Irish Emotions with Gavin James and Kodaline

This year,Baloise Session again takes place from 27th October to 11th November 2022 at Messe Basel. With only 1,500 seats, you can get up close and personal with world stars like OneRepublic, Lewis Capaldi or, tonight, Gavin James and Kodaline in the intimate setting. Under the motto “Irish Emotions”, the Irish bring the magic of their homeland with them.

Gavin James kicks off the evening

He is a prime example of the Irish with his red hair and musical family. His great-grandparents were well-known opera singers in Ireland. This is how the Irish musician Gavin James is announced to the audience by Baloise CEO Beatrice Stirnimann. What she doesn’t mention is that his parents and sister also sing. He learned to sing from his sister Emma. He even has written songs with her.

Gavin James kicks off the night all alone on guitar with “Jealous”, from his new third album “The Sweetest Part”, released in July. It’s probably the saddest song in the whole world, he says. But assures, it will only get more fun from now on. And he keeps what he promises.

Gavin James has the audience reveling in the opening songs “Boxes” and “Coming Home”. It’s mostly dead quiet when the Irish musician performs beautiful ballads like the new “Heaven” or “Nervous” (one of his live favourites). However, when the photographers are gone after the third song, many won’t stay any longer on their chairs. A large part of the audience rushes directly into the front of the stage with “Glow” to be able to dance along to Gavin’s rousing beats.

Photo gallery: Gavin James at Baloise Session 2022

In Gavin James 75 min. Set, a selection from all three albums, there are several of these stirring uptempo songs. So the Irish pop musician asks the audience to get up on “All For You”. The song was not a Tuesday night but more of a Saturday night song. We quickly find out why. The song begins very calmly and softly before a hard dance beat kicks in and there is no holding back.

Around the world with “Always”.

Over 1.8 billion Spotify streams worldwide and 45 platinum and gold awards: Since the Bierhübeli concert in 2019 (read here ), Gavin James’ worldwide fame has grown enormously. So Gavin recently returned from Brazil with a diamond award (1 million units – fun facts: the award has been around since 2013). Of course, the song that gives you goosebumps should not be missing from today’s Baloise session. For the start of “Always,” Gavin sits down at the piano and then comes back to the front with the guitar.

By the way, Gavin James is accompanied by keyboardist Geoff Warner Clayton and drummer Ronan Nolan, who contribute tunes and beats from their instruments just as passionately as Gavin himself does. Differently to the concert at Bierhübeli Bern, Gavin is a lot more talkative today. He always seems to find a reason for a joke. Between the first songs he tells with a grin that he brought an extra suitcase to take a lot of cheese home with him.

Not only is it incredibly beautiful to listen to Gavin James and his band, it’s also a lot of fun. The mixture of Irish folk, pop and rock as well as his humor doesn’t just go down well with me. One could watch and listenn to him forever. But all good things come to an end sooner or later.

Finally, Gavin James and his band really crank up again. So Gavin rushes off the stage, through the audience with “Only Ticket Home”. He climbs onto a box at the back of the mixing desk and hits the strings again. The audience sings along loudly. It’s almost like standing in the middle of an Irish pub.

Of course you don’t just let the trio go like that. The encore gets loudly demanded. The quiet “Book Of Love” is just right for relaxing.

Kodaline finally back on tour

After the changeover Gavin’s compatriots from the band Kodaline follow. It is hardly a coincidence that Gavin James and Kodaline play together an evening of concerts. The musicians not only have their homeland Ireland in common. Gavin James and Kodaline also grew up together, as Gavin mentions. Guitarist Mark Prendergast also co-wrote and produced a number of songs on Gavin James’ new album, “The Sweetest Part”.

Having last seen Kodaline live at the Seaside Festival in Spiez in 2019 (photo gallery), I am all the more pleased that they are back in Switzerland. Anyone who has already seen Kodaline live knows that it will be a bit quieter and more melancholic. Especially with their current “Our Roots Run Deep” unplugged tour.

Kodaline have fulfilled their dream

With their new live album “Our Roots Run Deep” and the accompanying tour of the same name, Kodaline celebrate the end of the pandemic restrictions. Finally performing live again. That was a very special feeling for the band when they were back on stage for the first time in March 2022 at home in Dublin’s sold-out Olympia Theater. This is how the live album came about. A dream that they were able to fulfill after a long time. It’s kind of a best of. With the newly arranged acoustic set, raw and unfiltered, Kodaline show what beautiful songs they have released in their 15+ years band career.

Photo gallery: Kodaline at Baloise Session 2022

Not only does the new live album open with “Wherever You Are” (from their current 4th studio album “One Day At A Time” (release: 20th November 2020)), but also today’s Baloise Session concert. Pure goosebumps! Frontman Steve Garrigan’s voice is strong and so clear. The mandatory pandemic break seems to have done his voice good. The harmonies to songs like “Ready” or “Brother” couldn’t be more perfect.

Kodaline are again supported on this tour by Mark’s cousin Dave Prendergast and new cellist David Doyle. Kodaline not only play their well-known hits like “The One” (of course in a sea of lights), “Love Like This” (including a count-in with drummer Vinny) or “High Hopes”. In addition to their own version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”, Kodaline also play their “Everything works out in the end”, which they have never really played live outside of this tour.

Vinny, do you have enough guitar?

Kodaline’s mega hit “All I Want” caps their beautiful concert, which ends with a standing ovation. But before they can start the last song, drummer Vinny causes some confusion. While Vinny is actually signaling to their monitor technician Mike, frontman Steve thinks he’s meant. That’s never happened before, Steve laughs. So everyone quickly waves to Mike and see what Vinny exactly wants. Pretending that didn’t just happen and starting the song over. That could easily turn into a running gag: “Vinny, do you have enough guitar?”

Anyone who, like me, can’t get enough of Kodaline will be there again on 20 November 2022 at X-Tra Zurich. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.

Next Baloise Session in 2023

The Baloise Session: A wonderful ambience in the middle of Basel, which, with great combinations of great musicians, invites you to great concert evenings full of musical enjoyment. National and international artists have been on the festival stage for 37 years, delighting concertvisitors and music lovers every year. This is how Gavin James and Kodaline enchanted their audience tonight. First known as the Rheinknie Session and later the AVO Session, Basler or Baloise Insurances took over the sponsorship in 2013 and gave the festival its new name.