Snow Patrol @ LA's Immanuel Presbyterian Church

By Jessica Klausing

Gary Lightbody performs at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church. Photo by Courtney Lavender

Snow Patrol performed a beautiful acoustic set at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. In late 2019, for their 25th anniversary, the band released, Reworked, an album consisting of stripped back versions of their songs. The tour was originally scheduled for 2020, but was rescheduled twice due to the pandemic.

“Thank you for helping get us through the pandemic, Gary!” a fan from the balcony eagerly shouted to front man Gary Lightbody as he took stage.

“You’re welcome, but I didn’t do anything really,” Lightbody smiled humbly, acknowledging the thunderous applause and cheers all around him. “Let’s give it up for all of the musicians who were still sharing music during the pandemic, helping us all get through it!”

The past two years have been tough for musicians and music lovers alike with many show postponements and cancellations, but on that Monday night in March, Snow Patrol provided Los Angeles with the comfort of live music and community that we’ve all been deprived of for too long.

The lineup consisted of two originals from the band; Gary Lightbody and guitarist Nathan Connolly. Iain Archer, a former Snow Patrol member, filled in for Johnny McDaid as the keyboardist for the night. Upon scrutiny, one would question why a rock band would choose a cathedral to play a gig. The question was immediately answered as soon as the band launched into “Empress.” During the song the band ceased their playing, allowing their rich a capella harmonies to soar and echo throughout the venue. It was indeed a spiritual performance.

The irony of being in a church was not lost on Lightbody who jokingly commented that he would refrain from saying anything that might get him struck down by lightning. Lightbody kept the mood light with his comedic banter all night. He hilariously admitted to shrinking the only shirt he brought for the show in the laundry. And he not only forgot lyrics to many of the songs despite having them printed in front of him, he also forgot the word 'wrist.' The grinning front man has a way of drawing the audience in with his endearing, self-deprecating humor.

On “I Think Of Home,” Lightbody took a somber moment to remember his grandmother. The low lights shined down as he crooned about the memories of his youth, reminding all of us “there’s beauty north, south, east, west.” My favorite part was when Lightbody finished the song with just his vocals echoing into the cathedral. No instruments. No backing vocals. Just a man and his vulnerability.

A favorite of the night, “Life On Earth,” was packed with emotion. If there was a moment during the show that nearly moved me to tears, it was this song. You could feel the passion in Lightbody’s voice during the chorus. “This not the love you’ve had before/This is something else, this is something else/This is not the same as other days, this is something else/It shouldn’t need to be so fucking hard/This is life on earth, it’s just life on earth. It doesn’t need to be the end of you, or me/This is life on earth, it’s just life on earth.”

During “Called Out in the Dark,” Lightbody insisted everyone stand up and sing along, but it was perhaps, “Chasing Cars” that prompted the most feral crowd screams and the loudest sing a long of the night. The singing became so out of control, the band stopped playing to allow the audience to sing out the ending lyrics, “If I just lay here/If I just lay here/ Would you lie with me and just forget the world?”

By the end of the night, the show turned into one giant sing-a-long dance party. The audience overpowered Lightbody’s vocals during the closers “What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get?” and “Just Say Yes.”

I left the venue feeling rejuvenated and with a thankful heart. The Snow Patrol unplugged gig with those beautiful harmonies and Lightbody’s delightful sense of humor was the spiritual awakening that I did not know I needed, but I’m glad I did. Thank you, Snow Patrol!

SETLIST:
Chocolate
Crack The Shutters
Empress
This Isn’t Everything You Are
Don’t Give In
Run
Set the Fire to the Third Bar
You’re All I have
The Long Shadow
I Think Of Home
These Lies
Life On Earth
Heal Me
Called Out in the Dark
Chasing Cars
Open Your Eyes

ENCORE:
What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get?
Just Say Yes

CONCERT REVIEW: Coby Brown Plays with Heart @ Hollywood's Hotel Cafe

Written by Jessica Klausing

From left to right: David Immerglück, Coby Brown, and Jonny Flaugher. Photo by Jessica Klausing.

Coby Brown treated fans to a beautiful, laid-back set in the intimate Second Stage Room at Hollywood’s Hotel Café on Thursday.

Brown is no stranger to the Hollywood music scene. He’s a composer and songwriter who’s had his work featured in numerous films and TV shows; most recently he completed the score for the biopic, “The Man Who Knew Infinity.”  Brown himself is a proficient performer. He exudes tremendous ease on guitar while his soft, pure voice delivers humble lyrics. His band for the night – Jonny Flaugher (upright bass) and David Immerglück (guitar, mandolin, and backing vocals) play like they have been performing all their lives with Brown, moderating their instruments to keep the vocals in the forefront while laying down solos when called for.

Jonny Flaugher photo by Jessica Klausing.

The opener, “Sunday,” set a mellow tone for the rest of the night. Flaugher’s heavy bass supports Brown’s lyrical narrative as well as his crisp guitar chops. His lyrics are plainspoken but evocative as he sings, “Don’t you talk to me like a dead man/Cause I can do anything you can.”

Brown is an acoustic folk artist, but more importantly, he’s a keen observer able to capture the singer-songwriter genre in the personal stories the lyrics tell, and the sensitive, emotional accompaniment of his band.

David Immerglück photo by Jessica Klausing.

After a relatively laid back slew of songs, the energy started to pick up on “Living Proof,” with Immerglück’s rousing solo on his red Jazzmaster. He then traded in guitar for the mandolin on “Call and Answer.”

The highlight of the set was “Hospital,” in which Brown strikes an emotional chord through the anxious feelings of fear, the desperation for comfort, and to find a way out of a bad situation. The band followed with “Cigarettes,” a sweeping, honest ballad that captures the pain of watching someone destroy their life through a substance addiction. Brown laments, “Take something beautiful/ fill it up with hate.”

Coby Brown photo by Jessica Klausing.

Brown closed with “Lived To Tell the Story,” a fitting ending to sum up his experiences to learn from past mistakes in order to move on.

When the evening finally came to an end, Coby Brown and his band left to a roar of applause, ample evidence of a show well done. There’s a soothing sensation that hits you when they first start playing and a satisfaction when they end, and the time between those moments is filled with a sense of trying to make sense of all the loss and heartbreak in life. And for an evening, while we still may not be able to make sense of the pain, it’s comforting to know that things will be alright somehow.

SETLIST:
Sunday
Come On, It's Time to Go
Living Proof
2 Way Street
Without You
Call and Answer
Hospital
21st Century
Cigarettes
Tokyo
Lived To Tell the Story