The legendary English rock collective Asia is preparing to release a new live recording titled Asia – Live In England, arriving March 13, 2026 through Frontiers Music Srl. To mark the announcement, the group has shared a live rendition of their hit “Heat Of The Moment,” accompanied by a performance video.
This upcoming release captures the band during the first of three shows at Trading Boundaries in Sussex in April 2025. The performance features Asia playing their full 1982 debut Asia along with a selection of fan-favorite tracks. The current lineup includes Geoff Downes on keyboards, Virgil Donati on drums (formerly of Planet X), John Mitchell handling guitar duties (Arena, It Bites), and Harry Whitley on bass and vocals. Together, they revisit the foundational material with a mix of respect and renewed energy.
The setlist includes well-known pieces such as “Heat Of The Moment,” “Only Time Will Tell,” “Sole Survivor,” “One Step Closer,” and “Time Again.” It also incorporates songs tied to the band’s video and bonus track era, including “Ride Easy,” “Video Killed The Radio Star,” “The Heat Goes On,” and “Daylight.”
Geoff Downes reflected on the origins of the track at the heart of the announcement: “”Heat Of The Moment” has an interesting story behind it. It was actually the final track John and I wrote for the Asia album, and it ended up being the opening track and lead-off single. We threw it together in one afternoon. I had the verse, John had the chorus, although this was a guitar picking country-style piece in 3/4 time. We straightened it all out and bingo, there it was! A couple of days later we wrote the middle 8 section, rehearsed it in the studio and recorded it straight down with band. Ironically, it still remains our most famous track to this day. Without it, I doubt the album would have been as big as it was, so I am very grateful to have been a part of the creation of “Heat Of The Moment”. It’s still a really fun track to play live, and I hope it will bring back memories, and give pleasure to the listeners and fans all over the world for many years to come”.
Harry Whitley also spoke about performing the song: “Playing “Heat Of The Moment” live is always such an incredible experience. It’s always electrifying, and this recording was no different. It was such an exciting night and a thrill to revisit all of Asia’s catalog over the three nights. We’re really looking forward to fans hearing this whole live album and the others to follow…”
Virgil Donati shared his own thoughts: “This song carries decades of history – every note, every moment – and we hope listeners feel the same passion we pour into it night after night”.
John Mitchell added his perspective on the track: “”Heat Of The Moment” is a very dear song close to my heart. Having performed it a vast number of times over the years both previously with the John Wetton solo band and with John and Geoff in ICON, from the quiet introspective acoustic version at The Borderline to the full band amped up version in front of 12000 strong in St Petersburg, it is both an uplifting anthem and a quiet tonic for the soul which never fails to bring warmth to the many”.
With more than four decades of musical history—spanning multi-platinum releases such as Asia, Alpha, and Astra—the group’s current incarnation continues to revisit significant moments from their catalog while appealing to a new audience. This live album marks the first of three releases from the Trading Boundaries shows, each dedicated to one album from the band’s early trilogy.
Geoff Downes reflected further on revisiting their debut: “Revisiting the entire first Asia album brought all the great memories flooding back from 43 years ago. In the studio with John, Steve, Carl and, of course, the great Mike Stone at the production helm. I think at the time we knew we’d made a good album but could not have predicted the enormous success that followed, that made the band a household name across the world, and particularly in America. That said, it was a result of much hard work and effort from everyone involved. So, when I had the opportunity to put together the live album with the current and fantastic lineup of Asia and in collaboration with Frontiers Music, it was really a no-brainer”.
He continued: “I was reminded of what a collection of great songs and performances made up the album — variety and musical dynamics to the fore. When we recorded it again earlier this year, I was drawn to some of the less featured tracks and realized how much they played an important part of overall album, in addition of course to the signature tracks such as “Heat Of The Moment”, “Only Time Will Tell”, etc”.
Downes added one final note: “We did this for you, the fans, and hope you really enjoy hearing these songs in the live setting performed in their entirety once again and enjoy it as much as we did creating and performing it”.
