Sari Schorr – Running Wild - Album Launch - The Lexington, King’s Cross, London — 29th September 2026 - Supported by Joe Hicks

Photography by Denise Lester

Review by Robert Corich

There are singers who possess power, and then there are singers who know exactly when not to use it. Sari Schorr belongs firmly in the latter category.

The Lexington was packed for the launch showcase of her forthcoming album Running Wild, with a room full of press and industry people — not always the easiest audience in the world to impress, or even to keep interested.

If Sari was nervous, it certainly didn’t show.

In fact, she delivered a performance of such confidence, force and emotional intensity that it was difficult to imagine anyone in the room not paying attention.

The evening began with Joe Hicks, who provided a really good acoustic set promoting his forthcoming album. Stripped back to the essentials, it worked particularly well in the intimate surroundings of The Lexington and set the scene nicely for what was to follow.

Running Wild

The showcase was, understandably, built around Running Wild, with all ten tracks from the forthcoming album making it into the set.

Opening with “Mr. In The Middle”, followed by “Running Wild” and “Monday Morning”, the performance really caught fire with “Man On Fire”, which was one of the highlights of the evening for me.

There was an immediacy to the live performances that simply cannot always be captured in the studio. The arrangements breathed differently, the musicians pushed harder and Sari’s vocal delivery seemed to gain another level of emotional and physical intensity from the musicians surrounding her.

Her voice is an extraordinary instrument.

There are obvious traces of Janis Joplin in that full-throated, almost visceral power, while at times I could hear something of Darby Mills of Headpins fame. Then there are moments when Sari reaches for those extraordinary high notes and suddenly I’m hearing echoes of David Surkamp of Pavlov’s Dog.

Actually, I reckon Sari could do a rather wonderful version of “Julia.”

But comparisons only take you so far. Sari has forged a style that is very much her own, particularly since the wonderful album she made with Robin Trower all those years ago. What impresses me most isn’t simply the power of her voice, but her ability to control it — knowing when to unleash it and, equally importantly, when to pull it back.

That control gives the songs far more emotional impact.

The personal side

“Call It Freedom” was another major highlight for me, and this was where the evening took on an altogether more personal dimension.

Sari spoke about her Ukrainian heritage and her grandfather, who escaped Ukraine for America many years ago. That family history gives the song an additional emotional weight that goes beyond the words themselves.

She also spoke about how much she would love to play in Ukraine.

Given her grandfather’s journey, that would surely be considerably more than just another tour date. There would be something deeply personal about Sari standing on a Ukrainian stage and performing songs about freedom, with the story of the man who left Ukraine for America forming part of her own family history.

I sincerely hope she gets that opportunity — and if she does, I want to be there to witness it.

Because I suspect it would be one of those concerts where the significance of the occasion is every bit as important as the music being played.

There was another deeply personal moment in the set with the heart-wrenching song Sari wrote about her father. These are the occasions when her ability to move between sheer vocal power and genuine vulnerability really comes into its own.

The band

And then there is the band.

On some of the rockier numbers, one could almost be forgiven for thinking Sari had somehow managed to commandeer Bad Company, put them into a time machine and transport them through to today.

Bad Company with keyboards, that is.

Whatever that is… it works.

The rhythm section of Carl Stanbridge on bass and Russ Parker on drums provided a superb foundation. Russ brings around 25 years of experience behind the kit, with credits including the Robbie McIntosh Band, Doyle Bramhall II and Rufus Black, as well as having tour-managed John Illsley of Dire Straits.

And there was an interesting story behind this particular line-up.

Russ had already worked with both Carls for years and was the person who introduced Carl Hudson to Sari. Ash Wilson has also been playing with Sari for a number of years.

What makes that particularly interesting is that this exact five-piece had only rehearsed together the day before the show.

You really wouldn’t have known it.

As Ash explained to me afterwards, the existing musical relationships between the players meant there was already a familiarity that made the band feel like a tight unit.

The familiarity was certainly there.

The rehearsal time wasn’t.

And somehow, it sounded like they had been playing together for months.

Ash Wilson

Ash Wilson is an interesting guitarist because there are echoes of several players in what he does without him simply sounding like any of them.

I could hear plenty of Mick Ralphs in there, particularly when the band moved into that classic British rock territory, but there were also moments that reminded me of the sadly underrated Micky Moody.

Even the headwear had me thinking of Moody.

I was half expecting Ash to break out a glass bottle end and let that slide rip.

There’s time, my boy. There’s time!

Seriously though, Ash plays with considerable restraint. He knows when to push and when to leave space, and that is particularly important when you have a singer like Sari standing in front of you.

Carl Hudson

Then there was the new man in the keyboard chair, Carl Hudson.

Pretty damn good he is too.

In fact, at one point I found myself thinking that Carl looked rather like Richard Clayderman with ginger hair who had somehow wandered into a blues-rock band.

But appearances aside, his playing added another dimension to the sound.

The keyboards gave the band additional depth without getting in the way of the guitars, and Hudson clearly understood how to support the songs rather than simply decorate them.

If I were Sari, I’d be having a serious conversation about involving Mr Hudson in more of her music.

Marco Cinelli

The evening also produced a rather nice surprise when Marco Cinelli joined Sari and the band for “Love The One You’re With.”

Cinelli, best known as the guitarist, vocalist and keyboard player with The Cinelli Brothers, is no stranger to Sari’s musical world, having shared a Rockpalast bill with her in Bonn.

His own musical vocabulary runs through blues, soul, Stax and Motown, so he fitted into the proceedings rather nicely.

It was a great addition to the evening and another reminder that the London blues and roots scene has become a pretty interesting place to be.

The songs live

After “Call It Freedom” came “Ain’t Got No Money,” “Elevate” and “Finding My Way”, before Marco joined the band for “Love The One You’re With.”

The set then moved through “Valentina,” “Ordinary Life” and “Cool Hand Rider”, before Sari returned for the encore, “Afterglow.”

Having now had the opportunity to listen to the forthcoming Running Wild album several more times, I can revise my initial thoughts somewhat.

This is a pretty powerful album — and, quite frankly, a pretty damn good one.

The first couple of listens had given me an impression of a very well-produced record, but allowing the songs to sink in has revealed considerably more depth. There is plenty here that rewards repeated listening.

What struck me at The Lexington, though, was how much these songs came alive on stage.

The power and delivery this particular band brought to the new material was stunningly good.

But Sari is such a powerful live performer that live from her is always going to be supremely energetic. That is simply part of what makes her such a compelling performer.

So I’ll reserve a detailed assessment of the album itself for a separate review once I’ve lived with it for a while longer.

What I can say now is that the album is damn good — but live, these songs become something else again.

Out on the road

And there is an added reason to catch Sari right now.

She is currently out on a fairly extensive European tour, taking this material out on the road — although, as yet, there is no Ukrainian date in the diary.

Having seen what these songs can do live, I’d well advise trying to catch a gig or two while the tour is passing through Europe. The Lexington showcase demonstrated just how much more force and immediacy the material gains in front of an audience, and with this band behind her, I suspect the shows on the road could be something rather special.

So if Sari Schorr is appearing somewhere within travelling distance of you over the next few weeks, I wouldn’t hang around too long before getting a ticket.

And perhaps, somewhere down the line, there will be that Ukrainian date too.

The verdict

The Lexington is an unforgiving venue for a band. It’s intimate, there is nowhere to hide and you are performing to people who are listening very closely.

Sari Schorr and this particular line-up passed that test rather convincingly.

The remarkable thing is that a five-piece that had only properly rehearsed together the previous day could sound this cohesive. The answer, of course, is that the musicians weren’t starting from scratch. There were already established musical relationships between them — and those relationships clearly counted for a great deal.

The result was a performance that was powerful without becoming one-dimensional, emotional without becoming sentimental, and — most importantly — convincing.

“Man On Fire” and “Call It Freedom” were particular highlights for me, but there wasn’t really a weak point in the set.

And beyond the music, there was something rather encouraging about seeing an artist who is still prepared to take risks, still pushing forward and still clearly excited about where the music can go next.

Running Wild feels like a starting point rather than an ending.

The album is powerful. The songs are strong. The band is bloody good.

But on this particular night, Sari Schorr and her band didn’t just play Running Wild — they made it run wild.

And yes, I’ll certainly be picking the album up.

If Sari and this particular band come through town again, I’ll be grabbing a ticket too.