Society Of The Golden Slippers returns to the Royal Albert Hall

Since 2010 Society Of The Golden Slippers has been a leading purveyor of new and exciting talent in London, boasting illustrious alumni such as Sam Smith, Laura Mvula and Luke Sital-Singh.

Hopping across from its Dickensian Dean Street headquarters at Blacks members’ club, the intimate showcase has found a second home in a gallery room below the Royal Albert Hall and the equally eye-catching space brimmed with music-lovers last night for a line-up curated with typical care and suitability.

John Smith opened the evening; his passionate brand of acoustic folk places him somewhere between Ray LaMontagne and Tallest Man On Earth, as virtuoso guitar playing worked away brilliantly beneath passionate, husky growls of love, loss and hometown reminiscing. A cover of Queens Of The Stone Age’s “No One Knows”, alongside some genuinely witty between-song conversation, provided light-hearted respite to an otherwise beautifully melancholic set.

Following-on was folk-inclined four-piece Emily And The Woods. The young London outfit blend front-woman Emily Wood’s dulcet coos with a relatively new-found level of soul, created by a gelling of wiggling bass-lines, FX-heavy guitar punctuation and intricate rhythms – no better showcased than in their subtle take on James Blake’s stunning “The Wilhelm Scream”. Evoking the likes of Lucy Rose and Feist, and with a handful of infectiously interesting tracks, the band seemingly hold the vital ingredients for a breakthrough year.

Sivu closed the evening, bringing his gently haunting style to the gallery room. The young troubadour is enjoying comparisons with Wild Beasts and alt-J and rightly so: his characteristic vocal is soaked in emotion and intuitive accompaniment adds atmosphere and touches of eeriness. Tracks like “Better Man Than He” and set-closer “Sleep” highlight what an accomplished songwriter the Atlantic Records signee is, and with hints of electronically-minded Radiohead appearing, Sivu is bringing increasing depth to his already standout, unusual style.

• Photograph by Brad Inglis (UBPICS)