David Gray, Union Chapel

This year's edition of the Little Noise Sessions will feature multiple Brit-nominee David Gray. On the back of the success of his 10^th studio album Mutineers, Gray brings his recognisable and impassioned howl to London to support Mencap at their yearly Union Chapel fundraiser. This year, the event also features Jake Bugg and has in the past seen support from the Maccabees and Richard Hawley.
Mutineers finds Gray in somewhat comfortable territory, but under the direction of producer Andy Barlow (sometime collaborator with Damien Rice and Elbow and still a member of long-underrated downtempo duo Lamb) the familiar vocal-driven singer-songwriter aesthetic is subtly re-worked. Barlow crafts arrangements that swirl around Gray's vocal lead not simply as embellishment, but fully sharing centre-stage, and enjoying long instrumental periods rarely seen in previous albums.
Set-lists for Gray's recent gigs are heavy with the best material from the new album, but the classics are given an airing too. In the beautiful surroundings of Union Chapel, this will be an excellent way to hear the British singer-songwriter in fine fettle, and to support a fantastically worthy cause too.