Laura Mvula delivers a spellbinding, stripped back set 

Prior to this intimate residency at Soho’s Boulevard theatre, Laura Mvula last performed at Wembley Stadium opening for Coldplay. What a juxtaposition, the soulful singer-songwriter explained, to perform to a crowd a mere fraction of Wembley’s size, within earshot of her sister’s encouraging interjections and occasional heckles.

Helming a baby grand – with her regular bandmember Oli Rockberger sitting at another piano – this was Mvula at her most elemental. She described the concert as a “full circle” moment, eschewing the layered production of her studio material and delivering her songs as piano ballads akin to how they were first conceived. Hence, the synthy, ’80s-inspired tracks from her 2021 album Pink Noise – “Safe Passage,” “Church Girl,” and the epic “Magical” – were transformed into swirling piano symphonies.

Mvula’s voice – free to roam about the open, looser arrangements – was thrillingly clear and punctuated with bullet-like staccato. Tracks such as “Show Me Love” (from 2016’s The Dreaming Love) and “Father Father” (from her 2013 debut Sing to the Moon) particularly benefitted from the more skeletal arrangements and Mvula’s exposed vocals. “Lost and Found”, broken up with a hand-clap interlude, added a welcome step and groove to the setlist, evoking Nina Simone’s marriage of classical pianism with gospel fervour. Throughout, Mvula was in collaborative dialogue with Rockberger – at one point jumping into one of his songs impromptu.

Mvula spoke candidly to her audience about the continued personal, financial, and professional challenges she faces. Hopefully, rapturous receptions of the kind she received at the Boulevard make it all worth it, as this was live music at its most raw and spellbinding.