In the infamously cosy yet exciting Hyde Park Book Club, a venue which is primarily a bar/ cafe and book shop, Austel performed an elegant and emotive set following the release of her new album Mirror to Mine on Friday.
Review and Photos by Georgia Davies
The actual performance room is small and adorned with Persian rugs and candlesticks, offering a perfectly intimate setting for the music of this evening. Despite its bustling courtyard of locals that sits adjacent to the stage, the room is a tranquil escape from the rest of the city, with remarkably good sound.
Before Austel, there were two support acts; the first being Tiny Rebel who are a Leeds based duo about to graduate from Leeds Conservatoire. Connie and Evan presented a well composed guitar/vocal/keyboard performance of original music, mostly depicting young adult relationships through a soft indie sound.
The finger plucked guitar and clever lyricism offered a familiar early 2010s indie sound while the effortless blend of the two’s voices was enchanting. Part of their short set included a medley of their own songs closed with a cover of Modern Baseball’s I Think You Were in My Profile Picture Once. They cited the band as a big inspiration for them, and there is definitely an accurate comparison there.
The second support was Leo (artist name leo.), another Leeds Conservatoire graduate who has been based in Leeds for a couple of years but is originally from Portugal. Leo has been releasing music since 2018 with his song despair reaching particular popularity a couple of years ago.
Leo’s performance featured airy and romantic pop songs that will stay in your head but feel relaxing to listen to. Leo has a nostalgic sound with incredible voice control and beautifully crafted lyrics. He reminded me of Matt Maltese and Laufey, the latter of which he sang a cover of during the set.
Both supports were impressive and worked as a perfect warm up for Austel.
Austel performed a beautiful set accompanied by a mix of acoustic and gentle electric guitar, with a smattering of soft keys and sound recordings of nature for some songs. Originally from Devon, Austel (real name Annie) takes inspiration from the natural environment she was raised in.
Her previous album Dead Sea, she explained during the show, was a metaphorical observation of the irony of the lifelessness of the dead sea yet the historic spiritual value it possesses, as well as salt itself having both healing and painful qualities. This album was mainly electronic in sound whereas her latest release, Mirror to Mine, is grounded in its acoustic quality, expanding on similar themes of family and growth but in a more stripped back, reflective way, both sonically and lyrically.
As a live performance, these songs really came into their own and had the room listening intently to every word. Austel’s voice is delicately bold, well matched to songs that have an acutely mastered build-and-release. Her performance was quietly emotional and had me feeling very connected to the material, particularly during White Linen and Hotel Room Window View.
Austel performed at Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds on Tues 9 June 2026 with support from leo. and Tiny Rebel.