Live Review + Gallery | Jalen Ngonda @ Eventim Apollo, London

Jalen Ngonda | Ava Joe

Eventim Apollo, London

22nd October 2025

Photography by Izzy Reeve (@izzymayv)

Izzy Reeve

I’m a London-based music photographer and occasional writer and I love documenting gigs and people enjoying them. Having just moved back to London from Scotland, where I first started shooting concerts, I’m looking forward to exploring what the scene down south has to offer with CLUNK! From new acts to festivals, I love what clunk champions and I can’t wait to get started.

Jalen Ngonda proved himself yet again to be one of the UK’s most exciting new artists at his sold-out London show

Jalen Ngonda is one of the most promising talents of the UK soul scene, finding himself the head of the “soul-revivalists” after the mega-hit ‘If You Don’t Want My Love’ found its way onto For You pages around the globe. Experiencing it live with a full band behind him, it’s not difficult to understand why. I was lucky enough to get a front row spot to his shimmering sold-out headline show at the Eventim Apollo in London last week.

Ava Joe opened up the evening, with her rocky, soulful sound establishing her as an exciting act to keep an eye on. Inspired by the likes of Amy Winehouse and Billie Holiday, Joe and her band had an old-school stage presence, partnered with a palpable sense of awe that they were playing at the Apollo.

The stage was draped with a very grand curtain, framing the suave confidence of Ngonda as he walked out, electric guitar in hand, to perform under the spotlight. Following the release of his debut album ‘Come Around and Love Me’ in 2023 and a slew of catchy follow-up singles, the room was bursting at the doors.

His band looked as if they’d stepped out of a 60’s TV show; lit by the warm stage lights, they were made up of two singers, a string quartet, a percussionist, a drummer and a saxophonist. Ngonda had captivating vocals, stunning big-band instrumentation and quips between songs, so the evening flew by before I knew it.

He opened with the first unreleased track of the evening ‘Doctrine of Love’, followed by a mix of live debuts, album highlights and a few older favourites such as ‘I Need You’. There’s something nostalgic and warm about a Jalen Ngonda gig that has you swaying, smiling and singing, no matter if the song is full of joy or heartache.

Influenced by the greats of soul, he has carved his own beautiful path with a sound that is unequivocally riveting. With a penance for daily songwriting and a second album (hopefully!) on the way, Ngonda shows no sign of slowing his stardom down. Jalen Ngonda is a generational talent; he will undoubtedly be selling-out much larger venues in no time.