ADAM FRENCH performs at Communion Music New Faces show.

Communion Music tend to put some amazing artists together from time to time, just to send them on a tour across the country. The Beach, Adam French, Rukhsana Merrise and Matt Woods landed on April’s New Faces list and I went to their show at St Stephen’s Church in London last week.

A peculiar and certainly not an everyday location choice for a gig but what an arrangement! Despite the religion issue, it’s fair to admit that churches give you the unique and rare feeling of a high serenity. A feeling and a place where all harmonies are balanced and untouched.

Adam French is one of those artists who might appear, at first glance, as full of ambiguity. Then you look closer, you wonder a little bit more and when you think you’ve finally got it – you actually have no idea.

Three months, two American shows and one EP later we meet again. And I still haven’t figured it out.

Sharing the stage with so many artists demands a good precision and a sacrifice when it comes to the setlist choices. But British singer-songwriter seems to be excellent at keeping it all in balance.

The opening track Face To Face, the latest offering taken from the new EP under the same title (Apr 2016), is another great example of French‘s well crafted songwrititng skills whereas one of the crowd’s favourites More To Life only emphasizes, typical for him, sublime melody sequence. Intertwining up-tempo beats with slower tracks and having a strong connection with the audience, he crates some sort of a safe zone.

Slowing down a little bit with the song Weightless and lighting it up a little bit with Euthanasia French unveils distinctive, and momentarily husky, vocals fully taking advantage of the acoustics of the church. Certainly, a chatty type, with a firm stage presence, he introduces every member of his band, just as he introduces every song of the set.

Never losing his wit and confidence, not even for a second, French thanks Communion for having them and admits he was told not to swear in this place of God. No matter the circumstances, the cocky side of his always has to stand out. Just a little bit.

Finishing off with the absolutely beautiful track Ivory and a sing along Adam French proves, yet again, that there’s much more for him to achieve and there’s much more for us to see. He’s just getting started.

Read our latest interview with Adam French here and check out BBC Introducing documentary from his New York show to get more insights about his story so far.

Photo: Kasia Osowiecka