Kelsey Heng on March 21st, 2014

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Words and photos by Kelsey Heng

Somewhere in Los Angeles at 7 p.m. on a Wednesday is a small room filled to capacity with silent onlookers entranced by a man and his guitar. Hozier, following his Monday night birthday appearance at Bardot, took to the Hotel Café in his first “proper Los Angeles show.”

Andrew Hozier Byrne, a 24-year-old Irishman, performed a long set list of tracks not only constantly alternating guitars but also between using the full band, back-up singers and standing alone center stage. Considering his only release is the four-track EP “Take Me To Church” the hour-plus performance was received like a rare gift. 

After a few track hits, the band brought out a brilliant, bluesy and symphonic cover of Led Zepplin’s rock anthem “Whole Lotta Love,” and the audience’s jaws dropped simultaneously. As expected, the first minor chord of the EP title track “Take Me to Church” and everybody’s recent track of the week received the first immediate crowd reaction as people somehow managed to sing along while also clutching their pounding chests.

Byrne closed the night with “From Eden” the piercing and aching title track from the upcoming EP release. If Hozier’s musical talent and honest vocals don’t manage to capture you, the intoxicating and sensual melancholy surely will. Hozier’s second EP, “From Eden” is due out in the U.S. on April 1, with promise of a full release later this fall.