Arriving at the Good Mixer, Camden, for Mr Steve’s usual Thursday night slot, there was a sense of familiarity in the air.

Through the threshold of the historic, shabby wooden doors, you’re greeted by the ever-flamboyant Mr Steve – draped in his familiar hat, scarf and sunglasses.

I get the feeling that no-one’s been able to prize him from his spot at the end of the bar, facing the door, since his last show over a month ago.

Mr Steve usually throws together lineups comprising of Southampton and London acts he has picked up along his journey from fan to promoter.

This time however, he cast his own rules aside. The usual rowdy rock ‘n’ roll was moved over for a night of acoustic ballads.

The nights headliner, Jinder came to Mr Steve in a moment of fate. As a fan of the new-wave 70s band Yacht, he was listening to former member Henry Priestman’s work, and noticed the session guitarist and vocalist Jinder in the credits.

From there, he looked him up and booked him to top an acoustic bill. The sense of familiarity was kicked out the door as the crowd of Mr Steve’s friends and acquaintances were greeted by a delicate, softer side to the usual Thursday night carnage.

Up first on the bill, was the fresh-faced 15-year old Kaeden Schofield. Due to his age, special permission was granted for him to play the night.

Difficult to place genre wise, he’s best labelled as genre-less or genre blurring. If you had to push me, I’d put him into the realm of indie-rock ballads.

The stepson of the headliner, he opened with a couple of Jinder covers. In the moment, it felt like witnessing a future star at the preliminary stages of his career.

What struck me most, was how his shy and timid nature transformed when he took to the stage. He transported to a powerfully voiced, confident performer. He tuned his guitar by ear and roared into the set.

His strong and powerful voice continued to emanate throughout the room, as he ploughed into covers of Lionel Ritchie’s ‘Hello’ and Frank Sinatra’s ‘Fly Me To The Moon’.

Wrapping up his strong set, he performed an original piece of music written with Jinder, ‘Gun To A Knife Fight’. During the final choruses, the young man had the attention of the adoring onlookers. His confident style grew and grew into the set.

Up next, Mr Steve’s personal favourite Cat Elliott took to the Good Mixer stage once more. This time, bumped up a place into the middle slot.

As she took her position on stage, quipped that she was dressed like a pirate and ripped into ‘Romance Junkie’. This is her newest single, and one that describes her feelings of love not lasting long.

Her acoustic, folk style continued to bounce off the historic Good Mixer walls. She played songs like ‘Madame Anna’, in which she was challenged to write a song full of palindromes.

‘Playing On My Mind’ was introduced to all onlookers as a track about fancying someone who doesn’t fancy you back. The Good Mixer was transformed into a receptacle of rhythm as the full crowd clapped along.

She rounded off her set with the slightly softer and quieter ‘Through and Through’ and ‘Unconditional. Both of which showcase a delicate string to her bow, whilst maintaining the same level of charm and wit.

Elliott rounded off her set with the self-reflective ‘My Life’. She announced to the room that it was written after waking up and wishing she was someone else. It wasn’t all downbeat, as she now uses the song to highlight that it’s acceptable to be unique and to not care about other peoples opinions.

The whole audience were onboard with her set, and they erupted into a bellow of applause and cheers at the final conclusion.

Dressed in a western shirt and boots, Jinder took to the hallowed stage with the most ludicrous pedal board setup that may have ever graced The Good Mixer.

His polished and accomplished musical ability was clear to see from the off, as he opened with tracks ‘I can’t Make You Love Me’ and ‘King Of Burden’.

His love of his craft was also present throughout the set, as he took the time to introduce and explain the writing process behind each song. It felt like a musical showcase.

Tailoring the setlist to his crowd, he dedicated ‘ A Simple Song’ to good friend of Mr Steve’s, Caro. She’d recently been introduced to Jinder’s music and used this song in a social media post. She took an emotional step onto the stage at its conclusion to show her appreciation for the dedication.

The next song, ‘Rain Now’, was born out of a poignant moment in his life. Following a divorce, he told the keen-eared crowd that he returned to collect his possessions and left as the rain began to pour.

Following another explanation, the crowd were enlightened into the backstory of ‘Martha Of The Morning’. Originally written about a friend who appeared to be the one who got away, the track was missing a word from the original title ‘Martha Of The’.

Years later, the pair got back in touch and the full track’s creation was born and complete.

He dedicated ‘West Country Love Song’ to Mr Steve. This song explores the life of growing up In the West, and also a humorous story about Gary Glitter. I’ll leave that one there.

As Jinder powered through the chorus of ‘Waiting For The Wind’, Mr Steve took the opportunity to conduct the crowd through his gaggle of limbs dance.

As he begun wrapping up the much loved set, Jinder dedicated the next track to a member of the audience, Mick, who’s seen him many times throughout the years. Nick had also travelled 70 miles to be in attendance and personally requested ‘Rough Around The Edges’ from his time in The Mercurymen.

The song itself is littered with a sense of movement. It was clear to see it was designed for exactly the kind of venue The Good Mixer is. Cramped in on the sticky floors, patrons of the venues threw arms around one another, clattered shoulder to shoulder and split into pairs and linked arms. There was a moment of togetherness in those few minutes.

Jinder hadn’t quite wrapped up there, as he invited Kaeden Schofield back to the stage to join him for the final song, ‘Overthinkers Anonymous’. The baritone vocals of Schofield sat perfectly in line with Jinder’s as the pair rocked the famous room for one final time.

Jinder saw out the set with an incredible looped guitar medley that never seemed to meet its conclusion. The onlooking audience crooned over the final few chords and Jinder left to a tumultuous applause.

DJ Black Feather took the decks after a short break, to bring the night into conclusion with a set packed full of indie bangers.

Stepping away from his usual heavier rock-focused nights was an ambitious move from Mr Steve, but the atmosphere never wavered.

The same sense of togetherness and joy filled the room from start to finish. As for where he takes these nights next, only Mr Steve knows. The rest of us will just have to wait impatiently for the next one.

Written by Bradley Halcrow for The Songbird HQ

Photography by Libby Grinham