Words and photography: Isabella Nixon

Not content with one side project, Stereophonics and Far From Saints’ Kelly Jones performs his new solo record to an intimate crowd at Alexandra Palace Theatre, as Isabella Nixon reports.

Recently taking a break from the rockier side of music, Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones took some time to form a brand new project, and no, I’m not on about his other hit band, Far From Saints. Between the final few months of 2022, Jones focussed on writing a brand new album, with a powerful title that stands out amongst others,  Inevitable Incredible. Consisting of 8 tracks, the seasoned songwriter takes us on a musical journey of emotional depth and strength.

As part of this album release, Jones announced a UK tour, in which he would perform solo, accompanied by a string quartet, Stereophonics bassist Richard Jones, drums, acoustic guitar, a grand piano, and an organ. I was lucky enough to grab a ticket to this intimate performance, and it was not one to miss!

Kicking off the performance with the album’s title track ‘Inevitable Incredible’, fans watched in awe. By introducing a policy of no phones on this tour, the performance felt intimate and special. A few tears were shed, alongside the echoing sounds of fans cheering after every song, including the occasional super fan shouting ‘I love you, Kelly!’, as per many solos and Stereophonics’ gigs.

I’ve been to a lot of gigs lately, but this performance truly had me speechless. From the aqua backdrop to the gorgeous violinists’ tones, this performance was a truly captivating and mesmerising experience. As a huge fan of both Kelly Jones and his band, I felt so lucky to be part of such a small audience. Holding around 800 people, the vocals echoed through the walls of Alexandra Palace Theatre – we could even hear him thank the crowd without his mic in his hand.

Growing up and forming Stereophonics in the village of Cwmaman in 1992, Jones is truly a Welsh treasure – how he tells a story through his music is what draws me in – however, alongside the meaningful stories behind his lyricism, he did confess that when writing Inevitable Incredible, he wrote a brilliant song but it had, in his words, “a shit title.” He sat and thought about the meaning of the song, before making a whole new word up, which resonated with him as an artist. This song is now called ‘Echowrecked’, and can be found in track four of his album.

After playing his new album in full, Jones played a few fan favourites, including ‘Boy On A Bike’, ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ and ‘Maybe Tomorrow’. If you’re interested in the setlist, you can find it below.

Kelly Jones’ new record Inevitable Incredible is out now via Ignition Records. Stream the songs here.