SOHN, Village Underground, London

SOHN’s music is made for space. It’s the kind that weaves into dark corners and empty pockets without hesitation. London’s Village Underground - with its almost endless ceilings and echo-friendly structure - seems like the perfect match, on Toph Taylor’s biggest headline show to date. It begins and ends triumphantly, to the extent that the hooded musician departs the stage for the last time shouting “See you at Shepherd’s Bush!”. For SOHN it’s all eyes on the next prize; one of the many reasons why he’s here today, playing to a sold out crowd.

Space rules the roost here, but that doesn’t stop these songs from occasionally hitting huge, dense crescendos. This entire set feels like one big build. It begins modestly, sometimes striking new nerves. By the end though, it’s coloured with intensity, a party-like atmosphere. SOHN’s even taken his customary, Jedi-like cape off for an encore. The surest sign required that a night’s going well.

Sometimes these dense chapters aren’t quite necessary. A song like debut track ‘Oscillate’ sounds better devoted to cautious, moody synth lines than when it reaches an almost Chiptune-like climax. ‘Lessons’, however - the only SOHN song to sport a verified womp womp - brings the set to a whole new level.

An army of strobe lights, all lined up in unison, help bring the best moments of first work ‘Tremors’ to life. Recent single ‘Artifice’ could be mistaken for a late-night banger given the response it receives. ‘Lights’ mimics a Jon Hopkins performance, the way it contorts and extends into near-endlessness. These are very different sides to SOHN that he’s exposing to the ones unveiled on record. Maybe it’s the space working its magic, but it’s more sensible to assume this producer’s on one great ascent. Everyone in attendance is here to join him, each step of the way.