Miles Kane – Sunlight in the Shadows Acoustic Album Launch
- Desh Kapur
- Sep 15
- 2 min read
Jacaranda Baltic, Liverpool – 14 September 2025
WORDS / IMAGES DESH KAPUR
Miles Kane returned to his hometown last night for a special acoustic album launch at Jacaranda Baltic, previewing songs from his forthcoming record Sunlight in the Shadows (out 17 October via Easy Eye Sound). The 400-capacity basement venue sold out instantly, and the intimate setting proved the perfect backdrop for a show that blended nostalgia with anticipation.
There’s a unique magic to descending into a Liverpool basement venue, and Jacaranda Baltic was buzzing with it. With just a microphone and an acoustic guitar, Kane stripped everything back to its essence. No band, no gloss — only songs and the raw connection between performer and audience. These were die-hard fans, the kind who sang along to every word of the classics and leaned in quietly for the new material.
Kane showcased five songs from Sunlight in the Shadows: Love Is Cruel, Electric Flower, Sunlight in the Shadows, My Love, and I Pray. Heard in such an unadorned setting, they hinted at a record that may be his most personal and affecting yet.
I Pray carried an almost spiritual weight, its confessional tone amplified by the silence of the room.
Electric Flower and Love Is Cruel suggested a return to guitar-driven immediacy, sharpened by a maturity that pushes beyond past glories.
The title track, Sunlight in the Shadows, landed like a statement of intent — a balancing act of hope and regret, light and dark.
Stripped of studio polish, these songs felt vulnerable, even fragile, but also more revealing.
Between the new material came fan favourites: Don’t Forget, Rearrange, Troubled Son, Come Closer, and Standing Next to Me. These weren’t just crowd-pleasers; they provided contrast. Familiar choruses were belted back at him, creating communal moments of joy, before he pulled the audience back into uncharted territory with a fresh song.
Troubled Son in particular gained new weight acoustically, while Come Closer turned into a raucous sing-along that underlined the bond between Kane and his Liverpool faithful.
Performing solo can expose weaknesses, but here it showcased Kane’s strengths. His guitar playing was steady and understated, his vocals gritty yet emotive. The intimacy magnified every pause, every breath. At points, he let silence hang in the air before leaning back in — the kind of dynamic you can only achieve in a room this small.
If there’s a quibble, it’s that only five new songs were aired. For fans eager to hear the direction of Sunlight in the Shadows, it felt more like a tantalising glimpse than a full unveiling. Still, that was perhaps the point: a teaser that leaves you hungry for the album’s release.
This show wasn’t about spectacle — it was about connection. By bringing Sunlight in the Shadows home to Liverpool in its barest form, Miles Kane offered fans not just a preview but a piece of himself. Judging by these five songs, his upcoming album may well be his most revealing work to date, one that balances swagger with sincerity.
Come October 17, those basement walls won’t be able to contain it.
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