The Astral Bakers signing and acoustic performance at Rough Trade Records Denmark Street London for their 2nd Album Release

On a typically English grey and rainy autumn Sunday afternoon we were invited to an intimate acoustic performance by the up and coming French indie band Astral Bakers. Stepping into Rough Trade Records in London’s historic musical heart, the legendary Denmark Street, one was struck by the excited and good natured buzz of the fans packed into the small space, eagerly awaiting the entrance of the group.

The band, consisting of Ambroise Willaume on lead vocals, Theodora on bass, Nico Lockhart as rhythm guitarist and Zoe Hochberg on drums, made a very positive first impression on the indie music scene with their first album The Whole Story released in 2024. Today we hoped to hear tracks from that album in amongst new songs from their newly released LP Vertical Life whilst nestled amongst the cozy setting of Rough Trade Records ground floor.

After appearing to animated applause from the assembled crowd the band began to perform exactly that with Ambroise’s gentle vocals and acoustic strumming backed by Theodora’s weaving basslines. Zoe swapped a drum kit for gentle rhythmic strokes on an acoustic guitar and Nico provided a backdrop of an ethereal and otherworldly soundscape using an impressive array of digital effects for his guitar and even a cello bow at one point. Every member of the band sang haunting choir-like backing vocals and spine tingling harmonies with each other. This gave a beautiful vintage sound to the songs delivering a soft and heartfelt quality without an autotune in sight.

We were treated to 40 minutes of graceful musical synergy. Four musicians fully comfortable and thoroughly enjoying playing together performing wistful ballads that took us on a journey. A journey that was sometimes melancholic but mostly uplifting and always with the dreamlike and thoughtful style the band is becoming known for. It is a difficult task for any group of musicians to successfully pull off an acoustic set but the rapt attention of the crowd was a testament to how masterfully they achieved this no small feat. It has been some time since I have heard musicians be so generous and in harmony with each other. A rare thing in these times.