Location: Klangbar Hamburg-Bergedorf
Date: 09. Oktober 2025
‘Sarah Smith & Band – Canada’s Rock Voice live at the Klangbar! – That’s what you could read in the event announcement. OK, I know a lot of Canadian Rock singers, e.g. Adrienne Cowan (Seven Spires, Avantasia), Kobra Paige (Kobra and the Lotus), Brittney Slayes (Unleash The Archers), or Dan Cleary (Striker), Steve Kudlow (Anvil), Chad Kroeger (Nickelback), Randy Bachman (Bachman-Turner Overdrive, The Guess Who) and many others. However, the name Sarah Smith wasn’t yet familiar to me. So, I spontaneously bought the latest album to date, ‘Come Together’. And I liked what I heard. Although the singer said, ‘We’re much better LIVE!’ Of course I wanted to experience this for myself. You can see all the pictures of the evening on Flickr.
So that Thursday I made my way to the ‘Klangbar’ in Bergedorf. After touring with the proto-punk band The Joys for a few years, she obviously changed her musical style. She has been travelling as a solo artist for around fifteen years, indulging her love of melodic and catchy Rock. Alongside a series of older songs and covers, she presented her new album ‘So Brand New’. Exactly, I had not bought the latest album with “Come Together”. She played six songs from ‘So Brand New’ that evening. And there was a little story to tell about almost every song. After just about one hour, you could chat to the likeable singer during a short break. Or even buy something from the small merchandising stand. I took the opportunity to buy the latest album. The first part of the show was already varied and very entertaining. But part 2 was to top that. At the beginning, Sarah was alone on stage with her acoustic guitar. Two quite quiet songs. But then the band really rocked out. During the Led Zeppelin classic “Rock’n’Roll”, Ralf Hagemeier (The What’s Up Band) entered the stage. Instead of a short jam session, the song was celebrated together in full length. A premiere for the band. In my opinion, the highlight was the guest appearance by Ala and Bobby from Eaststone. Both came on stage spontaneously. Well, it wasn’t that spontaneous, Sarah Smith had asked them to come on stage. The three of them sang the Little Big Town cover ‘Girl Crush’. Bobby also took over the singer’s acoustic guitar. It goes without saying that the fans vehemently demanded an encore at the end. For the final song of the evening, she was once again alone on stage with her acoustic guitar. In the second part, she presented a new interpretation of the Kris Kristofferson classic ‘Me And Bobby McGee’.
Lineup:
Sarah Smith – Vocals, Guitar
Stewart McLellan – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Lonnie Glass – Bass, Backing Vocals
Bobby Reynolds – Drums
Song list:
Teil 1:
- The Stars
- Shine Bright
- Wake Up The Angels
- You Make Me Feel
- The Story
- Undertow
- East Side
- Whatever It Takes
- How Many Times Do We Have To Grow
Part 2:
- Runaway
- Already Here
- Rock’n’Roll
- I Love Rock’n’Roll
- Sunrise
- Girl Crush (feat. Ala and Bobby)
- I Need To Know
- Changing My Mind
- Three Little Birds
- Boomerang
Encore:
- You Don’t Get My Love
- Angels And Anchors / Me And Bobby McGee
Oh yes, that was a beautiful evening. Sarah Smith and her band presented a mixture of Folk and Rock from different genres. And I got to know another Canadian Rock singer. This was apparently her fifth time at Klangbar. If she performs there again, I will be there again. One word about the comment I mentioned at the beginning: ‘We’re much better LIVE!’. I can confirm exactly that. The live performance was full of energy and powerful. Of course, playing live is completely different from a studio recording. Maybe she should invite her live band into the studio. Because they play a big part in the great live atmosphere.
