On a cold autumnal night, London was welcomed by the return of Gabrielle Aplin. A rising star born out of the sudden popularity of UK singer-songwriters in 2010, she has become one of the UK’s most popular acoustic acts, even more so after her rendition of ‘The Power Of Love’.

Taking to the stage, it was clear that she had been missed but far from forgotten. A huge applause took her into her first track, "Waking Up Slow". Full of energy, with a much stronger electronic presence, it was clear that Gabrielle was venturing into a much more current style of music keeping in sync with the progression of the industry.

A few tracks in and Gabrielle was left to herself to play some tracks. A situation that we usually find her in and one that she is well accustomed to. Midway through the set, we hear "The Power Of Love". Gabrielle completely raw, stripped back and alone as she belts out her beautiful interpretation of the track. The performance was chilling, you could hear a pin drop. The audience in complete silence until the end where she received the most impressive applause of the night. This track is one that I never get tired of hearing.

As the night came to a close, she is re-joined by her band to see out the set. Playing classic tracks such as "Stay" and "Panic Chord", it's clear that Gabrielle’s classic tracks have not tired and compliment her new material well. With the music industry taking much from electronic advances across multiple genres, its great to see that Gabrielle’s approach into this venture is one that hasn't stumbled her progress.

As the night drew to a close, the audience vacated. The undertones of conversation with great company echoed around the room as they discussed the impressive set that was just witnessed.

Gabrielle is currently out promoting her new EP, Avalon. With another show in London booked for December 7th, she will not be playing in the UK for a while as she ventures out to the United States early next year to promote her latest release. We hope that we are able to attend her show next month as she brings along close friends, Hudson Taylor and Hannah Grace.

Review and Photography by Sion Roe