Live Report: James Hersey in Germany

JAMES HERSEY

Live from Köln, Germany

At On The Move we’ve been following James Hersey’s career since 2016, watching him evolve and refine his craft from his “Pages EP” released in 2017 to his second album “Innerverse” released just a few weeks ago in April.

The feeling we instantly got from the new album is that it is deeply personal. That feeling is spread on stage as well, as James used to be accompanied by two musicians and friends to play and is now on his own for most of the set. The point is nothing gets lost in translation.

© Ludivine Desumeur exclusively for On The Move

The Austrian singer-songwriter graces the stage in simplicity and addresses the crowd to come closer before starting playing. James has been practicing a lot to master the looping technique he probably learned from Jeremy Loops with whom he collaborated on the heartwarming song “My People” (which he played that night too). The results show and we are in awe of James’ talent as he performs “What I’ve Done” and showcases his own unique soundscape: an electro-pop universe transcended by a soothing voice full of emotions. It skillfully combines the sensitive aura of the singer-songwriter, the melodic sound of the guitar with the minimal structure of electronic music.

“These Gifts” that made it onto the new album. There’s no defined setlist for this show, James just plays whatever he feels like when he feels like. At some point, he grabs his acoustic guitar and comes at the front of the stage without any microphone and performs “Everywhere You Go”, which is probably the highlight of the show for us. Just a man and his guitar, what more could you ask for? James Hersey and Narou perform “Miss You”, last song of the set but a catchy one! James is a multitalented perfectionist who draws inspiration from life, relationships and personal experiences to build brilliant, honest and heady songs and we are so glad we could finally witness everything live on his Innerverse Tour.

For his fans’ sake (including ours), James comes back not even 15 minutes after the end of the show, but this time at the merch table and grabs his acoustic guitar to play songs the fans want to hear. It shows what kind of artist James is: generous, humble and incredibly talented. There is no barrier between James and his fans, everything just feels right, like a chill Monday night with friends and good music.

© Ludivine Desumeur exclusively for On The Move

Joined by his good friend and co-producer Narou, James performs two of his most successful collaborations “How Hard I Try” with filous and “Coming Over” with Kygo and Dillon Francis and the crowd sings in harmony creating an intimate atmosphere. Those moments are truly beautiful as we witness the singer’s passion for his music and love for his fans.

Follow songs like “Juliet” from his first album “Clarity” released in 2015 and the beautiful homage to his parents

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY LUDIVINE DESUMEUR