There is something different about hearing a band in a room rather than through the polished version of a finished record. The little imperfections, the extra harmonies, the interaction between musicians; all of those details can completely change the way a familiar song feels. AS IT IS lean into that feeling with So A-Live!, their first-ever collection of live recordings, released September 4 via FLG.
Recorded at Marshall Studios with ESPERA, the four-track EP gives songs from the band’s recently released self-titled album an entirely new environment. Instead of simply recreating the album versions, AS IT IS invited the musicians of ESPERA into the process, allowing new vocal arrangements and instrumental contributions to reshape the material.
The result is less about reproducing what listeners have already heard and more about discovering what these songs can become when they’re performed together in the same room. That collaborative spirit is especially apparent throughout the session. Patty Walters, Ben Biss, Ali Testo, and Patrick Foley opened the door for ESPERA to add their own creative fingerprints to tracks including “Do You Remember?”, “Live, Laugh, Love, Los Angeles,” and “Marilyn.” Meanwhile, ESPERA’s Lynsey Ward, Mattie, Paige, Pete, and Blue brought additional layers to the performances, giving the songs an expanded sense of movement and personality.
For Walters, the experience represents something the band had never previously documented in this format. After years of touring, recording, and evolving as a group, So A-Live! offers AS IT IS the chance to capture a side of their music that can only really exist when musicians are performing together in real time. And there’s an interesting parallel between that idea and where AS IT IS currently finds itself.
The band’s self-titled fifth album marked a return that wasn’t necessarily planned as a grand comeback. After the emotional upheaval surrounding I WENT TO HELL AND BACK, lineup changes, and years of personal challenges, the members first had to rediscover their friendship before they could figure out whether they still wanted to be a band. That distinction matters.
AS IT IS didn’t return simply because they felt obligated to make another record. They returned because they wanted to spend time together again. For Walters in particular, stepping away from the band allowed him to focus on his mental health and develop a sense of identity outside of AS IT IS. Eventually, making music became something he could choose rather than something he felt he had to do.
That freedom ultimately became part of the creative foundation behind the self-titled album. Created over multiple writing sessions with producer Kel Pinchin, the record looks toward the band’s roots while reflecting the experiences that changed them along the way. Rather than attempting to recreate an earlier version of AS IT IS, the quartet allows its history to inform where it goes next.
So A-Live! feels like a natural extension of that philosophy. The songs aren’t frozen in place. They can change depending on who is in the room, what musicians bring to them, and how the performances unfold. Working with ESPERA gives these tracks another dimension while also emphasizing something that has become increasingly important to AS IT IS: music is supposed to feel alive.
There is also something fitting about releasing a live project after an album centered so heavily around reconnection. The self-titled record brought four longtime friends back together; So A-Live! expands that circle by bringing another group of musicians into the experience. The EP therefore feels like more than a collection of alternate recordings. It is a snapshot of a band rediscovering how much fun it can be to create with other people.
After everything AS IT IS has experienced, there is something genuinely refreshing about that. No pressure to recreate the past. No need to prove what they were capable of years ago. Just four members finding their way back to one another, surrounded by musicians who understand the excitement of making something together. And perhaps that’s what makes So A-Live! so fitting for this particular era of AS IT IS: the band isn’t trying to relive its history—they’re adding another memory to it.
Musicans Featured on So A-Live! EP
Patty Walters – Vocals, Guitar
Ben Biss – Guitar, Vocals
Ali Testo – Bass, Vocals
Patrick Foiley – Drums
Lynsey Ward – Vocals
Mathilda Riley – Vocals
Paige Phillips – Vocals
Kianna Blue – Piano
Pete Fraser – Saxophone
As It Is with Espera – So A-Live! EP Tracklisting
1) I’m So Alive! (LIVE)
2) Do You Remember (LIVE)
3) Live Laugh Love Los Angeles (LIVE)
4) Marilyn (LIVE)
Upcoming UK Tour Dates:
9/4: WOLVERHAMPTON @ KK’s Steel Mill
9/5: MILTON KEYNES @ Craufurd Arms
9/6: CAMBRIDGE @ Mash
9/8: NORWICH @ The Waterfront Studio
9/9: SHEFFIELD @ Corporation
9/10: HULL @ Social
9/11: NEWCASTLE @ The Grove
9/12: EDINBURGH @ La Belle Angele
9/13: LIVERPOOL @ District
9/15: BELFAST @ The Limelight 2
9/16: DUBLIN @ Academy
9/18: BLACKPOOL @ Bootleg Social
9/19: OXFORD O2 @ Academy 2
9/20: CARDIFF @ The Globe
9/21: GUILDFORD @ Boileroom
9/22: TUNBRIDGE WELLS @ The Forum
9/23: PORTSMOUTH @ The Wedgewood Rooms
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