The Roundhouse – a staple within North London’s live music scene – can feel somewhat vast. Fortunately, the venue is transformed into an intimate, fully-seated space for the annual In The Round series, to the further benefit of the venue’s acoustics. Last Monday’s show featured the impressive Alice Russell, a singer-songwriter who has commanded a presence within British since the mid-noughties – even without the major machine backing of some of her contemporaries. She is remembered fondly for a gutsy rendition of The White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’.

Russell told the audience at the top of her set that she did not intend to talk much, preferring to journey from song to song with little preamble in between. It is not an uncommon approach, but given the intimacy of the event, and the weighting of the set towards unreleased material, it was a shame that Russell had few insights to share.

But her material and performances were very strong indeed. Consistent with the eclectic repertoire of her label Tru Thoughts, Russell’s music draws confidently from various genres and styles – fusing gospel, synth-pop, and rock, with avant-garde stylings. Her four backing singers (excellent) and Russell’s huge vocals (think a grittier, heavier Joss Stone) provided the soul. She attacked the punchy phrasing on ‘Different’, rode the minimalist groove of ‘Citizens’, and unleashed her voice on the piano-driven gospel ballad ‘Mirror Mirror On The Wolf (Tell The Story Right)’.

Reflecting a progressive culture within British soul, Russell’s new material smacks of promise for her upcoming album.