Mirrors 2019

After spending the last three years in Hackney, Mirrors Festival has set up a new home in charismatic Camden. And while the weather is cold and drizzly, the atmosphere around the London borough is warm and embracing.

Nestled within three venues – the Roundhouse, Dingwalls and Camden Assembly – a gaggle of indie artists gathers to deliver music with heartwrenching honesty. One band takes a more niche approach. Irish five piece Just Mustard’s gut-punching monsoon of sound ricochets off every wall in the cosy Camden Assembly mid-afternoon. Their calm and controlled personas heavily contradict their chaotic collection of sounds as basslines whirr and knock. Their pop-gaze seems enclosed within the room – as if it made for that room and only that room. As one song neatly folds into the next, the crowd remain engaged and enticed throughout, struck by something truly unique.

Meanwhile, the bright-eyed Alfie Templeman dazzles with his indie grooves in the Roundhouse’s second room. Armed with his equally-as-fresh-faced backing band, Alfie’s set is concise and very ‘to the book’. His many facial expressions express his content on set closer ‘Like An Animal’, while latest track ‘Don’t Go Wasting Time’ previews the youthful bounce that is set to dominate his upcoming EP.