Roundhouse Song Circle with Tom Odell

Roundhouse Three Sixty

Camden's Roundhouse has been one of London's most important cultural hubs for several decades now, providing a space for creatives of all backgrounds and fields to hone their craft and put on world-class performances. As part of this contribution to culture, a new festival is taking place at the Roundhouse this year, 'Roundhouse Three Sixty'. The event is running throughout the entirety of April, showcasing a mix of 'music, spoken word, theatre, visual arts, podcasts, and club nights'. With the event well underway, there have already been nights of musical excellence, such as Sona Jobareth & The Philharmonia, nights of laughter like 'Munya Chawaw & Friends', and nights of moving artistry, including the 'Roundhouse Poetry Slam'. There are still a host of exciting events to come too, like when Corrine Bailey Rae will be pairing up with the Guildhall Session Orchestra for her 'Black Rainbows' show on April 27th. Amongst all this excitement was, in my opinion, the standout event of this year's festival line-up, 'Roundhouse Song Circle with Tom Odell'. The show saw multi-platinum-selling artist Tom Odell take to the stage for a headline show, which would also feature guest appearances from five alumni of the Roundhouse's Resident Artist programme, to "celebrate the art of songwriting through both original works and collaborations".

Tom Odell

Upon heading into the Roundhouse on Monday night, there was a noticeable buzz of anticipation for the night to come. The chance to see one of this generation's greatest singer-songwriters in such an intimate setting was already enough to make this night feel special, but the opportunity to see him collaborate with five of the most exciting upcoming creative minds took this anticipation to a whole new level. This meant that by the time Tom Odell took to the stage, backed by his six-piece live band, the reception was electric. Tom sat down at his piano, which was slightly off-centred to allow his upcoming guests the chance to stand centre-stage, to masterfully begin the set with a stunning rendition of 'Grow Old With Me'. A joyous singalong took place throughout the chorus of this song, harmoniously backing Odell's soothing vocals. Tom would start the song singing alone with his piano, before being joined by his full-band halfway through, lifting the song to an even greater level.

However, it was the night's second song, 'Can't Pretend', which really kickstarted the event. This soulful ballad starts off showcasing Tom's sensational live vocals, before eventually building into the most magnificent crescendo of piano-backed indie pop brilliance. The high note at the end of the track was delivered with all the power Tom could deliver, shaking the walls of the Roundhouse with his mesmerising tones. The rockier backing this song takes live makes it a frequent highlight of Tom Odell's sets, and Monday night proved no different.

For as much as Tom Odell was the night's headline act, he was not the only star of the show, as he and his band had spent the last week learning the music of five Roundhouse Resident Artist alumni. The first of these artists was Flâneuse, who took to the stage on the receiving end of a warm audience reception, ready to deliver a spellbinding rendition of her song 'The sun still rises'. Flâneuse's vocal work was a work of art, channelling every drop of her classical training into a performance that blew the roof off the roundhouse. The harmonies between Flâneuse and Tom Odell were those of two artists who have spent a lifetime performing together. It was a truly captivating experience witnessing their natural blending.

As Flâneuse left the stage to further rapturous applause, Odell and his band would seamlessly work their way through another duo of their own original songs, 'Best Day of My Life' and 'The End'. It was during the interlude between these two songs that Tom Odell took a moment to pause and reflect with the audience on the joys of playing live over the last few years, telling those in attendance, "I wasn't supposed to be doing any shows this year, but it turns out I just really like playing shows". This love for live music was clear as day throughout the entirety of the night, with both Tom and his band all looking like they were having the time of their lives, a feeling that would transition into every special guest that joined them.

The next of these special guests was Saachi Sen (who now releases under 'saachisen), an alt-pop artist who embraces her transnational roots into the most incredible music. It was her song 'The Gap' that was played last night, an already brilliant track that was taken to whole new levels through the backing of Tom Odell and his band. This atmospheric performance took an almost musical theatre styling as it progressed, with some truly enthralling lyricism and vocalwork on display.

A brand-new song would follow, as Tom and his band showcased a track which had only just been written and never before been played live, 'ugly', an almost ironic title given how beautiful the performance of it was. This was one of a few unreleased songs that Tom played throughout the night, also giving 'Wonderful Life' and 'Don't Let Me Go' their live debuts, the latter of which will be released this Friday, April 25th.