Jalen Ngonda

On August 27, 2026 at Limelight in Belfast, Jalen Ngonda brings a soul set shaped by club stages and careful songwriting. Raised in Silver Spring, later based between London and Liverpool, he built his voice in small rooms, keeping arrangements tight and direct: bass lines that carry the song, steady drums, clean guitar figures, and the vocal line always out front.

His live show leans on the classic soul framework of the 1960s without sounding stuck in it. Songs from his Daptone period, including the album Come Around and Love Me, sit next to newer material, moving between slow-burning ballads and brisk R&B grooves. Melodies are concise, verses land fast, and the choruses stick without overplaying the ornamentation.

On stage, expect a rhythm section that keeps the pocket, keys that color the harmony, and flashes of horns or strings when the arrangement calls for it. Ngonda’s range glides from a soft falsetto to a grainier middle register, serving lyrics about love, uncertainty and the small turns of everyday intimacy. It’s a show built for a room like Limelight: close, focused, and carried by the song.