Rodrigo y Gabriela - Royal Albert Hall, London 20/05/2014

Then on comes Vincente Amigo, the esteemed Spanish flamenco virtuoso guitarist, accompanied by a flautist, and thus begins something of a masterpiece of an encore. Four extremely talented musicians play what can only be described as a faultless piece of flamenco music that ensures the audience is completely awestruck by Amigo’s exquisite flamenco style that is so aptly accompanied by Gabriela’s effortless guitar playing, whilst Rodrigo brings the whole piece altogether on the cajón. It is one of the many highlights of a night that has been filled with nothing but the highest standard of musicianship, and is as entertaining as it is impressive.

Rodrigo y Gabriela are two acoustic guitarists who have developed a very unique style of playing. Now on their third album, 9 Dead AliveM, their music sounds unmistakably Spanish, but their other influences seep through, from heavy metal to rock to world music, they fuse it together to create energetic, lively and often unpredictable acoustic guitar music.

One may wonder how two acoustic guitarists would be able to hold the attention of the Royal Albert Hall for two hours, but Rodrigo y Gabriela do it effortlessly. They have learnt how to command the stage, whether it is opening piece “The Soundmaker” taken from their new album, or their cover of Metallica’s “Orion”, their setlist spans across their three albums and takes the audience on a journey with them. They also play a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” which encourages a mass singalong from the Royal Albert Hall that seems to completely consume the richness of the sound and is simply a joy to experience.

What really makes the performance so thrilling is the way that the two players seem to throw everything they have into the performance, playing their guitars as though they are simply another limb of their body. They make it look so easy, and are so in sync with one another and produce such a rich sound that if you would be convinced that it was produced by six different instruments, and not simply two guitarists.

Their own solo sections further reveal what they are capable of, as Rodrigo uses his beer bottle as a guitar slide at points whilst Gabriela manages to create the most incredible percussive sounds with such ease. They are both undeniably talented, but speak frequently to the crowd and seem genuinely humbled to be playing the legendary venue. It is a long, long way away from their busking days in Barcelona and Dublin, but there is no denying that they absolutely deserve to be there on that grand stage, reaping all the rewards for their hard work.

• Photo by Gaëlle Beri. See the full gallery here.