Leaving their gloomy London for a minute, The Heavy embarked on a world tour in late March to promote their new album Amen released in April. On May 16th, they stopped by the legendary Troubadour in West Hollywood for the first of two shows in sunny Los Angeles. After quickly selling out the night of the 17th, the band added a second show that felt close to being a sold-out show.
At 8:30pm the lights turned off and the band took the stage. Even though The Heavy’s official line-up consists of 4 musicians, the band performs with 6 extra musicians on stage (keyboards, a 2nd guitar, two back-up singers and a 3-piece brass section). The first notes of “Short Change Hero” got a strong and warm reaction from the crowd. The western-movie-like song is one the band’s most recognizable tunes. The tone was set for the night, The Heavy meant business and the audience was all ears. Later on Kelvin Swaby (vocals), shared how excited they were about Amen coming out a few months earlier and the band proceeded to perform “Hurricane Coming” the first single released of the new LP.
A good portion of the songs played that night were from the new album, “Bad Muthafucker” and “I Feel The Love” uplifted the crowd. Swaby’s energy was incredible, walking the stage from side to side, like a tiger in a cage, ready to jump into the wild. Between each song, he interacts with the audience and creates a real bond with the fans. Throughout the show the audience participates, sings along to the choruses. There is a real feeling of communion and togetherness. This is not just another concert we’re attending; it feels like a precious moment shared with perfect strangers.
“A Whole Lot Of Me” brought the pace down for a second before bouncing back to a higher level of energy with a personal favorite, the funky “Better As One”. The Heavy delivers a unique sound of soulful rock, a sort of James-Brown-soaked-into-60’s-garage-rock vibe.
The encore mainly consisted of songs from the 2012 album The Glorious Dead and ended with their ultimate hit “How You Like Me Now”. The two LA nights concluded the US portion of the Amen world tour and the band is now headed back to Europe. Any opportunity to see The Heavy in concert is an opportunity to be seized.
SETLIST:
Short Change Hero / Can’t Play Dead / Heavy For You / Hurricane Coming / Stone Cold Killer / Cause For Alarm / Curse Me Good / I Feel The Love / Bad Muthafucker / Just Like Summer / A Whole Lot Of Me / Better As One / What Happened To The Love / Same Ol’ / Feels Like Rain / What Makes A Good Man / How You Like Me Now
THE HEAVY
Photos + Review by Manuel Gay | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!