed if and when Ed returns with such a good band and new material.

“ clearly rejuvenated ”

Setlist: Just In Time / The Great Beyond / All Over You / Selling The Drama / Zion / Drive / The Dolphin’s Cry / Soul Whispers / Drink (Everlasting Love) / Stand / Heaven / I Alone / Fire On The Mountain // The Beauty of Gray / Grace / Rome / Lightning Crashes / Dance With You

Photo(s): Andy Lye

Written by Andy Lye
More: Gigs, Rock, Ed Kowalczyk