Following the extended closure of the London Irish Centre, home to the Camden Chapel, for refurbishment, the irrepressible Ray Jones and the Talentbanq team were on the lookout for a new weekly venue of similar capacity and atmosphere. Fortunately Ray discovered The Libra in Chalk Farm Road, a venue with multimedia arts potential run by two budding young female actors and so a new grassroots music venue in the creative haven that is Camden was born.

So it was a special honour to be a guest at the opening night of this prize jewel in the live music capital of North London. The venue is instantly likeable. Upstairs is an attractive cafe that sells tasty coffee and food (in my case Decaffe Vanilla Latte and Vegan Raspberry Slice). Downstairs is a lowlit, intimate and seated venue. We periodically feel the rumble of the underground trains through the floorboards (the converse of AMP Studios where we always had the trains going over the roof!). Tonight it is sold out and the audience is appreciative and attentive.

It is good to see and chat with Pablo Ettinger who I have previously not seen for some while. Pablo, who is also head of Caffe Nero Music, explains that their Heathrow Terminal 2 shows are now weekly and they are looking at starting something similar in Terminal 5. It is also pleasing to see one of my ICMP students, Alina, working with the team for the second time since I introduced her to Ray. It is precisely through volunteering with energetic creative entrepreneurs like Talentbanq that budding music business students can gain so much valuable experience while still studying.

First up is Mima Todd. The young singer is currently sticking to covers. As such, there is a degree of wanting to respect the originals that means adapting her style to reflect that reverence. As she grows in confidence and begins writing her own material, we will hopefully see her individuality blossom (a point Ray underlines at the end of her set). Nevertheless, she displays a gritty, rangey and agile vocal ability that enables her to deliver the goods on a set that includes such contrasts as Amy Winehouse’s Stronger, Nina Simone’s Feeling Good, a piano-jazz accompanied rendition of Fly Me To The Moon and even a sumptuous and soulful ballad by Stormzy. She is honest about her nervousness but actually she exudes confidence and her versatile, powerful performance is highly appreciated by the audience.

Mima Todd @ The Libra

Lizzie @ The Libra

The headline act tonight is Dorset-born Lizzie. She gives a pleasant speech, thanking various people before launching into opening track Tiptoe. Her style is entirely organic, just piano and vocals. Her vocal style is passionate and intense, set against relatively sparse triadic piano chords. She is a story teller both through the songs and her between-track patter. Autobiographical lyrics place her in classic singer-songwriter territory. There are moments when her nerves lead to mistakes and momentary memory lapses but the audience is supportive and focuses on her obvious talent and likeable personality. She explains, amusingly, that she has a ‘fishgold’ memory and then realises she meant to say ‘goldfish’! This gets a laugh from the punters. Suspect is a particular highlight with shades of Lana Del Rey in a mash with Billie Eilish.

Lizzie then introduces guitarist Zak Jaffro for largely the remainder of the set. His delicate chord play adds another level of sophistication and there is a greater sense of freedom about Lizzie’s vocals when accompanied this way. Rebellion is the best example of how the pair blend robust piano with decorative and twangy guitar and a slightly bluesy vocal delivery. The Best In Me has an anthemic quality and builds accordingly. An a capella song about someone very close who she lost to cancer is a powerful highlight. She ends with a lengthy tale about losing her phone in Spain and another piece of a capella. It’s a strong finish to an engaging set.

Lizzie And Zac Jaffro @ The Libra

The gig ends with Ray pointing out the importance of having a space where young artists can come and hone their trade in front of a supportive audience. He also gives a plug for the Libra Cafe and the two young women who put their life’s savings into opening the place plus generous mentions for various of us who were in attendance which also means, in my case, plugs for ICMP and Fresh On The Net. It has been an enjoyable evening in a venue I look forward to returning to. Congratulations to Talentbanq on making it happen.