Prior to the release of her solo album No Human Tongue Can Tell, Lankum member Radie Peat performed the material for the first time at this sold-out union chapel show. The atmospheric setting always enhances a gig and is particularly suited to this sort of intimate folk gig. Sitting upstairs in the raked central balcony for the first time (after an uber adventure caused by Victoria line suspension) our view of the whole stage was excellent – this may become a new favourite spot in this unreserved seating venue.

We caught the end of the support slot from Iona Zajac – I will definitely explore her material further – as Radie Peate’s former nanny – having travelled with her baby on tour – she had more than earned her slot tonight and will be seen again as one of a rotating line up of vocalists on the pogues December tour.

But tonight was all about the headliner. Lankum , and Radie’s newer band OXN have kept her profile high for a number of years now and previews for the album have been universally excellent.

The show opened with a stripped back version of Hares on the Mountain – a song popularised by Shirley Collins that has only gained stature since her original recording. It is certainly having a moment – appearing in a reworked version in Collins’ unexpected recent return to the studio, and popping up again on the new Johnny and Lillie Flynn album. Radie’s version is gripping and sets the scene for this ‘unintentional’ suite of songs which, she has said, is centred on ‘female struggle, suffering, strength and endurance’.

Those themes certainly come through strongly in lead single ‘still I love him’ – a highlight of the set and certainly a contender for song of the year.

Radie moves between synth and harmonium , and at the centre of the set to her baritone concertina for a set of tunes throughout which she perfectly balances her virtuosity with not being afraid to treat the music loosely – the air escaping as she contracts the bellows becoming an integral part of the sound.

The sound is excellent throughout. The music contains elements familiar from her other projects – drone, synths, and particularly synth bass from the album producer and regular collaborator John Spud Murphy. Also present on stage (I think ) are other regular collaborators Katie Kim (percussion/ harp) and Cormac Macdiarmada.

With only the one album to draw from the set ran for about 70 minutes – leaving a spellbound audience more than satisfied, anticipating the release of the album a week after the gig, and hoping that it will be followed by many more.