Upstairs at The Lexington on the corner of Pentonville Road and Penton Street, a venue I’ve never frequented before but am glad I can now cross it off my list of “small but perfectly formed” live music venues in the heart of London.

The reason for tonight’s outing? Berlin born, London based singer songwriter Roxanne de Bastion was performing to promote her latest venture, a book nonetheless, covering tales of her travels across Europe using modest public transport (aka The Megabus and Virgin Trains).

We caught up with her before the show in the Lexington bar where, in-between mouthfuls of a vegan inspired burger, she told me of her travels, about her broken ankle and that she will be hiding away in a Devon based studio over the summer to work on her next long player (see our ‘Introducing’ section for more on this).

I dashed off to grab a bite myself and when I returned, I was pleased to see a room full of music loving Londoners who had made the trip out on a Monday night to catch Roxanne in action.

Opening up the evening were a fab duo who hail from Southampton, Lucas & King produce some exquisite sounds, it’s hard to describe it in words, I would say a cross between late 60’s Californian Surf/Garage rock mixed with the vocals of a sultry lounge kitten. The vocals were accompanied by a Fender Mustang and an acoustic guitar and the balance was perfect, the guitar was never overpowering and allowed the silky smooth, velvety vocals to caress everybody in the room.

I chatted to them after their set and they told me of their plans to move to Amsterdam as they perform a lot of shows in the Netherlands and it just makes more sense to be there rather than travel across every time! I mentioned a Los Angeles based band called The Allah Las that I fell in love with a few years back and they stared at me with their jaws open, telling me that they have had been listening to their debut album recently (great minds eh?)

Keep your eyes open for this fab duo, who despite heading off to The Netherlands shortly, will no doubt be appearing at some South Coast events in the near future.

After a quick intermission, it was time for Roxanne, her red crutches (not standard National Health issue), her trademark red boots and her backing band to take to the stage and do what they do best. When I chatted to Roxanne before the show, I asked her if she prefers to perform solo or with a band, she pondered before giving me an answer and said that she prefers both, the band bring about an extra dimension to the music which really helps but sometimes, a song is best delivered with just vocals and acoustic guitar, allowing her to really engage with the room and create a deep feeling of intimacy, this was proven here tonight as she ran through her set spanning her career to date.

Highlights for me included “Wasteland” which was accompanied by a video of the Berlin Wall being toppled, this really was the perfect track to reflect on Germany’s past and what divided so many people in the day.

“Run” is a song that looks back at her family and how they survived the war, she added before the song began that recent events really make you think about what we’re doing and the thought process behind the decisions made to basically, travel down a well-trodden path, knowing exactly what the outcome will be.

“Thicker Skin” saw Roxanne hobble to the keyboard for the first time during the set whilst Pat, Pete and Joel accompanied her on guitar, bass and drums. Whilst the crowd insisted that she leave the stage, hobble to the very back of the room whilst they cheered and hollered, she decided against this and stayed in position and announced that she’d be playing another song! It was a delight to see that she dug deep into her collection and chose “Red and White Blood Cells” and, with the crowd joining in, shouting out “You” and “White” at the required moment, made it a fun way to wrap up a fabulous evening of live music.

I didn’t hang around long after the show but managed to quickly speak to Roxanne, thanking her for the invite and wishing her all the very best for the rest of the year, who knows, whilst she’s in Devon recording her new album, she might be playing a few live shows there, keep your eyes on her website for more information.

Review by Steve Muscutt