ECHOBELLY – THE PRINCE ALBERT, BRIGHTON 21.05.19
It was always inevitable that this Echobelly acoustic set gig at The Prince Albert in Brighton was going to turn into a little bit of a nostalgia fest, and with set openers ‘Something Hot In A Cold Country’ and ‘Car Fiction’ from Echobelly’s 1995 album ‘On’, so it proved to be, to an extent.
The band’s 21st Century output certainly didn’t go unrepresented. ‘A Good Day’ from 2004 album ‘Gravity Pulls’ made an early appearance, with ‘Faces In The Mirror’, ‘Dead Again’, and ‘Firefly’ coming from ‘Anarchy And Alchemy’, released in 2017.
Echobelly tonight comprise core members Sonya Madan on vocals, and guitarist Glenn Johansson, and with a performance as good as the one they give, it really doesn’t matter when the material comes from. There is a saying to the effect that a good song will sound great with just an acoustic guitar and a voice, no matter how sophisticated the original recording was. Echobelly certainly prove that. There is real joy in Sonya’s eyes when she sings, and Glenn’s playing is utterly superlative.
Naturally, the oldies do get an airing, with ‘King Of The Kerb’ and ‘Great Things’ appearing towards the end of the set, and ‘Insomniac’ from the first album (1994’s ‘Everyone’s Got One’) featuring in the encore. I managed to have a chat with Sonya after the show, and she told me that full band shows are in the pipeline, which is great news. However, whether it be electric or acoustic, Echobelly are still a damn fine live band.
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A great review thanks, and justified! A very talented pair of songwriterd and performers, who leave most of the younger generation in their dust.