Amidst plumes of volcanic smoke, The Duke and The King thankfully descended upon Islington's Union Chapel last night. A four piece dedicated to tugging at heart strings one minute and stomping on bones the next, they made the Chapel their home and the audience their congregation.
Songs from their critically acclaimed debut album 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' filled most of the set, starting with 'If You Ever Get Famous' followed by the singalong favourite 'The Morning I Get To Hell'. The four members of the band were all blindingly talented, blessed with honey drenched vocal chords and serious abilities at playing a range of instruments. One song began as a 'Nothing Compares To You' cover before transforming into one of their own. The band also paid tribute to pearl necklace-wearing lead singer Simone Felice's past, with a Felice Brother's ditty the crowd gleefully absorbed.
When the band members weren't high-fiving, hugging and kissing each other with genuine affection, they were playing some wonderful folksy-soulsy songs, beautiful violin and generally enchanting their congregation with one of the finest sermon's held in the Chapel.
To keep the whole show down to earth, rootsy and not too 'rock n roll', once finished, the four members of The Duke and The King walked into the crowd and shook hands, hugged and kissed 'their people'. Not many acts finish their performance this way and the warmth generated from their actions made the awaiting cold night air all the more bearable to face.
