Review | St Lundi at The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea: "Seriously slick indie-pop"

But St Lundi’s homecoming gig turns out to be a marvellously wholesome evening.

Several years ago Hayling Island solo artist Archie Langley went to London to pursue his dream of a making it in the music business. He reinvented himself there as St Lundi and has since played dozens of shows around the UK and on the continent, honing his craft. Along the way he’s racked up north of 100m Spotify streams.

He played to a good crowd at Victorious Festival’s acoustic stage this summer, but this is his first show here under his “new” name. As such, the Wedge is packed with family and friends – and quite a few children. The reason for the latter becomes clear later...

His brand of seriously slick indie-pop is packed with earworms – imagine Keane, or Coldplay before they vanished up their own sense of self-importance. And the crowd laps it up.

There are plenty of new songs alongside the stream of singles he’s released over the last three years.

Family is a running theme tonight – he dedicates heartfelt new song Nobody Like You to his mum, who is in attendance. And for recent single Fall he brings out his youngest brother – just eight years old, to “help” him sing the song, which Langley wrote to support their other brother in difficult times. It’s rather sweet.

Midset the rest of the band leaves Langley alone on stage and he swaps his guitar for keys. First up he plays the ballad Fallen Like a Star before introducing his new single Alone Over Christmas, which is raising money for the Trussell Trust’s Portsmouth food bank. The single wouldn’t sound out of place in a John Lewis ad and also features the Hayling Youngstars and Havant’s The Vox vocal group. Some of those choristers are here tonight – hence the children in the crowd – and join him on and in front of the stage for the song.

It all adds up to a feelgood show that leaves even the most cynical of hearts with a warm glow.

While current chart rules sees Christmas superpowers like Wham! and Mariah rule the roost making it tough for new acts to breakthrough, it would be incredible to see St Lundi crack the top 40. Buy the single here: linktr.ee/stlundi.