LSO St Lukes on Old Street is somewhere I’ve never been before and wow, it’s a special venue. The totally refurbished and heavily invested chapel-turned-establishment was the perfect setting for both Barclaycard Mercury Prize nominees Ben Howard and Roller Trio last week.
Roller Trio opened the night and I’ve actually never heard of them before. I arrived a bit later than planned so missed most of the set to be honest – but I rarely hear any live jazz so it was nice to get a dose of the sax played by a proper musician alongside a host of seriously talented musicians.
Ben Howard was next up and it was a real treat to hear him in the flesh after spending an unknown number of hours listening to all his recordings. There’s not much more I can say than it was absolutely beautiful and from the copious amount of shows they’ve done around the world, the band are an incredibly tight unit and an absolute joy to watch.
1st November is the big night when we see some of the most exciting names gather in London to find out who was been given the coveted award for Best Album. Unlike other award ceremonies, there is only one award to be given out which makes the stakes even more exciting.
Much more information on the Barclaycard Mercury Prize can be found on the website.
