LIAM BAILEY / Großbritannien

In the organizer's words:

Twenty years into his career, Liam Bailey can finally be himself. Over the past two decades, the Nottingham-born singer-songwriter has lent his majestically powerful and poignant voice to such diverse, enduring tracks as his 2010 lo-fi guitar and vocal breakout 'I'd Rather Go Blind', released on Amy Winehouse's Lioness Records, 2011's chase-and-status hit 'Blind Faith' and 2013's reggae stepper 'When Will They Learn'. In 2015, he released his solo debut "Definitely Now" and has been an in-demand collaborator ever since, writing and performing with singers like VV Brown and Paloma Faith, as well as dancefloor-shaking producers like Shy FX and co-writer Breaking. But it's only now, in 2024, that Bailey has created what he describes as "the album I've always wanted to make": Zero Grace.

Across 12 tracks of tape-recorded analog ingenuity, "Zero Grace" finds Bailey unveiling a series of remarkable new manifestations of his iconic voice. From the baritone grit and psychedelic guitars of "Winter Is Within Thee" to the chirpy references to '60s Beatles in "Holding On", the heartbreaking storytelling of his chaotic early childhood in "Disorder Starts At Home" and the infectious falsetto reggae of "Sekkle Down", Bailey demonstrates a musical maturity that permeates all aspects of the soulful modern songbook. "I've had to grow to embody everything from the Stooges to Zamrock, Bowie and Peter Tosh," he says. "I've soaked it all up and now it's coming out. It's my best piece of work."

This free-flowing creativity wasn't unleashed alone. Producer Leon Michels was by Bailey's side the entire time, enlisting his iconic favorite label Big Crown Records for the release, as well as a slew of musicians, including bassist Nick Movshon and up-and-coming guitarist Dylan Nowik. The quartet harnessed their intuitive inventiveness over the course of two weeks of sessions in New York, where the entire album was written and recorded. "It all came together so quickly because Leon is a genius and because we can look back so far," says Bailey. "This is the album we wanted to make right at the beginning of my career."

Ultimately, "you just have to stay in the ring and go where the love is," Bailey says of his musical journey. "And if you sit and focus on the craft, you'll pick up a nugget somewhere. You'll find your freedom."

Zero Grace is Bailey with the guardrails down, creating with no airs and graces and just this newfound sense of freedom. "It's Zero Grace because I don't have a filter," he says. "I have an unadulterated sense of self, so it's hard for me not to be myself." It's a privilege to finally hear Bailey this way - a generational talent, raw and unfiltered.

Price information:

VVK: 24 € + service and VVK fee / AK: 30 € / standing room