Michael Kiwanuka, Live At The Academy

Charming and clearly pleased to be here, Kiwanuka has the crowd smiling and swaying along from the get-go. Opening with ‘I’ll Get Along’, the third single from debut album Home Again, Michael easily drifts his way from song to song with masterful use of that smooth, distinctive voice and the help of an excellent band.

Weaving together music, easy conversation and a playful introduction of the band members (who look every bit as thrilled to be there as the man himself), every song goes down well, but Kiwanuka ultimately shines most when the band leaves the stage and lets him showcase the tracks as they were written, with just a guitar and his voice. ‘Rest’ and ‘I Won’t Lie’ are two highlights, with ‘Home Again’ also proving a crowd favourite when the band return.

Kiwanuka gets the audience involved and ends on a high with the penultimate ‘I Don’t Know’ before returning to the stage with just his guitar and some help from bassist Pete Randall to blast out a particularly soulful rendition of ‘Lasan’ as an encore.

A beautiful, earnest performance from a man who more than lives up to the hype; it seems likely he’ll someday get his wish to have several albums and myriad songs from which to produce a three-hour set.