Kelly Jones at Alexandra Palace

In the enchantingly ruins-plastered Victoria Theatre at Alexandra Palace, the blue-hued lights dim for an intimate concert. To mark the release of his new solo album Inevitable Incredible at the start of May, Kelly Jones has delivered two back-to-back performances, featuring all the latest tracks.

The initial phase of composing this deeply personal and almost spiritual music took the Stereophonics frontman about three to four weeks, a process he undertook in the quiet hours after putting his children to bed, with the tales of heroes and monsters from their bedtime stories still lingering in his thoughts. The resulting songs are indeed soulful, with lyrics and notes melding into a soothing symphony that doesn’t blare but resounds vibrantly. To further foster the private atmosphere of the event, the use of phones is prohibited, and it’s truly palpable that the audience’s attention is wholly focused on the stage, free from distractions.

The sound of waves ushers in the opening number, Inevitable Incredible, immediately joined by the piano – played by Jones throughout the album and thus a centrepiece of the concert – and the violins. It’s a soothing start. In Turn Bad to Good, a hint of drums underpins the chorus, while the strings drive the upbeat flow of Echowrecked. This latter song takes its title from that tangled, anxious sensation of being overwhelmed by the echoes of past and future worries: lyrics such as “It’s a crime to say I feel alive / A prisoner in my mind” suggest a reflection still unfolding, a beautifully incomplete poem. The piano and the singer’s exceptionally husky voice serve as the captivating pillars of May I Come Home From My War and The Beast Will Be What the Beast Will Be, concluding the record with the gentle ebb of waves.

On stage, the artist is accompanied by Stereophonics band member Richard Jones, while other musicians switch between various instruments, ranging from the “classic” drum and organ, to maracas and electronic beats.

The two subsequent encores, forming a substantial second section of the gig, maintained the soft lighting for some of the four-piece’s recent slow tracks such as Boy on a Bike and This Life Ain’t Easy (But It’s the One That We All Got). The night wraps up with an acoustic rendition of Maybe Tomorrow, performed solo by Jones with only his guitar – a melody that consistently induces goosebumps.

Swinging from rock and pop tunes to more soulful and measured music with his new release, Kelly Jones once again proves his versatility and talent.

Cristiana Ferrauti
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit Kelly Jones’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Echowrecked here: