Live Report: Esprit D’Air soar to new heights at the Effenaar in Eindhoven

With a European tour where the band leader is responsible for everything from booking to promoting the shows, it remains remarkable to see how the independent band Esprit D’Air perform on a day like Good Friday. Although it is not an actual day off for many in the Netherlands, it still sounds like the perfect day to kick off the weekend with good music from Japan.

For their third show in the Netherlands, Esprit D’Air chose the Effenaar in Eindhoven. After previous shows in Heerlen (2024) and The Hague (2018), it remained to be seen how far the influence of the London-based alternative metal band had reached the Dutch audience. The Kleine Zaal at the Effenaar can accommodate around 400 people and filled up nicely after the doors officially opened. Even before the show started, the excitement was palpable in the venue, especially among the music fans who were seeing the band live for the first time.

After various line-up changes, during which Esprit D’Air even functioned as a solo project, Esprit D’Air have presented themselves more as a full-fledged band in recent years. With Kai continuing as the band leader of Esprit D’Air – now also active as a guitarist in The Sisters Of Mercy – the multi-instrumentalist is currently collaborating with guitarist Yusuke, bassist Takeshi (ex-MergingMoon), and drummer Jan-Vincent Velazco (ex-Ghost and Pendragon) to establish the Esprit D’Air that Kai envisions.

During their Dutch live debut in 2018, at the AVO J-Music Festival, Kai played with three other touring musicians. Since then, he has been working with the current (tour) line-up for at least six years. Spending so much time together has created a stronger bond between the musicians. The chemistry between them was certainly evident in Eindhoven, where Kai enjoyed much more freedom on stage. The band leader could be seen dancing and twirling, sometimes lifting the microphone stand as if he wanted to throw it into the audience. The vocalist did not do so, but it did ensure that the audience’s attention was effortlessly held by the vocalist.

During this European tour, held in celebration of the band’s 15th anniversary, Esprit D’Air presented a live performance with two sets, with visual support from a screen on stage. During the first set of songs, fans were treated to new and unreleased songs. This was not without risk, as there is a chance that the audience would be less enthusiastic about the show because they did not recognise the songs. However, the four-piece did not seem to be bothered by this. The show kicked off energetically with Silver Leaf, but the first highlight of the evening came a few songs later with Shadow of Time. After hearing the first notes of the metal song, with influences from power metal and gothic metal, the audience immediately responded enthusiastically and moved along with the music. The choice to perform this track makes sense. Shadow of Time is one of Esprit D’Air’s more recent singles and recently received a music video. Lost Horizon, another recent single by the four-piece band, was also included. During this set, Kai clearly shows that he has control over the stage and the audience. A good example is during Nebulae, where he challenges the audience to jump or at least show what they’ve got.

The second part of the show consisted of fan favourites, which immediately caused a shift in how the audience interacted with the band. After all the band members returned to the stage, the band started with Starstorm after Kai uttered the words ‘Round two’. During this set, Kai took the opportunity to play the guitar himself, so he could perform a guitar solo during Ignition. There was even room for an acoustic version of Aire, before Jan-Vincent took the opportunity to perform a drum solo, which was later joined by Yusuke and Takeshi. This was followed by a song that reflected the band’s energy, Tsunami. Not surprising, as this song is quite popular among people who listen to Esprit D’Air via streaming services. In between, there was still time to go back in time for the first song Kai ever wrote, Shizuku.

The audience seemed highly appreciative of the band’s setlist choices. Kai exudes confidence on stage and clearly has the audience in the palm of his hand, regularly engaging with them. The multi-instrumentalist still possesses the same passion he had seven years ago during their first show in the Netherlands. Thanks to years of working together, the musicians are very well attuned to each other, which gives them much more freedom to fool around with each other and connect with the audience, while still delivering a great performance. Guitarist Yusuke and bass guitarist Takeshi regularly switched places to create more dynamics on stage. After seven songs had been performed, the band leader asked the audience which song they would like to hear next. The response was loud and clear: Leviathan. This fan favourite was delivered by the four musicians with just as much physical and emotional intensity as at the beginning of the performance.

After delivering 18 songs live, which is quite an achievement in itself, the band has even more in store. As the band members return to the stage for an encore, Kai has his guitar in hand again. ‘Do you want to hear one song?’ asks the band leader. The audience cheers enthusiastically, to which Kai replies, ‘Too bad, we’ll play two songs.’ These songs were Calling You and Guiding Light. The latter was dedicated to the audience, who turned on the lights of their phones to present a sea of light to the band. This gesture moved the vocalist, leading to a spontaneous hug from drummer Jan-Vincent at the end of the song. After Kai decided to give all the members a hug, the band received a standing ovation as they bowed to the audience.

This show in Eindhoven proved once again that Esprit D’Air have not only grown musically, but have also made great strides in terms of cohesion between the band members and their stage presence since their previous performances in the Netherlands. After this tour, Esprit D’Air will focus on completing the follow-up to their third album Seasons, which will be released on 24 October 2025 under the title Aeons.

Setlist:

Photography by JJ Grant/Wonderlens (Taken at Academy 2, in Manchester)