Jalen Ngonda

On 29 May 2026, Jalen Ngonda brings a solo in-store performance to Rough Trade Bristol, marking the release of his new album, Doctrine of Love, on Daptone. Raised in Silver Spring, Maryland and based in the UK, Ngonda has shaped a lean, voice-led take on soul that nods to the 1960s while keeping concise, melodic songwriting front and center. Trained in Liverpool and sharpened on stage in clubs and small rooms, he blends classic rhythm and blues frameworks with a contemporary pop sense, carried by steady grooves, clear basslines and unfussy arrangements of guitar, keys and occasional brass.

In this intimate format, the focus is on phrasing, melody and the grain of his voice. Ngonda moves between slow-burn ballads and mid-tempo dancers, letting pulse and dynamics guide the set rather than ornament. Alongside new material from Doctrine of Love, he can reach back to early singles and to Come Around and Love Me (2023), drawing a straight line through his catalog without losing the simplicity that defines it. A close-up snapshot of a songwriter who keeps the essentials in view, in Bristol for one night only.