Grammy Award-winning guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Christone “Kingfish” Ingram surprised his worldwide fans by dropping his third album, Live In London. The album was recorded on June 6, 2023, in front of a sweaty, sold-out, standing-room-only crowd at the famous UK club, The Garage. Live In London is the guitar-driven live album Kingfish’s fans around the world have been clamouring for since they first watched him perform as a teenager on YouTube.
Live In London will be available as a 2-CD set on Friday, October 13, and as a 2-LP set on Friday, November 10. Both the CD and LP will include the concert’s encore performances as bonus tracks. Filmed at the concert, a video of the first single from Live In London, the previously unrecorded track ‘Midnight Heat’, also premieres today.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘MIDNIGHT HEAT’ HERE
Throughout the concert, Kingfish’s command over his instrument is awe-inspiring. He remains in the moment, at times raining down incendiary solos, other times picking poignant, blues-drenched licks, but always playing deeply from his heart. Along with his versatile, tight-knit band – bassist Paul Rogers, drummer Christopher Black and keyboardist Deshawn Alexander – he brings intensity and honesty to each song, moving the audience from hushed disbelief to spontaneous, extended ovations. Guitar World, describing a recent live Kingfish performance, declared, “Ingram sets the bar terrifyingly high, all but setting the fretboard ablaze with nimble but tasteful runs that impress while never losing sight of the song.”
Soul-stirring and steeped in energy and excitement, Live In London finds the internationally recognized guitar prodigy and vocalist performing 17 songs, with tracks including material from his two studio albums (2019’s GRAMMY-nominated debut, Kingfish, and 2021’s GRAMMY-winning 662). Live In London also includes two new potent, original songs, ‘Midnight Heat’ and ‘Mississippi Night’, as well as a blistering version of Michael “Iron Man” Burks’ ‘Empty Promises’. Singing with the deepest soul feeling and playing guitar with searing, organic intensity, Kingfish immediately draws fans in via his explosive set opener ‘She Calls Me Kingfish’. From the reworked, funk-inspired ‘Hard Times’ to the tender tribute to his late mother, ‘Rock & Roll’, to the electric encore, ‘Long Distance Woman’ (one of the two bonus tracks), Live In London takes the listener on an unforgettable, exhilarating ride.
“This album is a short lifetime in the making,” says Kingfish. “I’ve long had an interest in recording a live album and I finally felt the timing was right. Not only do I have a deeper catalogue of music to choose from, but I also have been extensively touring with my band. Both of which truly made recording a live album smooth. Sprinkle in the opportunity to perform in a city I love, it’s all a no-brainer and something that makes me deeply proud.”
In the four short years since the release of his self-titled debut album, Kingfish, Ingram has taken the music world by storm. From his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi to stages around the globe, the young blues star has already headlined multiple U.S. and European tours, and amazed fans in Australia, New Zealand, and India. Selected in summer 2022 to open for The Rolling Stones in London’s Hyde Park, Kingfish has also performed and toured with friends including Vampire Weekend, Jason Isbell, Steve Miller and Buddy Guy, a mentor of his, with whom he appeared on Austin City Limits.
Major media has also continued to celebrate Kingfish’s story. In July 2021, NPR’s Morning Edition featured him in a seven-minute story broadcast to its 14 million listeners. In April 2022, Kingfish made his national television debut on CBS Saturday Morning, performing three songs as well as being featured in an in-depth interview segment. In July 2022, The Washington Post Magazine ran a 5000-word feature on the young musician, calling him “a generational talent.” He’s appeared on magazine covers including Guitar World, Guitar Player, DownBeat, Living Blues and Blues Music Magazine.
Sparked by his non-stop touring, writing and recording schedule, Kingfish’s natural talent just keeps growing. With his jaw-dropping guitar playing and his reach-out-and-grab-you-by-the-collar vocals, he performs every song with unmatched passion and precision. With both Kingfish and 662, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram delivered contemporary blues music that spoke to his generation and beyond, bringing to bear the full healing and hopeful power of the blues.
Now, Live In London captures Kingfish’s lightning in a bottle. It’s an onstage snapshot of the young singer, songwriter and guitarist creating musical magic in real time, leaving his listeners spellbound and always wanting more.
Check out my interview with Kingfish hereBlog interview: Christone Ingram, AKA Kingfish
Special thanks to Tom Fletcher Baxter PR
