The lights dimmed as the solo act Lakes of Russia settled himself and his guitar onto a chair with effects pedals all within reach. The tranquility of the repetition of the guitar echoed through the room. Unfortunately, there was a mix-up with the loops. I’m not exactly sure what the problem is, but the music didn’t seem to flow as naturally as I thought it would. Songs were abruptly cut off with the press of a pedal, whether it was intentional or not, I could not tell. I only knew that it felt rather disjointed, and made the songs sound unfinished. There were lots of layering, but because some of the layers weren’t played in time, it ended up sounding very unpolished. The occasional tinkle on the keyboard did however sooth the music. There seemed to be a bit of trouble with the effect pedals as well, but nonetheless, the crowd seemed to enjoy the compositions Jake had.

Four-piece band Seagull took over, and with a vulnerable, fragile voice, Christopher Bolton managed to charm the crowd and create a rather subdued atmosphere. With the melodica’s piercing whine sustained throughout most of their songs, it stirred up the nostalgia in the room and brought about a tinge of sadness and despair. Although the band proved to be not very entertaining to watch, the music they made was heart-wrenching and inspiring.

At long last, This Is Your Captain Speaking finally took the stage. Originally with only three people on stage, two guitarists and a drummer, This Is Your Captain Speaking started off their set with Henry and Maximus. The band whipped up songs from their old album Storyboard, such as Lift and 6pm, where a typewriter was used to create a basic rhythm for the piece, to ones from their new album Eternal Return, such as Incirculation. As the set progressed on, it was clear that the band was hugely inspired by Explosions in the Sky amongst many other bands. And in the third song, their fourth member was called in to complete the lineup of three guitars and a drummer.

There were a few in the crowd who chose to lie down to enjoy the serenity that the band created, just closing their eyes and letting the music cleanse them off every thought, whereas others were sitting, eyes transfixed on the gentle lull of the musicians as they themselves swayed in time to their music. I’m pretty sure everyone walked out of the venue feeling refreshed, I’m sure I did!