Sheila Chisholm
When Julian Battaglia from Fine Music Radio heard +Live+ had announced their reunion tour in South Africa he (almost) jumped with delight. “Wow” he said, “are you serious? Are they really coming? That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time. ”
+Live+’s first stop is the Grand Arena at GrandWest on 7 November, and on 10 and 11 November at Sun-Arena-Time Square, Menlyn Maine in Pretoria.
Ed Kowalczyk’s voice
Battaglia’s enthusiasm was so palpable I asked him why he found this band particularly special? “1994 – the year our country started on its new journey I was 3rd year post matric student and part of the decade of the most extraordinary iconic alternative rock music. That’s when I heard +Live’s+ Lightning Crashes. Linking its life and death lyrics were beautiful guitar riffs and Ed Kowalczyk’s mesmerizing passionate voice. Even though the quality wasn’t all that great (we cheated by copying tape to tape on double cassette hi-fi’s) this song was heard at every party. It became one of the rock anthems and part of +Live+’s Throwing Copper album – one of the few albums you could listen to non-stop for hours. Selling the Drama and I Alone were two more tracks heard everywhere.”
Still bubbling with enthusiasm Battaglia bubbled on: “I waited for their next album – Secret Samadhi – which (eventually) appeared in 1997. Anthemic songs included Lakini’s Juice – a very distinct song about desire and destruction, and Freaks – a more grungy “questioning of things” sort of song. Lyrics and sound of this album felt much darker, but incredibly beautiful at the same time. Once again an album you could listen to for ages.”
When, in 2009, lead singer Kowalczyk left the band to start working on his solo album, Battaglia felt the essence of the music he loved would disappear. Therefore hearing they are reconnecting and performing at Grand West in November he feels sure “all the 90’s alternative rockers will dust off their leather jackets, take out their doc martins, sort out babysitters and head out for a grand night reviving well loved memories of +Live+’s Kowalczyk (vocals, guitar), Chad Taylor (guitar, backing vocals), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass) and Chad Gracey (drums, percussion)
Who: +Live+
Where, when:
Grand Arena, GrandWest, Cape Town 7 November, 2017
Sun-Arena-Time Square, Menlyn Maine, Pretoria, 10, 11 November, 2017
Book tickets: www.computicket.co.za
WS
