Liverpool hailing rising singer and songwriter KOF recently celebrated the release of his debut EP by throwing a small thank you gig at The Paradise in West London, for an intimate crowd of friends and supporters.
An Alternative Soul serves as his first effort as a reinvented artist having previously created a buzz in the underground garage scene. Now having entered a new phase in his career, he debuted all of the tracks taken from the EP in their entirety with some added touches, accompanied by his live band and backing singers.
Before kicking off the usually shy performer, clearly in good spirits, immediately engaged the crowd by thanking everyone who came asking the crowd to come closer showing the confidence he’s gained over the past few months on the live circuit. Starting with his feel good “Looking At Me” with additional help from his two impressive support singers, he smoothly transitioned into his original mash up of “Thugs Mansion” and “Teen Spirit” where his talented acoustic guitarist Dev (also of BBC Radio 1) shone through, as did their on stage chemistry.
Effortlessly running through tracks from the EP, KOF showed off his distinctly unique vocals and the power and range of his voice. He displayed several tender moments, with his band and backing singers complimenteing the more soulful tracks, and stood out on the more upbeat songs – including a touch of reggae where they switched up the vibe of the usually chilled “Get Out.”
A highlight for me was when the unmistakeable voice that is Terri Walker joined him on their collaboration “Need Somebody” where the two playfully serenaded each other whilst Terri reminded us of her vocal and soul.
The ability to engage an intimate audience is often difficult but KOF’s efforts managed to do just that – and although still needing some work on his stage presence, KOF is proving to be a worthy addition to the UK music scene.
More photos from the night:
Read our review of An Alternative Soul, available to purchase now on iTunes.
Photography by Rakiya S [@RakiyaS]