Now in its fourth year, the Roundhouse presents In the Round 2019, a series of shows devoted to intimate performances set in the venue’s iconic main space, staged in a rarely seen fully-seated concert set up. Since its inception in 2016, In the Round has become known for its special sets from an eclectic mix of artists. Its bold and adventurous programming has made it a fixture on the musical calendar and an exciting start to the year.
Tuesday 22 January Ana Moura
Wednesday 23 January Fatima
Friday 25 January An Evening of Words and Music with Patti Smith
Saturday 26 January The Hot Sardines
Sunday 27 January Ronnie Spector
Wednesday 30 January This Is The Kit
Thursday 31 January Shirley Collins
More acts to be announced
As part of the Roundhouse’s commitment to developing emerging talent, each night young artists who use the Roundhouse’s Paul Hamlyn Roundhouse Studios will perform as support acts for the headline artist.
Tuesday 22 January
ANA MOURA + support
Often referred to as the Portuguese blues and sparked by a remarkable generation of young singers, fado has emerged over the past decade or so as a major force on the world music scene. One of its brightest lights, with a voice like no other, is that of award-winning and chart-topping Ana Moura. With a singular gift for inhabiting the lyrics, she captures the soul of the iconic fadista, while at the same time embodying fado’s contemporary spirit. Ana grew up steeped in fado and its traditions, and although she experimented with pop and rock music during adolescence, her commitment to fado never waned and she became a regular in the local fado culture, releasing her first album to critical acclaim in 2003. She captured the attention of Caetano Veloso, Mick Jagger, and Prince, which brought about inspired crossover collaborations and performances. Ana released her fifth full-length album, Desfado, in 2013, which is still in the Portuguese charts and was certified six times platinum, and her most recent release, Moura, is already certified three times platinum.
“Sublime.” The Times
Watch Desfado (Ao Vivo)
Doors 7pm / Tickets £15-£35
Wednesday 23 January
FATIMA + support
Stockholm-born, London-based singer-songwriter, Fatima, is one of the UK’s most respected vocalists adored by the city’s tastemakers. While her flawless, old-school soul vocals, spellbinding acapella, and memorable, hooky tunes underscores her compelling performances, it’s her offbeat take on contemporary soul that sees her experimenting with sounds, styles and moods that rubber-stamps her distinct identity. Choosing to work with a who’s who list of producers (including Floating Points, Purist and J.D Reid), she produces a palette of twisted RnB and complex soul that encompasses disco, neo-soul, jazz ballads and even a waltz, all wrapped up in modern electronica and a sound that is uniquely her own. Fatima’s 2014 breakthrough album, Yellow Memories, earned her the Album of the Year accolade from Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards.
For her debut headline Roundhouse appearance, Fatima performs music from her new recording, And Yet It’s All Love, released on London label Eglo (Sept 2018). An emotional trip through the full cycle of a romantic relationship, expect sultry, smoky vocals, soulful, edgy beats and moving, memorable songs.
Doors / Tickets £12-£20
Friday 25 January
AN EVENING OF WORDS AND MUSIC WITH PATTI SMITH
Often described as ‘the punk poet Laureate’, singer-songwriter, poet, visual artist and activist, Patti Smith is a true rock icon. Rising as a poet in the heady days of early 70s New York, she became an influential component of the city’s punk movement with her 1975 debut, Horses; a raw, daring combination of poetry, yearning chants and rock ‘n’ roll attitude. What is perhaps Smith’s best known song, Because the Night, co-written with Bruce Springsteen, followed three years later, propelling her to mainstream success. Formidable, charismatic, boundary pushing, outspoken and controversial, Smith’s four-decade career has seen her release 11 studio albums and a best-selling memoir, Just Kids – referred to as one of the greatest-ever rock memoirs – alongside receiving a plethora of awards, honours and accolades.
An Evening of Words and Music combines spoken word interwoven with music from Smith’s beloved catalogue of songs.
Doors 7pm / Tickets £30-£50
Saturday 26 January
THE HOT SARDINES + support
Fuelled by the belief that classic jazz feeds the heart and soul, The Hot Sardines are on a mission to make old sounds new again and prove that joyful music can bring people together in a disconnected world. At the core of the band are bandleader and pianist Evan Palazzo and lead singer Elizabeth Bougerol, who met in 2007 after they both answered a Craigslist ad about a jazz jam session above a Manhattan noodle shop. Drawing influence from some of the greats including Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald, The Hot Sardines’ music is steeped in 1920s and 30s swing and blues. The group has enjoyed immense success with sell out shows across the globe, and their self-titled debut album, named by iTunes as one of the best jazz albums of 2014, spent more than a year on the Billboard Jazz Chart, debuting in the top 10 alongside Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. Their biggest hits include Wake Up in Paris and an Ella Fitzgerald cover of When I Get Low I Get High featuring Alan Cumming (The Good Wife, Cabaret).
“Simply phenomenal.” The Times
Doors 7pm / Tickets £20-£35
Sunday 27 January
RONNIE SPECTOR & THE RONETTES + support
With her powerful trademark vocals, her gutsy attitude and innocent but knowing sexuality, Ronnie Spector became the embodiment of female rock ‘n’ roll passion in the 1960s, yet her style, look, and sound continues to serve as an inspiration and role model for generations. She formed the Ronettes while in her teens, releasing a catalogue of hits from the early to mid 60s including Walking in the Rain, Do I Love You, Baby I Love You, (The Best Part of) Breaking Up, and the international Number One smash Be My Baby. In January 1964, the Ronettes left Spanish Harlem and arrived in London to make their first British appearances, winning them lifelong love from their adoring British fans.
Their In the Round performance will be a special celebratory concert to mark 55 years since their very first UK tour. The ultimate ‘girl group’ will perform all their hits alongside cult classics and a multimedia presentation of rare and unseen photos and videos of the group.
“With her extraordinary stories and even more extraordinary voice, Spector has the audience hanging on every word.” The Guardian
Doors 7pm / Tickets £15-£35
Wednesday 30 January
THIS IS THE KIT + support ODETTA HARTMAN
At the heart of This Is the Kit is Kate Stables whose rare, unaffected voice and innovative musical style has made her one of the most exciting talents in contemporary folk. Ten years and four albums in, and her magnificent band of Rozi Plain (bass / vocals), Neil Smith (guitar), and Jamie Whitby-Coles (drums) have won many admirers from Guy Garvey to The National and Sharon van Etten. After making a long-awaited breakthrough with 2015’s Bashed Out – which featured PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish and The National’s Aaron Dessner – 2017’s Moonshine Freeze (her Rough Trade debut) was lauded as her most accomplished and compelling album to date with songs ranging from just her and a banjo to layers of trumpet, clubbier grooves and psychedelic folk. Known for her often dark and poetically profound lyrical themes, her live shows are as endearing as they are enthralling.
“…the rising star of contemporary folk.” The Guardian
Support comes from American artist, Odetta Hartman, cited by the Guardian as ‘One to Watch’. With a penchant for banjo, Hartman combines the musical traditions of the past – folk, bluegrass and Americana – with 21st century beats; a perfect backdrop to her intimate, timeless voice. She performs music from this year’s release Old Rockhounds Never Die.
Doors 7pm / Tickets £12-£18
Thursday 31 January
SHIRLEY COLLINS + support
A legendary singer, folklorist, and music historian, Shirley Collins has been an integral figure in the English folk music scene for more than 60 years. In 2016, she made a triumphant return to the UK music scene after a 38-year absence with the album Lodestar. Arguably her strongest ever work, Lodestar was extolled by critics and nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, as well as featuring in the top five albums of the year in both the Quietus and Wire Magazine. Sussex-born Collins’ story is itself straight from a ballad and has been well documented – after a painful break up from her then husband, she lost her voice on stage in the late 70s and was diagnosed with dysphonia, a condition often associated with psychological trauma. Before this, she had enjoyed a prolific career spanning over 20 years, from a formative period travelling across America on a field-trip collecting songs with Alan Lomax in 1959, to a lengthy tenure as one of the most significant singers at the forefront of the English folk revival. Performing solo, as well as in a duo with her late sister Dolly, she also worked with Davy Graham and as a key member of the Albion Country Band.
“…Lodestar is a triumph of storytelling and sound.” Music OMH
Doors 7pm / Tickets £15-£30
Roundhouse presents In the Round
22 January – 31 January 2019
Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road,
London, NW1 8EH