Luke Sital-Singh at Oslo Hackney

When Luke Sital-Singh enters the stage all by himself he looks a bit insecure, not meeting the audiences’ gaze. But it soon becomes clear, when he introduces himself after the first song, that the stage is his natural habitat. He jokes as if he was hosting a stand-up comedy show and charms the audience immediately. He plays on the shy indie boy charm and humour throughout the set, and it seems to be well accepted by the crowd.

Sital-Singh spends most of the time onstage alone with his guitar, singing material from his earlier released EPs and from his upcoming album. He shows a lot of spirit in his performance and puts his soul into it, though it’s when he sits down at the piano or is joined on stage by the London Contemporary Voices choir that true magic happens. Dark, a song from the EP Old Flint, is the highlight of the night, where Sital-Singh creates something very big. The song, like a version of James Blake’s Retrograde, entrances the audience and keeps us all spellbound until the final notes fade out. The simplicity of the piano and the voice, the passion and the powerful build up, creates a flawless performance.

Luna, as Sital-Singh explains mid-set, is written about a lost killer whale, but he jokes about it so much that he takes the humour into the music, which is a step too far. It makes you unsure whether you should take the song seriously or just see it as a joke, taking away from the song’s quality.

Luke Sital-Singh delivers an outstanding gig with a lot of soul and presence. With or without a choir the performance is powerful and sincere, but the talking between the songs sometimes distracts from the music. The south-west Londoner is working on his debut album, something we all should look forward to. He has a lot of talent and should go far – definitely someone you should keep your eye on!

Johanna Eliasson
Photos: Rob Brazier

For further information and future events visit Luke Sital-Singh’s website here.

Watch the video for Greatest Lovers here: