22 October 2019 (gig)
22 October 2019
It is without an iota of doubt I state that everyone who attended this gig was left genuinely touched, buzzing with a sense they had witnessed something truly special. Art Alexakis, the charismatic front man of Everclear, treated the London audience to an intimate and stripped back set involved simply himself and a selection of acoustic guitars.
On the road to coincide with the release of his solo album ‘Sun Songs’, Art providing his army of devoted fans with a run-down of Everclear hits. (Set list below) The intimacy of this gig was like no other I have seen. Art professed at the start that he felt nervous about performing in such a stripped back setting, but soon appeared overwhelmed and taken aback by the amount of love in the room for him, with literally every person singing every word to every song.
The new tracks from Sun Songs were received exceptionally well. In particular the tender and passionate Sunshine Lovesong and powerfully honest account of his recent diagnosis with MS, The Hot Water Test. Although Art did not seem pleased with his rendition of the latter, the crowd responded with an extended applause, the likes of which I have not seen outside of a theatre standing ovation. Art was clearly moved by this responding with, “Wow, thank you, I needed that!”
The tone for the gig was set after this and Art set out on a crowd-pleasing tour of his work, old and new. He implored the eager crowd to sing the instrumental parts to tracks previously considered impossible on acoustic (So Much for the Afterglow, including intro) and the result, whilst hilarious, was a room truly united and connected. To many fan’s delight, the encore consisted of a microphone set up out in the audience with Art accommodating crowd requests and telling anecdotes until curfew.
It is undeniable that the energy and connection between Art and his fans is built on a foundation of love. Given the explicitly raw, unflinching and personal nature of his most successful work, it seems his fans are keen to show him they genuinely care about him on a personal level, as well as appreciate him as an artist.
All were elated to hear Art announce that Everclear will be returning to the UK in April 2020 to perform Songs from an American Movie in its entirety.
Songs from an American Movie
I will buy you a new life
Nervous and Weird
Strawberry
Sunshine Lovesong
Thrift Store Chair
Heartspark Dollarsign
Father of Mine
The Hot Water test
Loser Makes Good
Line in the Sand
Everything to Everyone
Wonderful
Santa Monica
